Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."

Average Customer Rating:

new age drivel

Customer Rating:

I doubt I would have been so offended by this book had it not been for the pretentious fawings of so many people who claimed it had changed their life. I was intrigued. I was then very disappointed. What a load of new age drivel. Change my life my foot. This book is pretentious and seems to have been lifted from an array of other superior novels and fables. I felt cheated by the rave reviews and am still somewhat dumbfounded by it.

must read at least once	Customer Rating:
The books just puts you at peace. For all you cynics out there it is a must read, positive and magical, still makes you believe there is hope out there you've just got to believe in it :)

an old, short story manipulated for the modern love of spiritual spin

Customer Rating:

I've given this book three stars partly out of respect for the fact that so many others have clearly appreciated the book, and partly for one or two passages which were, to me, like snippets of poetry: evocative and memorable. As a whole, though, I can't say I'm a fan. The Alchemist follows the same basic plot as The Pedlar of Swaffham (an old English folk tale based on a local legend and/or myth) and other related tales. The difference is that the book is written with the obvious intention of a "spiritual message". I'm not criticising those who have found such a message, but it didn't have this effect on me for several reasons: the root story doesn't have a spiritual element, and there simply isn't room for one in that plotline: it's neutral, with no glory or censure either in the advantages of staying at home, or the initiative of going on an adventure. Both are shown to have their advantages, and it's the delight in the twist to the end of the story - a key element of folk tales - that's the real purpose of telling it ... Coelho spins a *long* tale which is seriously dull in places... the style is a very conscious attempt at the "naivite" of stories such as the Little Prince, but these don't seem to work when they're used in a deliberate way (it's like trying to paint the bloom onto a grape). In fact I found this element slightly manipulative, and hence offputting. I know this review won't be popular as The Alchemist has a lot of fans, but it just wasn't a very rewarding read for me on either a literary or instructive level. Taking old tales and trying to build a big "message" out of them is *very* hard to get right, and I'd have preferred something more along the lines of the old concept of storytelling - i.e. a version that allowed the reader to come to his or her own conclusion about the spiritual significance of the story, rather than having the whole thing constructed specifically to spell it out.

Best spiritual book I have read

Customer Rating:

I loved this book...simple as that. I finished it only yesterday and I already want to read it again. I just picked it off the bookshelf after reading Sara Book 2 by Abraham Hicks (its a children's book but adults benefit more than children from the read) without realising that the books are somewhat connected. The Alchemist approaches the Law of Attraction and finding your path in a different way. I find that some spiritual books are difficult reads as they are riddled in heavy duty terminology. This book is straight forward and gets to the point. I think by being so clear the lesson is easier learnt. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book.

Nothing wrong with simple...

Customer Rating:

A friend recommended The Alchemist to me a few years ago, and I've only now got around to reading it. Looking at the reviews on this site, it seems a lot of people are critical of the simple style of writing, and the repetitive structure. Personally, I liked the simple, poetic style of writing. I'm not religious, and approach life from a scientific perspective, but I didn't mind the supernatural elements of the plot- they weren't the key message. Coelho's message in this book is nothing new- to follow your dreams and to be awake to the possibilities within yourself, but he illustrates it poetically, and focuses on details of the plot that often are overlooked. Often he seems to interpret events in a postive way- something I found life-affirming and inspiring, because it's something that I personally struggle with. I wonder if that is part of the book's appeal to many people?