THE ALCHEMIST BY PAULO COELHO

My Experience of reading the novel  "THE ALCHEMIST" by PAULO COELHO

About the Author :

• Brazilian lyricist and novelist
• First Book - Hell Archives (in 1982)
• Best known for his novel "The Alchemist"
• Awards - Bambi Culture

Must know details about the novel "The Alchemist"

• Author - Paulo Coelho
• Published in 1988
• Originally written in Portuguese
• Original Title - O Alquimista
• English Translation by Alan R Clarke
• An allegorical novel

My First Reading Experience

I started my reading journey from the novel "The Alchemist" and it was indeed a pleasant experience. I feel happy that I chose "The Alchemist" to start my reading journey.

I took three days to complete the novel. On first day I read 36 pages, on the second day it reached up to 106 and finally on third day I finished the book. I can say that by third day I was so eager to read and reach to the last word of the book that I almost skipped all my other daily chores just to sit and read the book.

 I never thought reading is so exciting until I actually got into it. Maybe it was because of the nature of the literature I chose to read and I was fortunate enough to make the right choice. 

What I felt about the Novel

The main theme of the book is finding one's own destiny. It motivates and inspires you in a practical way.When you read the book , you find yourself relating to all the incidents of the book to your life at some point of time. The crux is everyone should follow his/her dream and enjoy the journey like the protagonist in The Alchemist (Santiago) did.

The book is highly spiritual and often makes it difficult to believe in certain situations. At times the story seems repetitive. People who are not spiritual or are a believer of practicality may not like how the story takes them to the conclusion. 

The readers can take a lot of things from the book irrespective of the fact that it is spiritual. If you are anyone with hopes and dreams, this book can help you believe in them. 

An outline of the story

The novel is about an Andalusian shepherd named Santiago following his dream or personal legend. Santiago starts his journey from a dream about finding treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt. The novel is compelling in its own right, but gains resonance through the many lessons Santiago learns during his adventures. He journeys from Spain to Morocco in search of worldly success, and eventually to Egypt, where a fateful encounter with an alchemist brings him at last to self-understanding and spiritual enlightenment. 

Phrases I Liked

• "When someone sees the same people everyday, they windup becoming a part of that person's life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

• “At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.”

• "Making a decision was only the beginning of things."

• "We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination."

• "The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself."

• "The darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn."

• "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

• "To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation."

• "When you want something; all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Recommendation

The book is a must read for any individual who is currently trying to figure out what they want to do in their life. The book will resonate more with individuals who are currently pursuing their dream. Whether you are discouraged or have high optimism, there will be a time when you are discouraged and you will immediately think back to this book and the shepherd Santiago and you will smile knowing that you will go through shit but “the universe conspires to help any individual trying to achieve their personal legend.”


A Word From My Heart......

Nothing feels better than finding a great book, smelling it's unique fragrance, making yourself a nice hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate (if you're lucky) , roll inside a blanket like a turtle, find that perfect position for reading, and start reading….You lose sense of what is happening in the outside world, you embody the character you empathise the most, you breathe the words as though the ink is oxygen.

You are just stuck in .

Who knew that I would get stuck in this world for eternity?

Who knew reading would become more like an addiction than a hobby?


This is Anju N Nampoothiry....a Book lover lost in world of reading....signing off.



References : Wikipedia