L'alchimiste

Paperback, 220 pages

French language

Published Aug. 1, 1999 by J'ai lu.

ISBN:
978-2-290-14120-5
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4 stars (25 reviews)

The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho that was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there.

25 editions

Review of 'The Paulo Coelho Collection: "The Alchemist", "The Pilgrimage", "The Valkyries"' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An interesting book. I read this largely as an allegory about how the majority of us lack motivation to achieve our goals in life. The story follows the sojourn of a young shepherd boy as he seeks to discern the meaning of his recurrent dreams about finding treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. This leads him on a convoluted, multi-year journey, from the Iberian Peninsula through the Sahara Desert. At the end, he discovers that the physical treasure he sought was back at home, he only needed to encounter a certain messenger in Egypt to finally come to this realization.

The boy's father suggests in the beginning of the book that humans are inclined to find difference and/or foreign places attractive for vacationing. What one person perceives as the mundane and ordinary, another will see as alluring. Herein lies the common saying among Americans who vacation at the beach: "I wish …

Review of 'The Paulo Coelho Collection: "The Alchemist", "The Pilgrimage", "The Valkyries"' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Best book of the year for me

The Alchemist spoke to me deeply. It's another of a handful of books I wish I had read right out of high school.

Paulo Coelho's writing style is very direct. If you let your mind wander for a few sentences, you probably will miss a major plot point. This makes it a very fast and exciting read but things happen so quickly, I found myself stopping to reflect often (not a bad thing). :)

reviewed L'alchimiste by Paulo Coelho (Le livre de poche -- 15090)

Review of "L'alchimiste" on 'Goodreads'

1 star

Lui il y a des années ce livre m'a profondément marquée, par son insondable bêtise et sa niaiserie sans fond. Clichés à répétition, morale à dix balles, on a l'impression que le propos, déjà vu et revu, s'adresse à un enfant de 6 ans. Spiritualité bon marché pour éviter de trop réfléchir soi-même, une bonne grosse lapalissade dune fadeur désarmante.

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Subjects

  • Modern fiction