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Title: The Alchemist
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Manufacturer: HarperCollins
List Price: $13.95
Our Price: $6.49
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| Customer Reviews: |
| The Alchemist by HarperCollins Awesome! | | I totally love this book! Not only did it help me to realize the truth of my life, but it has allowed me to help others understand what's happening in their lives. I recommend this book to anyone - even those of us that feel we know what we're doing. | | The Alchemist by HarperCollins The last time I take a book recommendation from Madonna | | This book was utterly appalling. The characters were one-dimensional, the dialogue inane, the plot both dull and choppy. I was expecting, at the least, some coherent and consistent philosophy behind the events in the story: as to the nature of personal destiny, the order of the universe, the existence and/or workings of true magic, SOMETHING! But instead, it read as if different authors had written various chapters without even consulting one another - the whole thing didn't really make much sense at all. Abysmal. | | The Alchemist by HarperCollins Wonderful treatment on how the universe supports one's dreams | | This is the perfect book for someone embarking on a new adventure or chapter in life. It should be required reading for every new graduate for its simple, but provocative, take on trusting one's instinct and listening to God for divine advice. | | The Alchemist by HarperCollins Short and fun | I finished The Alchemist in two sittings - it's that short. But there's a lot of good stuff packed into this story that makes it an excellent read.
The book is about a Spanish shepherd boy who has a dream of finding treasure buried beside the Great Pyramids. He sets out on his journey by crossing into Africa and traveling with several different companions. I personally love the setting of the desert, with the camels and the Arabian marketplace and all, so this book has some great imagery. The plot is intriguing and the characters are by far the high point: they are all very unique and interesting. And the ending had a turn that I thought was well executed.
The tale is designed so to present the author's ideas about the nature of the Universe, and how all things are connected, etc. I wouldn't call it profound or anything, but I liked the way it was woven into the story. I'd much prefer to read a narrative about the Laws of the Universe than, say, The Secret (which presents many of the same ideas but reads like a how-to guide), so this was well done. Even if you aren't big on some of the philosophy there is a lot presented here and I think there is something for everyone to take away.
My only complaints: this book was translated from Portuguese and so the variety in word choice is a little lacking. I think it could have been more poetic either in the native language, or if the translation was handled by someone else. Also, if you don't really buy into the philosophy presented, it gets very blatant at some points and interferes with the plot. Still, I think for such a short read it's a very good book and I'd definitely recommend it. | | The Alchemist by HarperCollins Very inspiring | | It's a book about following one's dreams and not giving up. And more importantly, it teaches us that the journey towards acheiving one's goal is far more enlightening than the moment of euphoria at acheiving it. This book is a really light read, yet powerful! | | The Alchemist by HarperCollins Product Description | | My Heart Is Afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky."Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams." Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come. The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams. | | The Alchemist by HarperCollins Amazon.com | | Like the one-time bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sniff a bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream. 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." --Gail Hudson |
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