I cannot seem to remember a time when ‘The Alchemist’ wasn’t on my never-ending list of books to read. I was very intrigued to pick up this book as it was one that I would see literally everywhere – I guess it could have been interpreted as being some kind of omen 😉 Besides, I had never actually read a spiritual book before…
This is a story about Santiago, a shepherd who longs to travel in search of the treasure he’s been dreaming about. As his travels take him to different places, he meets a variety of different people – all of which have something to teach him along the way. This is a story that gives inspiration, wisdom and hope.
One of the first things that struck me was the writing style. The way it had been written actually felt like someone was telling a story around a fire. How it weaved between the past and the present at the start seemed to be seamless, and as a result, the reading experience was amazing. This also came from the language used. Everything had been written in a very eloquent but simple manner, which for me just added to the beauty of the narration. The way the book shows that the journey is more important than the destination was brilliantly conveyed throughout the book.
“When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”
I absolutely loved that fact that an assortment of characters were presented throughout Santiago’s journey, with each one having his own story and through that a lesson to give to the shepherd. Each character’s lesson was inspirational and thought provoking in it’s own way. I really liked the overall message about pursuing your dreams and how there are omens scattered around that will help you to realise and fulfil your own personal legend and dreams.
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Having said that, there was a few times where I found myself completely confused (well to be completely honest, it was a lot of the time 😛 ) and at a loss as to what the author was trying to convey. This happened especially towards the end part of the book. (This was where I felt that things were starting to get awfully strange). This might have been because some things just weren’t properly explained or that there were tenuous links drawn that just didn’t make complete sense to me.
“Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present”.
Yet I suppose this ambiguity was there on purpose in order for the reader to make his or her own interpretations. This freedom of interpretation was both good and bad in some respects. In fact, to be completely honest, I’m not entirely sure how I felt about this.
To conclude, I did enjoy reading this book despite being lost a lot of the time. The overall message about following your dreams and the biggest obstacle of doing so is the fear of failure was very inspirational. I would say that people should read this book, just to see what interpretations and conclusions they draw.
Happy Reading,
Saz
Bookish ruminations 