Published: 1993
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Genre: Fiction, Adventure
Rating: 1
Summary: A spanish boy goes in search of his “Personal Legend” and his treasure. His journeys take him to Africa, through deserts, all the way to the Pyramids. Along the way he meets an Englishman, a crystal-glass store owner, an alchemist, and the love of his life.
I could not get past the intended message. It destroyed the entire story for me. Paulo’s imagination is good, but his writing is sub-par for a writer who has sold over 65 million books (which includes all his novels, not this one alone) and his message is soul-destroying. A bad message does not necessarily ruin a book for me, Hemingway would be a good example, but if an author has a bad message he must compensate with a great story and great writing to capture my interest. And he must not focus on the message because the message, being bad, then destroys the whole story. And this is what Paulo has done in The Alchemist. The message is the story (kind of like The Shack by William P. Young).
The message is pantheistic and therefore also entirely narcissistic-solipsistic. I.e. it was self-centered, self-focused, and selfish. I.e. it was all me, me, me, me, me, me… and me, myself, and I.
A hopeless message.
The book also contains a message of perseverance, but I cannot help but think, “If the goal of the message is all about me then why do I enjoy the message of perseverance?”
It is an easy read and there is some entertainment value. I do not enjoy giving a book the boot, contrary to what some of my reviews seem to suggest, because I realize the effort put into writing a book. It’s work. It’s not easy. But if you’re going to write a book then do it well and don’t try to get it published if it totally bites. This is what good publishers are for, they protect the masses from poorly written books. Somehow this one got through and I’ve got to wonder if it was the message that helped it get through. People obviously like the message within the book otherwise it would not have sold as many copies as it has. But I, for one, could not get past the message and so I ask, “Anybody got a lighter?”
Author bio: Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is also the author of The Zahir and The Pilgrimage and a number of other books.
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