Of all Coelho’s books ’’The Alchemist’’ is undoubtedly my favourite. It’s beautifully written and very poetic.
The book describes the journey of Santiago, a young Shepard boy from a small Andalusian village. Santiago longs to escape and discover the world and its treasures. He travels to a foreign land, Egypt and despite many setbacks and disheartening encounters he continues his journey and never gives up hope until he fulfils his dream. (Parts of the storyline reminded me of an Arabian Night Tale called ‘The Ruined Man Who Became Rich Again Through A Dream’ [You can look it up on the net]).
Throughout ‘The Alchemist’ Coelho leads the reader onto a spiritual voyage and you are often left contemplating the ‘unseen’ entities and forces assisting our existence. His style reminds me of Sufi wisdom and Rumi genius, which probably explains the comparison to the Arabian Night Tale.
Through his journey Santiago grows spiritually and shares his thoughts, aspiration’s and fears. His journey imparts much wisdom and hope to its readers.
It’s main message is:
Never give up hope and follow your dreams;
After reading this book I know I was left with hope and inspiration.
If you like Arabian Nights, if you like mystical, spiritual and poetic prose, if you want a book that gives you a message of hope then I recommend this book.