It’s not everyday you find an author who’s fiction has sold more than 65 million copies world wide and of course one doesn’t need to review when the work speaks for itself.
But as an English speaker, I could easily see why the author’s writing is so disorganised or incoherent - main reason could be that it’s been translated from Portuguese. The characters and the story jumps from one setting to another without introducing them prior. It perhaps would have been more annoying to read if this book had more pages added into it. But that being said, obviously, you can’t expect much with the coherence of writing a novel when it has been translated from a foreign language.
Getting down to the story itself - The story is about the journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago and his escapades which will involve life’s ups and downs along with the priceless rewards life offers for one who stands till the end. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be of higher purpose, decides to travel to a nearby town to discover its meaning. A gypsy woman tells him that there is treasure in the Pyramids in Egypt. So he starts his adventure which will change his life forever.
I’ve to be honest, it seemed a bit too religious for my liking when I started and I did find myself getting a wee bit bored in the first couple of chapters. But I don’t remember at what point, I was hooked on to the book and I finished it in one sitting. Soon after I finished the book, I felt a silence and a sense of awe in me. I consider good writing to be something that offers a positive change and evokes positive emotions. This book did just that bringing back the best of positive emotions- love and hope. In a way, I could say The Alchemist re-ignited my rusty-dreams back into action