Absolutely loved this book, its motivational and inspirational... if I am being redundant I don't care but that is how awesome this book is. I would read it over and over again. ( )

I heard a lot of praise for this book without actually hearing what it was about. I expected it being more about the thought rather than the story, but I didn't expect a self-help book that is hidden in a slightly interesting tale.

Now it made me think about some things and maybe I took something from it, but mostly this book wasn't for me. In the first place, it's quite religious. It repeatedly talks about how God is going to help you if you follow your true story. I might not be 100% atheist but I am pretty sure no matter how hard you work for that "true story" in the end, it's up to luck. I don't really believe in things being fated or predetermined.

So yeah, while I took the idea of following your dream as encouraging because it's something I just recently decided to do, I wasn't really into all the preaching. The story was enjoyable enough, and I liked the ending. ( )

Ugh. This was difficult to continue/finish - but I did so now I can write my honest review. While well-written in regard to grammar and structure, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What am I reading?”

Alchemy, by definition, is the branch of study and practical craft in the medieval and early renaissance period concerned with the nature and transformation of physical substances; i.e., turning lead into gold. Therefore, an alchemist, is someone who practices alchemy. So, naturally, I assumed the book was about someone who wanted to turn lead into gold. For the most part, that was incorrect; this book was a weirdly preachy hybrid between Christianity and Islam and to be honest, was a complete mess.

We follow Santiago, a shepherd on his great quest to follow his personal legend. He meets a king, Melchizedek who gives him two stones, Urim and Thummim to help him interpret omens. From here, Santiago gives up his sheep and goes in search of his legend to the pyramids of Egypt. Yes, there is more to the book, I think, but it is so surrounded by dreams and snippets of Biblical isms I got lost on what in the world the book was about - certainly not a lot of turning lead into gold.

Part “The Secret” and part Bible, the Alchemist is a lot, and a little, and to me, not worth it. That being said, it was well-crafted and deserves a go if you are into preachy fantasy.
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Did not read consistently so maybe would have liked it more if so. Overall not too exciting and not relatable. ( )

A well writ book, a good story, if it just stopped there and wasn’t taken as some sort of magical universal metaphor by his uber-fans. ( )