This book should come with a warning along the lines of 'This is a self-help book' or 'Not for the non-spiritual'. I read it for a book club and out of the 14 members, only 3 of us enjoyed the book and or rated it above a three out of five. I suspect the likes of Oprah and Madonna, both massive fans of the book may regard the unimpressed simply as unenlightened.
The book-clubbers however who were not keen on the book cited a number of concerns; a primary one was that the story was too simple, another was that the message that we are all masters of our destiny was drummed home a little too much...so much so it felt like being browbeaten with the same message over and over again. The most damning of all comments was that Paulo Coelho is a charlatan....yes a charlatan...a fake, someone who pretends to have certain expertise or knowledge, a synonym would be a quack.
Not only do I think that is an unfair assessment, I think it smears the author as it assigns an ulterior motive to Coelho when he wrote this book. Having read his interview, it's apparent that the author had no idea that this book would be translated into English, let alone become as popular as it has - The Alchemist has been translated into 63 different languages and has sold more than
65 million copies. When the book was first published by a small Brazilian publishing company, it had a print run of just 900 books, after which they decided not to reprint it - they must be kicking themselves right now.
The fact that so many people worldwide have hailed Coelho as a genius, a visionary or an intellectual has nothing to do with the man himself - nor does he determine people's reactions to the book. There are quotes from fans on
his blog who describe themselves as his 'disciple' and others who claim to have learnt to follow their dreams after reading this book. I think this simple truth applies to any author who writes for the love of writing or the love of storytelling and is plucked from obscurity to super stardom. No matter how confident they are of their writing ability, it is impossible for them to predict how their work will be received; when J K Rowling sat in an Edinburgh cafe writing Harry Potter - there was no way she could have predicted the huge phenomenon it would become. I don't think Coelho thinks of himself as a visionary and certainly his early works were borne out of his own experiences and his personal evolution - obviously those experiences and beliefs resonated with enough people making this book such a success.
I also think that in order to get something from this book, you have to be in a certain frame of mind. I never read self-help books which is essentially what this book is; I wouldn't describe it as a novel. The story that runs through in my opinion merely acts as a conduit for the teachings or 'wisdom' if you will.
Some critics contend that the story is far too simplistic but The Alchemist is less about the shepherd boy who travels to Egypt to find his treasure and more about the countless themes that recur including the pursuit of happiness, spiritual enlightenment, the meaning or purpose of dreams and Fate. This book makes for a great study text for young people because there is so much to explore within it - for instance the relationship between material wealth and spirituality or the part that organised religion plays in our lives or our pursuit for a singular Truth.
As with every book, more so every self-help book, the messages in The Alchemist will not resonate with everyone, it may be simply down to timing in that person's life or their personality or life experiences. I would recommend reading about The Alchemist before reading The Alchemist and if you find yourself in the right frame of mind or in search of inspiration or simply want to read a piece of work that will constantly ask questions and make you think about life and what you want/get from it, then do pick up a copy. Otherwise I hear there's a new book on the Harry Potter saga coming out soon.
The Alchemist
