REVIEW OF THE ALCHEMIST

“The Alchemist’’ by Paulo Coelho is an inspirational story. This book was first published by Editora
Rocco in 1988. Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. This
book is very knowledgeable, full of curiosity. It inspires the youth to achieve our dreams and work hard
to reach our destiny. I wish I could meet an alchemist just once in my life after reading this masterpiece.
This book is famous because it talks about chasing dreams, personal legends, and The Soul of the World.

Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil and has become one of the most widely read authors in the world
today. Renowned for his best-loved work The Alchemist, he has sold over 20 million books worldwide
and has been translated into 42 languages. The recipient of numerous prestigious international awards.
Paulo Coelho is a storyteller with the power to inspire nations and to change people’s lives. He is
Catholic and has a particular interest in pilgrim routes. His famous books are The Pilgrimage, The
Valkyries, The Alchemist, The Fifth Mountains, and Veronika Decides to Die.

The story is about a Shepherd boy from Spain whose name is Santiago. He keeps getting the same
dream about treasures that are lying in the Pyramids of Egypt. He begins on a journey to follow his
dream after meeting an old king who offers him magic stones named as Urim and Thummim and advice.
Santiago crosses the Mediterranean and Sahara to find his treasure in Egypt and also accomplish his
personal legend which is his purpose in life. The book details his journey and the various encounters that
he experiences when following his dream. Throughout the journey, Santiago meets many new people
and a lot of difficulty which ultimately helps him to learn and grow the entire way and finally he finds his
treasures.

According to my point of view The Alchemist is a fantastic book and the storytelling is beautiful. The
choice of words are full of wisdom and philosophy. I loved it. The book shows that the journey to your
destiny is as important as the destiny itself. This book teach us never to lose hope. The best lesson is
that when a person really desires something, the whole universe will conspire to help that person realize
his dream. It teaches us another important lesson of our life: “Be sure what you want in your life!’’

It was originally published in 1988 in language Portuguese. Paulo Coelho’s writing style in The Alchemist
is allegorical and has used a third person mode of narration. The novel is basically a symbolic parable
emphasizing on the importance following one’s dreams. As in many of Paulo Coelho’s other books, this
novel also has an element of philosophy in it.

I recommend this book to read to everyone because of its simplicity and inspiring lessons and teachings.
If there is no dream at the moment, I guarantee one will come to mind after reading The Alchemist.

 HIRA ADNAN
 1867-FBAS/BSMA/F19
 SECTION-B