Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come.

The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.

The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Average Customer Rating:

Wise	Customer Rating:
A delightful story, and full of wisdom. Influenced me in pursuing what I dream about, and rediscovering my "personal legend" as he calls it.

Shouldn't be titled "The Alchemist" because

Customer Rating:

the alchemist is not the main character in the book. The main character is the little boy who is a shepherd, so it should have been called "The Shepherd". This book has some interesting nuggets on spirituality, one of which is God is within people who are happy. However, the book was also corny at times, such as when people talk to their hearts and their hearts talk back to them. The ending is really worse than most books, because it's almost like the "it was all a dream" ending that most books avoid. Surprisingly, it's the non-spiritual aspects of the book that are more interesting than the spiritual aspects of the book. It is more interesting to read about the boy making money at the crystal ware shop than about the Soul of the World. The crystal ware shop owner is the most interesting character in the book, because he does not plan on going to Mecca in his life even though he is a Muslim. So he is the most non-spiritual character in the book which makes him the most interesting. Admittedly, I am not a spiritual person, so I was prepared to not like this book, but this book was a disappointment for me because the bar had been set so high (by all the positive reviews for this book). Ultimately, the book is a debate between which theory is truer: free will or determinism. The book leans more toward determinism because it believes in destiny. I however believe in free will.

A true gem	Customer Rating:
This little book brought me joy it gave me an escape from the cluter of everyday life and allowed me to travel with the shephard boy. It is written beautifully and it flows so easily. It is a must read. It gives you a wonderful read but it allows you to step back and breathe and put some perspective on your life, with the simple act of taking you out of the bustle of life for a little while.

A Transformational Journey	Customer Rating:
An inspirational book about a boy's journey of transformation. Deceptively simple and easy to read, this book illustrates beautifully the concepts of spiritual growth, finding the true self, and following our own destiny.

Not My Cup of Tea

Customer Rating:

This is a very simple story about Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of a treasure under the Egyptian pyramids. After meeting a strange old man and a gypsy fortuneteller, Santiago sets out for Egypt determined to find his treasure. Along the way, he learns spiritual lessons from an Algerian shopkeeper, an English scholar, and finally the eponymous alchemist. I am a fan of deep, complicated characters, and this book has none (AT ALL). It's like a self-help book turned into a story, and I'm sure many people will find it deeply moving...... until the next fad comes along. (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Prayer of Jabez, Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Secret, etc.) I will be really surprised if this book has any staying power.