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Monday 19 October 2020

THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho

 

The AlchemistThe Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Last month, hubby found a great deal for this beautiful paperback on Amazon and asked me if I knew anything about it. I didn't, but after reading the blurb and the beginning, I was instantly interested.

Santiago is a shepherd boy from Andalusia. He's happy doing his thing every day and has a nice routine with his sheep. Until a dream and several encounters with two interesting people spark his sense of adventure.

So, he leaves Spain to travel to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure. Upon his arrival in Africa, things don't go according to plan. But he takes everything in stride and continues his quest to find an unknown treasure near the Pyramids that might not turn out to be what he expected...

This is such a lyrical and beautiful story. It's lush and interesting and the writing style ensured I was never bored. It's also such a comforting and easy read.

As soon as I started, I got swept up in Santiago's life. He starts out simple enough, but he's smart and wants more from life than an endless routine. Following him on this very personal journey was an adventure in itself.

The poor guy suffers some awful hardships along the way, and although they affect him deeply, he's not afraid of hard work. Or of using his brain to figure out how to expand on what's right in front of him. He also doesn't give up. Santiago is a nice and kind character, so I really wanted him to find himself. And the treasure, of course.

This book touches on a lot of very interesting things, such as religion, faith, philosophy, love and alchemy. Sometimes, all these elements are very different from each other. Sometimes they're wound together so tightly they're just about the same thing. That's another great thing about this story, how well it digs into a person's personal quest. Is it necessary to travel outside the confines of your safety zone in order to do so? Or are all the answers found within?

It's also very much about facing your own fears, finding yourself as well as the truest place where you belong. Your Personal Legend.

Yeah, this is the kind of book that makes your mind go to unexpected places in a way that expands your thoughts without you even realising. It's also a book I'll think about often.

I'm really glad my husband found this because it's also a very pretty book with some lovely illustrations and a wonderful ending.

Maktub. 

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