The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (BOOK REVIEW) 4/5

This is a book I’ve wanted to read for a long time now, and I’m so glad I did! Mr. Coelho is a masterful author, and as such, his novels are neo-classical masterworks. I was taken aback by the simplicity of The Alchemist, which is so lightly written that it could easily work as a children’s tale. But the messages within were absolutely crucial. To anyone who knows how to read and analyze a book, how to listen to what is really being said, this is such a monumental novel. It’s full of moral values, from how to go after your dreams, to coming back to where it all began. It teaches people to have faith, to keep going, to believe in the process and trust in what you believe to be true: To listen to omens that the universe provides. The main character displays being a hardworking, romantic person from the very start, but as the novel continues on, he grows to be more certain in his actions, more confident. Unlike many novels today, there is a very visible growth in his character.

Though the writing is simple, I appreciated the stylistic techniques Coelho used, such as referring to the main character as “the boy” and his love interest as “the girl”, along with many more titles rather than names. It streamlined the novel, giving you only what you really needed to focus on. The journey unfolding is a beautiful one, filled with problems and solutions. It is easily one of the best novels I’ve read in awhile, and I read it in one sitting. My only issue for rating it down is because even though I loved it, I do wish there had been more complexity to the writing. It was a touch too simple, at least for me. Overall, though, this was a fantastic novel.