The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Ugh. This was difficult to continue/finish - but I did so now I can write my honest review. While well-written in regard to grammar and structure, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What am I reading?”

Alchemy, by definition, is the branch of study and practical craft in the medieval and early renaissance period concerned with the nature and transformation of physical substances; i.e., turning lead into gold. Therefore, an alchemist, is someone who practices alchemy. So, naturally, I assumed the book was about someone who wanted to turn lead into gold. For the most part, that was incorrect; this book was a weirdly preachy hybrid between Christianity and Islam and to be honest, was a complete mess.

We follow Santiago, a shepherd on his great quest to follow his personal legend. He meets a king, Melchizedek who gives him two stones, Urim and Thummim to help him interpret omens. From here, Santiago gives up his sheep and goes in search of his legend to the pyramids of Egypt. Yes, there is more to the book, I think, but it is so surrounded by dreams and snippets of Biblical isms I got lost on what in the world the book was about - certainly not a lot of turning lead into gold.

Part “The Secret” and part Bible, the Alchemist is a lot, and a little, and to me, not worth it. That being said, it was well-crafted and deserves a go if you are into preachy fantasy.