lOMoAR cPSD| 48541417 Pham 1 Pham Minh Phu Pham Thi Tuyet Mai, MA ACAF 120 April 18, 2023
Book Review: The Alchemist - must-read book or just an exaggeration?
"The best-selling book after the Bible", "The work through time", "The universal self-help
book for everyone", etc. are words used to describe the famous work of author Paulo Coelho The
Alchemist. Although it was first published in 1988, its values still exist today and in the future.
The book has been translated into 80 different languages and sold over 65 million copies
worldwide. These impressive numbers make it impossible to deny that The Alchemist is a book
that has surpassed its time and has a unique charm that few contemporary works can match. This
work has also become one of the "best-selling" books continuously for many years. Is the
Alchemist as divine as people say? If so, what made this work so successful? My following review
may be the answer to the above questions.
The book begins with the journey of a young shepherd, Santiago, who has abandoned his
parents' plan and is determined to become a shepherd to learn and explore the world. He had a
dream twice in a row about him going to the pyramids of Egypt and finding the treasure. That
prompted Santiago to embark on an adventure to pursue his dream. Even though Santiago goes
through many hardships and dangers throughout the work, the boy still longs to fulfill his dream.
At first, he was tricked into losing his entire fortune, the whole flock of sheep now has no one left, lOMoAR cPSD| 48541417 Pham 2
he drifted to a faraway country, worked for a small shop for a year, and only struggled to make
ends meet. Then the guy joined a caravan in the desert, met a young Englishman who aspired to
be an old man and met a destiny named Fatima in an oasis. The girl gave Santiago all his faith and
gave him the courage to go to the end of the journey to pursue his dream. Finally, when he reached
the Egyptian pyramids and had an encounter with the alchemist. The god even predicted when he
would fail bitterly. And it's true that what happened next coincidentally coincided. From his
encounter with the alchemist, Santiago learns to transform himself, trust his heart, and listen to the
movements of all phenomena around him. At this time, although the robbers appeared again and
took away Santiago's property, he still saw that the tower was smiling at him when he looked up
at the Egyptian pyramid. He felt this perhaps because he had come to understand that the more
precious treasure that robbers could not take was the lesson he realized and the true love of his life.
As a reader of The Alchemist, I really think this is a book with a lot of bright spots to talk
about. The book excites readers with its captivating narration, daily life similes, and classic lines.
The Alchemist is a legendary figure who appears as a god, guiding the brave little shepherd boy to
give up a comfortable life, in reality, to fight for an unpredictable future. The next significant
attraction of the book is that the author transforms and integrates these seemingly dry and
wellknown experiences into a dramatic journey. Another plus point of The Alchemist is that the
message and lesson are very clear and meaningful. Readers do not need to think hard about each
meaning or symbol, each layer of meaning is hidden deep in words. All of this is clearly revealed
and that may well be the reason why the book is able to attract so many readers around the world.
The simple writing style, and gentle narration, interwoven with many mythological elements, make lOMoAR cPSD| 48541417 Pham 3
the reader feel like they are reading a fairy tale. The Alchemist brings many profound human
values. Impressive messages can be mentioned as:
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."
"The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."
"The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them."
"Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure."
Besides the book's impressive highlights, there are mixed opinions surrounding Paulo
Coelho's The Alchemist. Some consider it a bit of a spiritual and religious book when it comes to
"the language of God" or the "Soul of the World". For me, the author's story includes some fictional
details. For example, the detail of Santiago turning into the wind saves him from being kidnapped
by a tribe and at risk of being killed. The book became the subject of controversy as to whether its
meanings were realistic. However, for me personally, whether or not the author's lessons are
intended to help readers become better.
After what I have mentioned about the book, I would be happy to recommend this book to
more readers. I read the book once when I was 15 years old just because I expected it to be a "self-
help" book as they say. But it is this expectation that makes it difficult for me to see deeply what
it means. The second time I re-read it when I was 20 years old, the experiences of youth made me
a broader perspective of what the author wanted to convey. Publishers and people believe that this
is a book for all ages, however, in my opinion, the book is suitable for young people aged 16 and lOMoAR cPSD| 48541417 Pham 4
up. Because if you are too young, you will not have enough experience to see the lessons and
messages from many angles. If you have been through many things in life, rereading the book is a
way for readers to find themselves through the author's messages.
Don't turn the first pages of the book looking for lectures on the start-up journey or a huge
label of "self-help". Gently enjoy it like an innocent child, feel its true meaning with your
perspective, and you will have your own world. Hopefully, with what I shared above, each person
will have their own Alchemist with a world of their own. Work Cited
Coelho, Paulo,, et al. The Alchemist. 25th-anniversary edition. New York, NY, HarperOne, 2014.