Book Review: The Alchemist

Title: The Alchemist
Publisher: Harper Collins India
Price: Rs. 571.00

Rating: 5/5

There are books that inspire and make you want to do something, and there are books that instil in you a spirit of doing and racing with life. The Alchemist is such a book. Although written over two decades ago, its approach is still fresh and the reader gets a chance to connect with the protagonist. The Alchemist details the journey of a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, decides to travel to the pyramids of Egypt to find treasure. On the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity and disaster. One of the significant characters that he meets is an old king who tells him that “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” And this is the core philosophy and motif of the book.

The book in no less term teaches us how to work upon the omens that life throws along our journey. Its a token of how harsh reality is, and how we must strive to do what we yearn for. It tells us a tale of human triumph and the endurance of the human spirit. The book is the quintessence of what a modern classic should be. It teaches you that there is soul of world and everyone has got destiny. Whatever be that destiny, its always the best for us and for the people we care about.

Of all the book that I have read, The Alchemist is surely one of the few that has moved me to a great extend. It taught me how to see at things in a different perspective. A brilliant, short and charming narrative; the book is a wonderful tale, a metaphor of life. It is highly recommended to anyone who wants to have a memorable reading experience and wants to learn what life truly is.

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