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gatogato's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
(contains spoilers) right off the bat, the islamophobia, xenophobia, and the blatantly racist stereotypes of romani people were very unnecessary. for the rest of the book, i can understand why people like it so much but it feels like it’s trying too hard to be profound. it is interesting to see what lessons santiago learns abt the universe throughout the story, but when it’s in practically every line it loses its impact. also the ending when he finally reaches the great pyramids felt so rushed!! he’s spent years trying to get to this point just for it to be described in less than 7 pages out of the whole book. and his “relationship” with fatima could’ve either been expanded on a lot more or just left out entirely, there was just no depth. like y’all have known each other for two seconds what are we doing here. i really wanted to like this book more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and War
phvntomstvrs's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism and War
Minor: Animal death
maceye23's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
lycheeteareads's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Part of 'BTS' member rec list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and War
Minor: Animal death
sarahbethhh's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
While not the most marvelously written work I’ve read, this is one that will be revisited time and again on my shelf. It reads like the parable it is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs
hefftbundle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A nice read with some nice sound bites. Didn’t realize it was a spiritual book, but that’s on me. I do love me some talk about signs and omens. I DON’T love me some cultural/religious slurs, though. Made for a really odd read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Islamophobia, and War
mad_mads's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Reading this book felt like riding on a lazy river; it just floats you along and leaves you feeling relaxed and refreshed at the end.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs, Violence, and War
maresuju's review against another edition
Pretty early in the book, the MC has an interaction with a woman who might be Romani (he says that she reminds him of stories of Romani people). This section is filled with racial slurs and harmful stereotypes. The MC is immediately afraid of this woman and accuses her of tricking/cheating him, with no real explanation to the reader. His internal dialogue is pretty gross during this part, too, as he clearly doesn’t think this woman has any knowledge or understanding of the world. This might be a way for him to learn about his own prejudices, I don’t know. But there was nothing in the section indicating that, and what’s portrayed is a harmful and dangerous view of Romani people. This immediately made the book a DNF for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal death
shairah's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
People usually recommend this book to activate some sort of spiritual awakening. I mean, there were some quotes I highlighted and some messages that I agreed with, but it’s more of a simple story with a simple moral.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
sapphic_reader's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and War
Minor: Animal death