Reviews with content warning for Islamophobia - The Alchemist

I'm going to cut to the chase: you're either going to love or hate this book. Generally, you'll enjoy this book if you are religious or otherwise believe in a higher being/creator, an idealistic/optimistic person or someone looking for a hopeful message, and an enjoyer of magical realism and romanticism. If you're not any of those things, you're going to think this book is a bunch of moralistic trash.

I will say that I, as someone who believes in a higher being and was looking for a hopeful message, did generally enjoy the book. It is a very philosophical book at its core, and it ponders love, destiny, and the environment around us. A lot of the judgement and beliefs expressed in the book are rooted in a belief that there is at least one higher being out there, one that created and predetermined everything. If you don't believe in any gods or divine creators, you may dislike all the discussion about God and fate. The main character is Christian, but discussions of God are kept non-denominational enough so that readers of all religions can relate at least on some level. I personally found comfort in the discussions of making your own decisions and working to fulfill your dreams; it inspired me to look seriously at the signs scattered around in my own life and further encouraged me to pursue my dreams rather than stay in a familiar status quo.

The book does come off as a bit xenophobic/racist at times, with the main character referring to Muslims as "infidels" and calling a character a "gypsy" (then subsequently describing that character as a trickster.) I also disliked the romantic story line. The main character immediately falls in love with a random woman, and tells her the next day that he wants to marry her. And she's just...okay with that. She immediately becomes his biggest supporter and encourages him to go chase his dreams. I'm not sure how exactly to phrase it, but it felt like wishful thinking on the author's part. If you fall in love with a stranger, they're not immediately going to understand your dreams and reciprocate your feelings. Furthermore, with all the discussion of how "women of the desert wait for their men to come back," it felt like it was reducing women to people whose only purpose is to support a man, and I did not appreciate that message.

I've heard some people call Paulo Coelho's works didactic, and I can see that somewhat in this book, especially towards the end. This perception will be a lot worse if you dislike the book, but even as someone who liked it, it felt like the story was really trying to push a moral at times. The entire book is really an allegory for

enjoying the journey and experiential treasure rather than focusing on the accomplishment itself

; once you notice that, it can feel slightly preachy. Honestly, the whole book is idealistic and incredibly positive. Once again, that's really going to either resonate with you or annoy you.

I will say that I am conflicted about the ending. Without giving too much away, I understand how it drives the main moral of the story home, but it also felt slightly defeating of the main character's journey, in a way. I'll leave you with that.

Overall, if you're an optimist or someone looking for hope and you can look past the racism and misogyny, you should give this book a try. You will find insightful quotes and inspiring moments that will really resonate with you. However, if you're someone who hates when people try to preach to you and you don't believe in a higher being, you're going to find this book to be self-righteous and annoying. Make of that what you will.

Content Warnings

gatogato's review against another edition

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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

hefftbundle's review against another edition

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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

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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