Book Review- The Alchemist
Books have always been an integral part of intellect and imagination. They ley us dive deep into the oceans of imagination. The Alchemist is definitely one such book. We at Patna Diaries brings you the new column of PD review. And what could be the best start, other than the book review of The Alchemist?
THE HOOK
I dream!
I dream of climbing some old gray mountains;
I dream of stopping by the shores to watch the gush of rising waves;
I dream of coming up against the sun in my flight;
I dream of embracing the moon in its light;
I dream of deaf and frantic fire;
I dream and I let myself dream.
But then, it shrinks, it confines and it finds its solace and comfort, somewhere midway.
GENERAL INFORMATION
“When you really want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
You all must have heard this excerpt somewhere or the other. Personally, I always wondered about the viability of this quotation. So, if you are one with the same dubiety, Paulo Coelho’s, The Alchemist will serve it well. It is an allegorical novel with deeper implications and narratives. And you can definitely complete it in one
go.
SYNOPSIS
The young Andalusian shepherd is a protagonist in the novel who embarks his journey by believing in his recurring dream. Amidst his journey, he met both compassionate and uncompassionate souls, contributing equally to identifying his personal legend. The story is entangled in a circular dimension that has the beginning and an end, converging at an abandoned church with an enormous sycamore.
The story is of Santiago, a shepherd who unlike his father, doesn’t want to bury his dream to travel the world. Or unlike a baker, standing in his shop at one corner of the plaza, who too wanted to travel the world but decided to buy a bakery and put some money aside. This procrastination delayed his dream and finally crushed it.
The boy didn’t favor the Crystal merchant too, who has become complacent and given up his pursuit of Personal Legend. This boy didn’t want to make any of these irredeemable mistakes. As He wants to live his dream and accomplish it by hook or by crook. He doesn’t want to succumb to the pursuit of his destiny.
From abandoning his village to unearthing the treasure near the Pyramids of Egypt, he met countless people. They gave him the insight to follow an omen.
Be it the gypsy woman, who interpreted his dream and warned him about the hurdles or Melchizedek, who claims to be The King of Salem, is a benefactor who made him understand the universal language. Or the boy who robbed him and made him penniless or the crystal merchant who helped him in despair. Be it Fatima, the desert woman who pushed him to continue his unfinished journey. Or the alchemist who taught him to listen to his heart.
The countless ripples and faces helped him to find his personal legend. So yes, this novel will make you believe that if you really want something, the whole world conspires in helping you to achieve it.
RECOMMENDATION
We have dreams and adversities, each claiming a portion in our lives, while we continue to weave our solitary fables. But then, we need a super-impose validation, of allusions and metaphors, of recurrences in another world, some other time, some other chance to move ahead and not go astray when everything else pushes us aside in the journey called life. So I will say, folks, do read it someday. I am sure; it won’t disappoint you.
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