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madscanread's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Formatted like a classic fable, this short novel focuses on an individual’s purpose in life while simultaneously discussing the interconnectivity of all things. Like any classic, the plot is infuriatingly circular.
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, War, and Religious bigotry
ufxefug's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: War
bubblegum268's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: War and Religious bigotry
meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
After seeing this book pop up multiple times in a short period of time, I decided to give it a try, as I needed a short book to read, one that I could finish before a book list reading challenge started at my library on September 01st.
It was difficult to follow, and the main characters having no names did not help matters. The boy isn't a particularly lovable main character, and he's naive enough that it stops being a good thing and becomes a slog. For such a short book with so much travel, nothing really happens. The boy learns a lot of things, but I felt like I was missing half of the story.
It was difficult to follow, and the main characters having no names did not help matters. The boy isn't a particularly lovable main character, and he's naive enough that it stops being a good thing and becomes a slog. For such a short book with so much travel, nothing really happens. The boy learns a lot of things, but I felt like I was missing half of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Religious bigotry, Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Violence, War, and Sexism
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Drug use
ssp_amax's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
My expectations for this world-renowned classic of modern literature was so damn high that the reality of what it truly is was almost devastating. I've been wanting to read The Alchemist ever since I can remember because of everyone's high praises of the book, but I had never gotten around to it until today because I was ostensibly forced to read it for work. This book is continously labelled as "life changing," but I found it to be nothing but a rehashing of old-fashioned Christian values, clichés, and truisms. Let's dive into a more complete review of this story, shall we?
Part I: In Which a Shepherd Meets Strangers
Our tale begins with our protagonist, a shepherd boy named Santiago but that's not important because we will never refer to him by name ever again after the opening line, and only ever call him "the boy" or "the shepherd" from now on despite the fact that he has stopped being a shepherd for years. He is content with his little life of sheep herding and whatnot, and obsesses over a cute girl in a neighbouring town seriously, he won't shut up about her. He never stops to consider that maybe, just maybe, she has zero interest in him. Fastforward 20-odd pages, he meets a gypsy woman of whom he is terrified because gypsies "steal children and are devil worshippers" (no, I'm not joking. It's in the book) who tells him that he must go on a journey to Egypt as per his twice-occured dream. Cool. Then, he meets some crackpot who thinks he's a king an old man who basically tells him the same thing so nothing really, because the kid already knew this but stealsobtains a tenth of his flock of sheep in exchange for the """information."""
Enter a whole lot of repetitive woke dialogue about the universe wanting the boy to succeed blah blah, the shepherd (who is not a shepherd anymore) gets on a boat and sails 2 hours to Tangier to start his quest for his Personal Legend (a new-age way of saying his fate/destiny). The boy is in Tangier for about 5 minutes before he a) goes into an inner monologue of how scary and evil the Arabs are, and b) his sheep just wanted water and food. 6 minutes in, he gets robbed (to reinforce the idea of the Evil Arab TM) and then wallows in self-pity for a few pages. Our boy then comes to the Major Realization TM that he has to *work* if he wants to achieve his dream, so he decides to annoy help a merchant by tending to his shop of crystalware.
FASCINATING.
Part II: In Which the Boy Becomes an Entrepeneur and then Travels to Egypt
After a year or so of working for the Evil (but not really because his employer is super nice and generous) Arab TM, the boy decides he's going to give up on Egypt, buy some sheep, and go back to Spain. But wait! The omens! In reality, the boy chooses to forgo his comfortable life for more palpitating adventures across the desert! Our precious, Very Smart boy then goes to book himself a passage with a caravan and meets a jaded atheist an Englishman who is on a quest to find a real bonafide alchemist somewhere out in Egypt. Nice! The pair (along with a hoard of other travellers and camels) set out to cross the desert and... nothing of consequence happens. The boy and the Englishman have very long and boring conversations that are just cyclical and repetitive as hell, and once in a while, the boy remembers his poor old sheep back in Spain, as well as the "raven-haired Moorish girl" he still obsesses over. *sigh*
Rince and repeat this formula until the end until you get the Great Revelation TM at the end that, wait for it, his happiness and self-realization was always at home! Travelling all the way out to Egypt was just a means for him to realize that, like any good Bible parable, the good shepherd boy will find comfort and true happiness in amongst the sheep in a sleepy little village.
FANTASTIC!
Now, in case you didn't pick up on my sarcasm throughout, here's a breakdown of problems in this book:
1) Racism! (the boy is full of preconceived ideas about gypsies and Arabs.
2) Bigotry! (the boy mocks and/or likens religions other than his own to devilry.)
3)Mysogyny! (the boy at one point says that the girl he likes doesn't know anything because she can't read, and that she wouldn't understand stuff like him, because he's so damn woke and deep).
4) Animals are dumb! (Seriously, on every other page the boy reiterates in one way or another how his sheep are just mindless creatures who trust him implicitly (do I see an analogy here between God/people??))
How wonderful, a """philosophical""" piece that perpetuates 1) Christian values and 2) societal stereotypes and misconceptions. I have been enlightened.
Before anyone jumps at my throat to say that I "didn't get it" or "read too literally" my answer is: no, I did not. I can very clearly "see" the message here; it's just that it's not a very good one (nor is it presented in a stimulating and engaging way). The pseudo-philosophical treaty doesn't tackle any new and fascinating concepts about the self. If you want to be truly enlightened by abstract concepts, go read real philosophers and learn from them instead.
Part I: In Which a Shepherd Meets Strangers
Our tale begins with our protagonist, a shepherd boy named Santiago but that's not important because we will never refer to him by name ever again after the opening line, and only ever call him "the boy" or "the shepherd" from now on despite the fact that he has stopped being a shepherd for years. He is content with his little life of sheep herding and whatnot, and obsesses over a cute girl in a neighbouring town seriously, he won't shut up about her. He never stops to consider that maybe, just maybe, she has zero interest in him. Fastforward 20-odd pages, he meets a gypsy woman of whom he is terrified because gypsies "steal children and are devil worshippers" (no, I'm not joking. It's in the book) who tells him that he must go on a journey to Egypt as per his twice-occured dream. Cool. Then, he meets some crackpot who thinks he's a king an old man who basically tells him the same thing so nothing really, because the kid already knew this but stealsobtains a tenth of his flock of sheep in exchange for the """information."""
Enter a whole lot of repetitive woke dialogue about the universe wanting the boy to succeed blah blah, the shepherd (who is not a shepherd anymore) gets on a boat and sails 2 hours to Tangier to start his quest for his Personal Legend (a new-age way of saying his fate/destiny). The boy is in Tangier for about 5 minutes before he a) goes into an inner monologue of how scary and evil the Arabs are, and b) his sheep just wanted water and food. 6 minutes in, he gets robbed (to reinforce the idea of the Evil Arab TM) and then wallows in self-pity for a few pages. Our boy then comes to the Major Realization TM that he has to *work* if he wants to achieve his dream, so he decides to annoy help a merchant by tending to his shop of crystalware.
FASCINATING.
Part II: In Which the Boy Becomes an Entrepeneur and then Travels to Egypt
After a year or so of working for the Evil (but not really because his employer is super nice and generous) Arab TM, the boy decides he's going to give up on Egypt, buy some sheep, and go back to Spain. But wait! The omens! In reality, the boy chooses to forgo his comfortable life for more palpitating adventures across the desert! Our precious, Very Smart boy then goes to book himself a passage with a caravan and meets a jaded atheist an Englishman who is on a quest to find a real bonafide alchemist somewhere out in Egypt. Nice! The pair (along with a hoard of other travellers and camels) set out to cross the desert and... nothing of consequence happens. The boy and the Englishman have very long and boring conversations that are just cyclical and repetitive as hell, and once in a while, the boy remembers his poor old sheep back in Spain, as well as the "raven-haired Moorish girl" he still obsesses over. *sigh*
Rince and repeat this formula until the end until you get the Great Revelation TM at the end that, wait for it, his happiness and self-realization was always at home! Travelling all the way out to Egypt was just a means for him to realize that, like any good Bible parable, the good shepherd boy will find comfort and true happiness in amongst the sheep in a sleepy little village.
FANTASTIC!
Now, in case you didn't pick up on my sarcasm throughout, here's a breakdown of problems in this book:
1) Racism! (the boy is full of preconceived ideas about gypsies and Arabs.
2) Bigotry! (the boy mocks and/or likens religions other than his own to devilry.)
3)Mysogyny! (the boy at one point says that the girl he likes doesn't know anything because she can't read, and that she wouldn't understand stuff like him, because he's so damn woke and deep).
4) Animals are dumb! (Seriously, on every other page the boy reiterates in one way or another how his sheep are just mindless creatures who trust him implicitly (do I see an analogy here between God/people??))
How wonderful, a """philosophical""" piece that perpetuates 1) Christian values and 2) societal stereotypes and misconceptions. I have been enlightened.
Before anyone jumps at my throat to say that I "didn't get it" or "read too literally" my answer is: no, I did not. I can very clearly "see" the message here; it's just that it's not a very good one (nor is it presented in a stimulating and engaging way). The pseudo-philosophical treaty doesn't tackle any new and fascinating concepts about the self. If you want to be truly enlightened by abstract concepts, go read real philosophers and learn from them instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
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