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adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Islamophobia, Murder, War
Complete nonsense to me, felt like a whole book about “this is deep you just wouldn’t get it”. I mean that’s pretty much the premise between the main character boy, the alchemist, and then everyone else in the book. The boy and alchemist are just “unlike the other commoners around them!! Follow Tradition (with a capital T, never go against it!!) and your Personal Legacy”.
Also falling in love with a girl he just met and that being his legacy for himself? Nah I’m good.
Also falling in love with a girl he just met and that being his legacy for himself? Nah I’m good.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny
adventurous
mysterious
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
Read this for the 2024 Decolonize Your Bookshelf challenge. Fair warning, I disliked this book and have almost nothing good to say about it, so if it's near and dear to you, maybe skip my review.
I finished this book out of pure spite. I found the writing, plot, and premise to be arrogant, self-serving, purposefully obtuse, and conveniently stuffed with deus-ex-machina at every turn. I tried to get through it by thinking of it as magical realism, as a parable, and in the end only finished it because I know it's a cultural artifact that influenced a lot of people.
But, God help me, if I hear "personal legend" one more time, I am going to scream. Perhaps I'm so angered by this book because toxic positivity and prosperity gospel used to have a huge influence on me as a disabled person, and if I had read this book as a teenager I would have swallowed every drop of its Kool Aid. The unchecked privilege and delusional entitlement of this guy! It makes me want to scream.
I also want to scream on behalf of the few female characters, all one-dimensional and objectified as plot devices for the male protagonist to daydream about. The insta-love trope always makes me roll my eyes, but here, especially in the rare moments Fatima is given a speaking role, it made me livid on her behalf. I can't figure out any reason why she loves him at all, except that he's the protagonist of the book, and so she loves him faithfully because she wouldn't fit on Coelho's perfect feminine pedestal otherwise.
As for most of the mentors in this book, especially the Alchemist himself, they unfortunately relied a lot on the Socratic teaching method, which infuriated me in college and just made my blood boil here. Smug, egotistical jerks, who possess the knowledge that the students need, but instead of actually sharing that knowledge, ask a bunch of rhetorical questions and waste a lot of time and frustration getting the students to puzzle it out themselves. It makes me want to pick them up and shake them upside down like a piggy bank until the answers fall out. I remember one professor of mine who did this kind of withholding to feel the power trip of possessing knowledge that less privileged people wanted. I'm clearly biased against this teaching style, but that's what the Alchemist sounded like to me.
I'm giving it 1.5 stars because somehow, inexplicably, I enjoyed the ending. Now, if that's because of the ending itself or my relief at being done with this thing, I'll leave that up to you to guess.
I finished this book out of pure spite. I found the writing, plot, and premise to be arrogant, self-serving, purposefully obtuse, and conveniently stuffed with deus-ex-machina at every turn. I tried to get through it by thinking of it as magical realism, as a parable, and in the end only finished it because I know it's a cultural artifact that influenced a lot of people.
But, God help me, if I hear "personal legend" one more time, I am going to scream. Perhaps I'm so angered by this book because toxic positivity and prosperity gospel used to have a huge influence on me as a disabled person, and if I had read this book as a teenager I would have swallowed every drop of its Kool Aid. The unchecked privilege and delusional entitlement of this guy! It makes me want to scream.
I also want to scream on behalf of the few female characters, all one-dimensional and objectified as plot devices for the male protagonist to daydream about. The insta-love trope always makes me roll my eyes, but here, especially in the rare moments Fatima is given a speaking role, it made me livid on her behalf. I can't figure out any reason why she loves him at all, except that he's the protagonist of the book, and so she loves him faithfully because she wouldn't fit on Coelho's perfect feminine pedestal otherwise.
As for most of the mentors in this book, especially the Alchemist himself, they unfortunately relied a lot on the Socratic teaching method, which infuriated me in college and just made my blood boil here. Smug, egotistical jerks, who possess the knowledge that the students need, but instead of actually sharing that knowledge, ask a bunch of rhetorical questions and waste a lot of time and frustration getting the students to puzzle it out themselves. It makes me want to pick them up and shake them upside down like a piggy bank until the answers fall out. I remember one professor of mine who did this kind of withholding to feel the power trip of possessing knowledge that less privileged people wanted. I'm clearly biased against this teaching style, but that's what the Alchemist sounded like to me.
I'm giving it 1.5 stars because somehow, inexplicably, I enjoyed the ending. Now, if that's because of the ending itself or my relief at being done with this thing, I'll leave that up to you to guess.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Xenophobia
Minor: Animal death, Violence, Islamophobia, Classism
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Racism, Violence, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Classism
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
C
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my second or third time rereading this, and I’d like to start by noting a few aspects which bother me a lot, returning to this as an adult. First, the book consistently refers to the Romani people with slurs, and while it would be one thing if Santiago, in his ignorance, did so, but the King of Salem also says something like “oh well, they’re just like that.” Extremely problematic, and while not a focus of the book, it rubs me very much the wrong way. Second, I think Santiago’s “love” for Fatima is essentially impossible to believe, and adds basically nothing to the story - it’s a frustratingly male-first depiction of “love” that does a great disservice to the book.
Because on the whole, I do love this version of the Alchemist. It was my introduction to Coelho’s story, and it’s a beautiful way to experience it. The lofty ideals on display here, of a man still young enough to pursue his dreams, and then watching him actually do it, they’re very powerful to see. And you literally see them, since this is a graphic novel, which is beautifully drawn and richly colored, a treat for the eyes and a wonder to behold. Few things truly inspire me, but the heights of this novel absolutely do just that.
With the obviously necessary condemnations I opened this review with in mind, I still recommend The Alchemist GN. It holds a very special place in my heart, and rereading it as an adult reminded me why that is.
Because on the whole, I do love this version of the Alchemist. It was my introduction to Coelho’s story, and it’s a beautiful way to experience it. The lofty ideals on display here, of a man still young enough to pursue his dreams, and then watching him actually do it, they’re very powerful to see. And you literally see them, since this is a graphic novel, which is beautifully drawn and richly colored, a treat for the eyes and a wonder to behold. Few things truly inspire me, but the heights of this novel absolutely do just that.
With the obviously necessary condemnations I opened this review with in mind, I still recommend The Alchemist GN. It holds a very special place in my heart, and rereading it as an adult reminded me why that is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Gore, Violence, War
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, War
Minor: Animal death, Violence
adventurous
reflective
slow-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
I don't understand the hype around this book. It wasn't groundbreaking or profound to me. I thought it was boring and sexist
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
I really disliked this book. Couldn't finish it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia
Moderate: Misogyny