Ughh. I’m disappointed.
The Alchemist appeared many, many times in lists like “Books That Changed My Life” and “Books Everyone Should Read,” so I had a pretty high expectation of this international best-seller. Although I didn’t necessarily expect it to be ‘life-changing,’ I was hoping to read something with at least an ounce of profundity.
The way in which Coelho sprinkles banal aphorisms throughout the novel is reminiscent of a Target trip — reading this novel felt like walking in its home decor aisles, occasionally spotting a pillow that says “home is where the heart is,” then coming across a poster that says “live, laugh, love,”, among other cheesy sayings.
Some of the core messages that I think Coelho wanted his readers to take away (actual quotes, NOT random things I saw in Target!):
“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation”
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”
“Wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure”
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are”
The “world’s greatest lie” is “that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.”
“In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.”
…I wanted to read a novel, not a twelve-year-old girl’s glittery, ‘inspirational’ Pinterest board!
Another aspect of the novel that bothered me was how the protagonist fell in love at first sight with Fatima — he just “looked into her dark eyes,” and before having exchanged a single word, felt like “he was in the presence of the only woman in his life.” They have one conversation (barely) in which the protagonist asks her for some directions… then the next time they talk, the boy confesses his love: “I want you to be my wife. I love you.”
WTF?
I also didn’t like how Fatima — the only female ‘character’ in this novel — has zero agency. She has no personal purpose other than to wait for the men in her life (like her father and the protagonist) to return from the desert, as it is her duty to do so as a ‘woman of the desert.’ She is a ‘treasure’ that the protagonist finds, just a passive piece of his journey toward enlightenment.
I can see how this novel could have inspired some people — the kind of people who like fuzzy pillows with cheesy sayings!
But not for me.
At least it was a short read.
Next!
