Books : The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream

Rating: - Large Print
I would very much like to offer a complete review of this title. However, despite it being listed as in Large Print....I can not read it which upsets me to no end. Large Print books need to be in Large Bold Print so vision impaired folks can at least have a decent crack at reading like a normal person. I really wanted to read this book as it is quite inviting....but it will be a very slow process. Good luck if you have any kind of serious vision problem

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Rating: - Excelent Novel
The depth and connectedness of this story is astounding. Coelho writes this in such a manner that you feel connected to main character to the point of feeling the emotions that he is feeling. This is the only book so far that i plan to read twice in a row.

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Rating: - Wise
A delightful story, and full of wisdom. Influenced me in pursuing what I dream about, and rediscovering my "personal legend" as he calls it.

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Rating: - Shouldn't be titled "The Alchemist" because
the alchemist is not the main character in the book. The main character is the little boy who is a shepherd, so it should have been called "The Shepherd".

This book has some interesting nuggets on spirituality, one of which is God is within people who are happy. However, the book was also corny at times, such as when people talk to their hearts and their hearts talk back to them. The ending is really worse than most books, because it's almost like the "it was all a dream" ending that most books avoid. Surprisingly, it's the non-spiritual aspects of the book that are more interesting than the spiritual aspects of the book. It is more interesting to read about the boy making money at the crystal ware shop than about the Soul of the World. The crystal ware shop owner is the most interesting character in the book, because he does not plan on going to Mecca in his life even though he is a Muslim. So he is the most non-spiritual character in the book which makes him the most interesting. Admittedly, I am not a spiritual person, so I was prepared to not like this book, but this book was a disappointment for me because the bar had been set so high (by all the positive reviews for this book). Ultimately, the book is a debate between which theory is truer: free will or determinism. The book leans more toward determinism because it believes in destiny. I however believe in free will.

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Rating: - A true gem
This little book brought me joy it gave me an escape from the cluter of everyday life and allowed me to travel with the shephard boy. It is written beautifully and it flows so easily. It is a must read. It gives you a wonderful read but it allows you to step back and breathe and put some perspective on your life, with the simple act of taking you out of the bustle of life for a little while.