Book Review - The Alchemist by Paulo coelho ( A classic book review)

welcome to the new week,  it's my first post in 2018 and I would be reviewing the classic book " The Alchemist " by Paulo coelho.

The Alchemist is an international bestseller which was first published in 1988 ( I wasn't even born then! ) and originally written in Portuguese, but has been translated into over 70 languages. It's one of the best selling books in history, a global phenomenon that has been read by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Will Smith, Julia Roberts and even President Clinton just to mention a few.

It's a story about dreams, faith and courage we all have within to pursue our "Personal Legends". The book talks about the story of a Shepherd boy called Santiago from the south of Spain who loves to travel and left home in search of his dream, through his journey of travelling with his flock from one place to another, he encounters a gypsy woman and a king, they urged him to follow his dreams (personal legend) and leave the world he knows. The gypsy points him towards the pyramids of  Egypt where she says he will find his treasure. He sells his flock and sets sail.

So much happened to him, he was robbed of his money and strangely enough, Santiago wasn't that devastated because of the feeling he has of been on the right path. He keeps reminding himself if what the king said to  him before he left " When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it".

The adventures of Santiago continues, he met a crystal merchant, worked for him to make money, then ventured into the desert to continue the search for his treasure , he finds true love in the desert, meets with the alchemist (someone who turns lead into gold) who helps lead  him towards his personal legend.

The Alchemist is a Self- empowering book and here are five powerful life lessons I learnt from the book :

• Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself, so learn not to live in fear.
• What is "TRUE" will always endure.
• Keep getting back up because the secret of life is to fall seven times and get up eight times.
• Don't give up easily on your dreams, yes there might be detours along the way,but keep the focus on the goal which is to achieve your dreams
• Follow your personal legend (dreams) and focus on your journey 

My biggest issue with the book is that it sucked me in completely (I have read the book four times in three weeks) that I can't seem to let it go, I just want to keep reading and re reading it (it's a short read) because it's a page turning piece of fiction with solid creativity .

RATING : 9/10 ( highly recommended because it's an enjoyable book).

Thanks for reading, much love,

XoXo.