Friday, February 13, 2015

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

What a lovely book this was to read.  It was recommended to me by a friend who loves it and wanted me to read it.  I'm glad I did.

I knew very little about the book when I started it and I'm kind of glad about that.  I loved the lyrical writing style (although it sometimes sped up my nodding off at the end of a long day) and quickly fell into the story.

It's the story of Santiago, a young Spanish shepherd who heads to Egypt in search of his Personal Legend (always capitalized throughout the book).  Everyone has a personal legend, but very few actually find it.  You must listen to your heart, follow the omens and understand the Language of the World.  Of course, he meets many challenges along the way and questions the validity of his search, but decides to continue on.

It's a theme I've been encountering over and over again in recent months.  Find your dreams and do what it takes to achieve them.  When I heard Chris Hadfield speak in November, this was essentially the message he gave us.  Set a goal and make decisions in your life that will help you achieve that goal.  You might reach it, or you might not, (believe it or not, he didn't), but your life will be richer and fuller for having worked for what you want.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Sue,
    I also enjoyed this book. As a fable, it had a powerful message. I have read "Veronika Decides to Die", also by this author. It was a more traditional novel, but also had some things to mull over. However, his latest book has no value in my opinion. I was greatly disappointed. See my blog of January 19.
    Betty

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