"The Alchemist" Recap

"The Alchemist" was a book that I needed to read.

It was a good selection...and, indeed, a new dimension to our reading medley. Overall, we gave it high marks. It average 8.5 out of 10.

We welcomed a new reader, Mercedes or Merce for short, a vivacious and soulful FAU student. It was a pleasure to have you with us, Merce!

The synopsis: Santiago, a young shepherd, embarks on a journey to fulfill his Personal Legend which is to find a treasure near the Egyptian Pyramids. His journey is a hard but delicious one. He stops in several places: a crystal shop in Tangiera as well as an oasis in the desert before he finally makes it to the Pyramids. Despite calamities, Santiago thrives everywhere he goes, in part because he understands the "Soul of the World" and the "Language of the Desert." Those are simply fancy ways of saying Santiago's a deep dude. And because Santiago is true to his sage soul (sure he chickened out a few times but overall he was courageous) "all of the universe conspired to make his personal legend happen." He learned that his treasure was at the very spot where the journey began. There is a lot that can be said about that, indeed...

Our book club discussion at Rack's Italian Grille revolved around our own "Personal Legends" or what many prefer to call purpose. We spent time thinking about the fact that we all have mini-purposes throughout life. We experience different seasons, just as Santiago did. He was robbed and, later, faced death and, still later, beaten but it was all SUPPOSED to happen. We discussed how the book is part autobiographical and how Coehlo's belief that all religions are the same comes up throughout the book. Santiago mirrored Christ while the Alchemist mirrored Mohammed. This, of course, is not by happenstance...

I understand New Age philosophy a lot better, as "The Alchemist" is considered a canon in the New Age spiritual movement. As I mentioned on Saturday, I enjoy reading things I disagreed with; I couldn't vibe with much of the book's doctrine but appreciated the literary craft, especially for it to have been a translation! "The Alchemist" is a rhymic book...it reads like a ballad. And I kept thinking of "The Giver" as I read it. My only gripe is that at times "The Alchemist" felt repetitious. Yet, this fable kept us engrossed with its rich characters and settings.

If you haven't already, give "The Alchemist" a try!