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Note: Augusten Burroughs will present his new book at Powell's City of Books on Sunday, April 28, at 2 p.m. Describe your latest book. This Is How... Continue »
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    This Is How: Surviving What You Think You Can't

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The Alchemist (Insight)

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The Alchemist (Insight) Cover

ISBN13: 9780061122415
ISBN10: 0061122416
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

 

Staff Pick

Whether you want to take a journey or to be reassured that life is filled with wonder and magic, this beautifully optimistic book is for you. Follow Santiago, a shepherd who follows a dream to find treasure hidden under the pyramids, but ends up finding so much more.
Recommended by Linda, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky." Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come.

The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.

The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Review:

"An entrepreneurial tale of universal wisdom we can apply to the business of our own lives." Spencer Johnson, M.D., co-author of The One-Minute Manager

Review:

"[His] books have had a life-enchanting effect on millions of people." London Times

Review:

"A magical little volume." San Francisco Chronicle

Review:

"A beautiful story with a pointed message for every reader." Joseph Girzone, author of Joshua

Review:

"A wise and inspiring fable about the pilgrimage that life should be." M. Scott Peck

Review:

"As memorable and meaningful as Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince." Austin American-Statesman

Review:

"An adventure story full of magic and wisdom." Rudolfo Anaya, author of Bless Me, Ultima

Review:

"A most tender and gentle story. It is a rare gem of a book." Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D., co-author of Change Our Mind, Change Your Life

Review:

"[This] Brazilian wizard makes books disappear from stores." New York Times

Review:

"A touching, inspiring fable." Indianapolis Star

Review:

"A sweetly exotic tale for young and old alike." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"A remarkable tale about the most magical of all journeys: the quest to fulfill one's destiny." Anthony Robbins, author of Awaken the Giant Within

Synopsis:

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world, and this tenth anniversary edition, with a new introduction from the author, will only increase that following. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
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About the Author

Paulo Coelho is one of the most widely read authors in the world. His books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, have been translated into 68 languages, and have been published in 150 countries. He was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2007.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 22 comments:
Waney, December 30, 2012 (view all comments by Waney)
A very inspiring and positive book, it actually gives me hope that the things that I aspire for will in the end I would achieve if only I strive hard and don't lose hope until I get it. Sometimes the detours and the problems that we face now were later on in our life will make sense and when you remember that moment especially if you had overcome it you will know that you are thankful for that to happen because in the end you would learn something from it.
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DRiggins, September 10, 2012 (view all comments by DRiggins)
Potentially Didactic

The Alchemist can be either intuitive or didactic depending on one’s mindset going into the novel. It has the potential to teach what some may call valuable lessons, and others preaching to the point of annoyance. If readers approach the book with a firm scientific understanding of the world, this novel won't appeal to them as much as those who are open to new ideas, because they won’t be able to relate to the majority of Coelho’s thoughts.

Since The Alchemist circulates many different religious viewpoints, it will seem very didactic to those who try to apply all Coelho’s ideas to their own lives. This is the kind of book that is overwhelming if taken in as a whole, so readers must understand that not every concept will be relatable. It would be unfair to negatively label the book based on those ideas that are unrelatable, because The Alchemist has so many valuable lessons that every reader can take away at least something. For some, however, there is only a small portion they can connect to (which often results in dislike of the novel).

One may agree with Coelho’s concept that God placed every living thing on the earth to fulfill it’s personal legend and reject the idea of Santiago conversing with the sun, while others believe the opposite. For this reason, there is no way to determine how much someone will take away from this book prior to reading it. Reading the back or hearing about it from another won’t have any impact, as there are too many ideas to summarize in this novel. One just has to pick it up, and see how much they learn.

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Harry The Stallion Grant, September 10, 2012 (view all comments by Harry The Stallion Grant)
In a world of literature based on spirituality, religion, and quests for self-betterment, there is one book that takes all of these concepts and beats them all to a bloody pulp. That book is Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.
The Alchemist is obnoxious, preachy, and full of bad lessons for the reader while being posed as “good” lessons. The story begins with a shepherd boy, Santiago, who, after having a dream of treasure in the pyramids twice, decides to act literally on his dreams and go search for treasure. Instead of planning out this venture, Santiago sells all of his sheep, talks to a magical king, and sets off to the pyramids with nothing but some money and the idea that he should treat everything as an omen, and to follow them. The prospect of acting literally on dreams is so unrealistic that the possibility of it being a relatable story is whisked away in the first few pages.
Santiago’s quest takes him through many trials, such as being stolen from several times and trying to turn into the wind. Santiago tells himself that he will make his own decisions despite relying almost entirely on Paulo Coelho’s religion sandwich of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and even his own philosophy. Coelho’s proposes the thought that everything in the world has a soul, which forms the Soul of the World through a hierarchal soul-tower. Santiago’s reliance on his religion is so great that he bets his life on it several times, one occasion based entirely on seeing some birds fight.
Santiago is told that everyone has a Personal Legend, which is essentially a destiny that people don’t realize and can choose to follow. It is, however, the only thing that will make them happy. Santiago’s Personal Legend, as he is told, is to find treasure in the pyramids. He is also told that the whole world will conspire to assist to him in achieving his goal. This is not evident, as it seems everything works against him (he is stolen from, beaten, and put in generally risky situations). Santiago is also told that coincidence does not exist, which explains why he sees everything as an omen (flying birds, snakes in a hole) and to be noticed and treated like something important in his life.
The worst parts of the book are not even in the story, but the pretentiousness of Paulo Coelho. This book creates his own religion (a Coelho Cult, if you will), through the binding of other religions. Coelho makes attempts to be philosophical with the quote (by the alchemist) “Everything that happens once can never happen again, but something that happens twice will surely happen a third time”. If something were to happen once, it would never happen again. For something to happen twice (and, evidently, a third time), it would defy the previous statement. Coelho’s own philosophy is a paradox.
In short, the book is most likely more enjoyed by those of spiritual belief or religious than those without.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780061122415
Author:
Coelho, Paulo
Publisher:
HarperOne
Translator:
Clarke, Alan R.
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Shepherds
Subject:
Alchemists.
Subject:
Fables
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
2006
Edition Description:
Trade PB
Series:
Plus
Publication Date:
20060431
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
208
Dimensions:
8 x 10 in 5.60 oz
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Related Subjects

Featured Titles » General
Featured Titles » Literature
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » Book Club
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
History and Social Science » Politics » General
Metaphysics » General

The Alchemist (Insight) Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$7.95 In Stock
Product details 208 pages HarperOne - English 9780061122415 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

Whether you want to take a journey or to be reassured that life is filled with wonder and magic, this beautifully optimistic book is for you. Follow Santiago, a shepherd who follows a dream to find treasure hidden under the pyramids, but ends up finding so much more.

by Linda
"Review" by , "An entrepreneurial tale of universal wisdom we can apply to the business of our own lives."
"Review" by , "[His] books have had a life-enchanting effect on millions of people."
"Review" by , "A magical little volume."
"Review" by , "A beautiful story with a pointed message for every reader."
"Review" by , "A wise and inspiring fable about the pilgrimage that life should be."
"Review" by , "As memorable and meaningful as Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince."
"Review" by , "An adventure story full of magic and wisdom."
"Review" by , "A most tender and gentle story. It is a rare gem of a book."
"Review" by , "[This] Brazilian wizard makes books disappear from stores."
"Review" by , "A touching, inspiring fable."
"Review" by , "A sweetly exotic tale for young and old alike."
"Review" by , "A remarkable tale about the most magical of all journeys: the quest to fulfill one's destiny."
"Synopsis" by , Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world, and this tenth anniversary edition, with a new introduction from the author, will only increase that following. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
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