Book Forty-Five of the Book-a-Week Quest
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho (1988)
I can see this falling into the self-help or religion category in any bookstore, but this novel was quite beautiful in its simplicity.
Fable-like (or, as wikipedia describes it probably more accurately, "an allegory"), The Alchemist tells the tale of Santiago, a Spanish youth who abandons his flock of sheep in order to follow his Personal Legend...something that everyone has in them that they tend to push away or hide.
It's a simple tale that you would think couldn't sustain being spread out over 200 pages, but it somehow or another managed to keep me incredibly interested. I'm usually not a fan of the self-help mumbo jumbo, and I admittedly rolled my eyes a few times, but there were moments here where he was discussing spirituality and faith that I was moved.
Coelho writes in such an effortless manner and manages to weave tales within tales and not cause confusion. There is a vested interest in Santiago from the very opening pages. Even with the most minimalist descriptions, we feel like we know the main character from the get-go, rooting him on his quest.
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