Summary (Goodreads)- PAULO COELHO'S enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. 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 points 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 treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transformation power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
I liked this book. It was quite a deep story with lots of important themes and messages in it. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating is merely because it's not the type of book I usually read. Also, I had to read it for an english assignment, so it wasn't as enjoyable....
Anyway, reasons to why I liked this book.
An important theme in the book was following your dreams. Santiago's dream of travelling was what sets the story in motion. At the start, he was reluctant to go but he was persuaded by two different people to go. He then sets into a journey where he learnt many important lessons. One of these lessons was when someone stole his money. He learnt to see the world as not what he wanted it to look like, but what actually does. Sometimes we idolizes people, and don't realize that they might not be who we think they are (i hope that makes sense). I admired Santiago because he doesn't give up easily. When he's faced with hardships (such as losing all his money), instead of giving up he sees the positive side of it (that he learnt something out of the experience). I think this is an important idea that Coelho had shown through Santiago's actions.
The idea of dreams was also shown as a contrast with Santiago and the crystal merchant. Santiago gave up his comfortable life, everything he knew, so he can go and pursue his dreams. However, the merchant doesn't. He thinks that if he achieve his dream, he will no longer have a reason to live. Personally, I disagreed with the merchant's opinion. I think that it's not good for someone to give up on something without trying. He's just taking the easy way out, by simply saying that it's an impossible dream. I think that Santiago was a much better role model as he showed me that we need to try our best in everything. We shouldn't give up, and nothing is impossible if we try our best.
Other than this, Santiago also met other characters such as the english man, who's trying to study alchemy, and Fatima. Santiago and Fatima's relationship is kinda cute actually....
And the english man is also another interesting character. Although, I'm not really sure what happened to him at the end....uhh not that I'm supposed to discuss the ending anyway~ :P
Well overall, this is a pretty good book if you really want a deep story that will leave you thinking about life. However, if you're looking for a great fantasy or adventure story filled with twist and romance, then maybe you'll want to try another book. Either way, I think there are some great ideas in this book.
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