[gameofcode]

Slightly off topic, but it took me a few attempts to really get into The Alchemist - maybe because I didn't appreciate where it was going or it just wasn't good reading material for where I was in life.

Eventually I stuck with it and found it a really eye-opening read, I feel like it's a life guidance book in disguise and I'm usually averse to them but the concept of a Personal Legend really did resonate with me.

Not really surprised by all the negative reviews on Goodreads, I stubbornly felt a similar way for a while.

[bananamerica]

Brazilian speaking. Coelho is considered one of our finest songwriters of all time. He sells a lot, but is considered low literature over here. The Alchemist is basically a bunch of mystical and self help cliches.

Paulo Coelho likes to propagate the notion that he posses actual magical powers. When a news crew went to his house, he refused to unsheathe a sword because it might unleash catastrophic events.

That said, I read The Alchemist when I was a teenager and found it pretty fun. As a adult, I would never would never take him seriously.

[lowdose]

You have to appreciate the imagination of the guy!

[bananamerica]

Well, that’s the thing: he’s not that original. He does know how to write enjoyable best sellers with mystic overtones.

[mobilio]

Honestly i never was read even single Coelho book.

[galfarragem]

I was always curious why Paulo Coelho's Alchemist became a worldwide bestseller and last week I finally read it.

It's a self-help book disguised as a mystical and easy to read fairytale that most people can somehow relate. It's not the best self-help book I ever read, it's not the best fairytale I ever read, but the result of this mix is brilliant. Most people love it, some people don't understand it and some people don't want to understand it. It definitely worths a read.