The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
It's a nice modern day fable. That is, written in the modern day - first published in English in 1993. But the setting of the story takes place sometime between the 16th and 19th centuries in Spain and North Africa which gives it the right ambiance for a classic fable. It follows a young, Spanish shepherd boy, probably in his mid to late teens as he is led by a dream and several people placed in his path by fate to go on a journey to find his "Personal Legend," which in this case is an actual treasure. Like all fables and classic fairy tales it conveys a lot of self-esteem boosting advice and layered life lessons in which not everything is as it seems. And what appears to be a simple straight forward journey turns into over a year of adventure and self discovery for the protagonist. I liked it a lot. It definitely makes you feel good and gives you positive things to ponder. Yes, he finds his Personal Legend but I won't spoil it. It wasn't the kind of ending I was expecting, I'll admit.
It's a book suitable for all age groups but I can only recommend to those who are already secure in their religious beliefs. It makes use of a lot of biblical stories which I appreciate but it is not solid Christian teachings and could be confusing to a new or immature Christian. Or Muslim for that matter. The author himself is honest about his ecumenical beliefs and the trained eye can spot that sort of vapid new age spiritualism right away.
But that doesn't take away from the quality of a good, engaging story that has a lot of generalized good advice and motivational help. Definitely a keeper and a re-reader for me.
