Riaz Quraish Maqsoodi
Book Review
Well I was not used to reading books before but in the current situation of deadly virus namely covid-19,
I had nothing important to do so one of my colleagues Mr. Qamber Mumtaz, who teaches English at
Bolan English Language Center lent me some books to read which included one of the best novels of all
time “The Alchemist” by one of the best novelists Paulo Coelho. No doubt reading any sort book is a
healthy and constructive thing to do. I am really thankful to my brother-like colleague for increasing my
knowledge. The Alchemist is written by one of the best Brazilian writers namely (Paulo Coelho). The
book was initially written and published in Portuguese. The book has been translated in more than 70
languages. The book is having around 167 pages and the main theme of the book is about finding or
following one’s destiny and purpose of life. The story is about a Shepherd boy from Spain whose name is
Santiago. He keeps getting the same dream about treasures that are lying in the Pyramids of Egypt. He
embarks on a journey to follow his dream after meeting an old king who offers him magic stones and
advice. Santiago crosses the Mediterranean and Sahara desert to find his treasures in Egypt and also
accomplish his personal legend which is his purpose in life. The book details his journey and the various
encounters that he experiences when following his dream. Throughout the journey, Santiago meets
many new people and a lot of difficulty which ultimately helps him to learn and grow the entire way.
My findings from the book… The Alchemist is really a fantastic book with an easy wording and beautiful
storytelling. The choice of words are impeccable, full of wisdom and philosophy. I totally loved it. The
story is very enchanting and bursts with optimism which I think is very important in our lives. The book
shows that the journey to your destiny is as important as the destiny itself. I love how the book
emphasizes on the importance of faith, hope and spirituality through the story of an ordinary boy. I
think this book appeals to everyone because we all have dreams and sometimes we just want someone
to tell us that they may come true. Overall, “The Alchemist “is a very exciting fiction novel and it
deserves a space at everyone’s bookshelf. Last but not the least, which attracted me the most were
some quotations of the book. “The fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself”. “The love or
attraction which stops you to getting your destiny is not love at all”. “Neither I live in my past nor I live in
my future, I only live in my present which makes me able to live the life to its fullest”. I would humbly
request and suggest every book lover to this book once in their lives.