She appeared to me in the form of Wikipedia, Queen of All The People's Knowledge. I consulted the Oracle, known across all the lands by many names. Still, irony and a love of absurdity hovered around me as I searched for the true meaning in this book, and why it appears to offer a powerful message to so many. I did not know which weapon to use, as irony appears to be rendered completely ineffective within a 3-metre radius of this book. This book, I felt, was perhaps insidiously evil, a force with which I needed to do battle. I wondered what kind of people would be deluded into thinking, within the guise of a poorly written but deviously well-conceived parable, that this book's philosophy was, in fact, Deep and Meaningful Truth. I wondered if this book was possibly dangerous. They grow fat and stupid(er) under the illusion that they have received nutrition without ever experiencing the pain of having to cook, and possibly work up a sweat or burn one's fingers. They are filled up with calories, which causes their bodies to believe that they have been fed a nutritious meal, when in fact their brains are lulled into sheep-like somnambulism. Many people, I believe, enjoy this in a book, in the same way that they enjoy Hostess Twinkies. As I read them before falling to sleep each night, they neither challenged me nor troubled my dreams. I found the words that the font expressed were simple and easy to read. I could find no typos, which are always a portent of doom. My heart tugged on my sleeve.Īs I continued my journey, I found that the text inside was set in a pleasing font. Still, though, I needed to complete my journey. The prose turned out to be not nearly as nicely textured. In my country, we have an expression: one should not judge a book by its cover. But I suppose you need the collateral of winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author, and selling more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries as one of the best-selling books in history,* to get that treatment. It offered the added efficiency of a fold-over flap-something that more publishers should make an effort to do, as it makes the use of a bookmark superfluous. Surely it had something to teach me? The book had a lovely cover made of nicely textured stock that felt good in my hands. Yet, after beginning the journey with this book and despite the words of my heart, something impelled me to continue. My heart thinks it was also stupid, and after spending some time talking to the wind, I came to agree with my heart. It offered the added efficiency of a fold-over flap-something that more publisher My heart and I chatted, and we agreed, this book was short.
My heart and I chatted, and we agreed, this book was short. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
No one knows what the treasure is, or whether Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles in his path but what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of treasure within. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring 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 near the Pyramids.Īlong the way he meets a Romany woman, a man who calls himself a king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the right direction for his quest. Along the way he meets a Romany woman, a man who calls Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring 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 near the Pyramids. Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world.