I have to admit that the program at Wilkes really made me lose my taste for non-fiction. I went into the program expecting to write a memoir and ended up doing something I never thought I could - writing at 90,000+ word fictional novel. Since then, I have barely read an non-fiction and have been gravitating toward good fiction. When it was my turn to make a pick for the one on one book club, I chose The Alchemist because it had awesome reviews and also because it was compared to The Little Prince, one of my favorites.All I can say is...eeeehhhhhhhhh. I was totally disappointed. The Little Prince it ain't.
Look. If you love this book you probably want to stab my eyeballs out with a pen, but hear me out. It's not that I don't get it. I do...you have everything you need to succeed already there within your heart. That's nice. I've heard it a million times already though. I've heard it in better ways.
Santiago, the main character, is so open to suggestion that at times I felt as though he wasn't even exercising his own will. A little silly to have a character doing that when the point of the story is to follow your heart. I did like that he was willing to make mistakes and pretty much picked himself up and dusted himself off easily, but really, how couldn't he? He had everyone telling him what steps he should be taking next to follow his personal legend.
While I usually enjoy concise writing, this book felt a little to simplistic to me. There is no elegance in these pages. There were no images that stuck with me. The story is flat, the characters are flat and the message has been done to death.
My main problem is this - is anything in life figured out with a couple snappy answers from some strangers? If that were the case we'd all have it figured out with ease. If this is a modern fable or a fairy tale it lacks the things that make those kinds of stories so enjoyable: great characters, a lot of adventure, fear, fun, a sense that all can be lost if the main character doesn't get it together and a good overall plot. I felt less lectured in fourteen years of Catholic school (1-12 and two years at a Catholic college) than I did when reading this.
If you like being told what to think, this book will be perfect for you. If you like boring stories that are vague and go nowhere, pick this up. You'll love it.
