SnitchSeeker.com - BotM: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Sa16+)

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The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Sa16+)

Welcome to The Book Seekers' Book of the Moment!

If you don't know what Book of the Moment is, you can find more information about it here but, in a nutshell, it's a bi-monthly event, during which we all read the same book and then discuss it. The first month is focused on reading the book, the second is focused on discussing it. This thread is dedicated to the discussion of the book and there will be lots of SPOILERS!!!! You have been warned! If you want to talk about your reading progress in a spoiler-free environment, this thread is the place for that, and it is always open and active so you can read at your own pace. When you have finished the book and are ready to talk spoilers to your heart's content, you should post in this thread. You can post in this thread at any time during the two months, but the Official™ discussion won't take place until the start of the second month. Don't fret if you're reading the book after that date ― you can add to the discussion at any time!

Our current Book of the Moment is...

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho!

https://i.postimg.cc/g0WL4PC7/thealchemist.jpg
AGE RATING: Sa16+
GENRE: Adventure Fiction
SUMMARY: (from Goodreads)

The Alchemist is an enchanting novel that is powerful in simplicity and soul-stirring wisdom. It follows 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.

Along 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. 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.

SPOILER!!: CONTENT WARNINGS!

Spiritualism, Colonialism, Supernatural, Poverty, Sexism, Gender Bias

Let's go over some ground rules and information...
All Book Club Rules and SnitchSeeker Board Rules apply in this thread.

You can discuss anything related to The Alchemist in here. Spoilers ARE allowed and we encourage you to avoid using spoiler tabs where possible because it helps the discussion flow better.

This discussion will be active until June 30th. That being said, the thread will remain open for everyone to discuss the book after that time, too.

Extra stuff!
Feeling inspired? Why not contribute some alchemical art to our Bookish Fan Art thread?

Log of Discussion Questions:

If you have issues or queries, contact PhoenixRising (your lovely BotM Host!!!) OR one of the two Book Club Mods: Lissy Longbottom or Bazinga – and don't forget to nominate books for future Book of the Moments!
Ready, Set, Read! :read:

So excited for this book! I really hadn't heard much about it until you put it in for this and I really enjoyed reading it.

I need to get my hands on a copy of this! The synopsis sounds so fun, I can't wait!

It really is a funnnn read !!! And like it's SHORT too .. the audiobook is only about 4 hours and the actual book is around 200 pages! I think i was told about it a few years ago ~~cause i'm a nerd who talks about books when i socialize :lmao:~~ but i only just got around to reading it last year XD

I have some discussion questions but i shall post the first one next week to give people a chance to obtain a copy (most libraries should have it ;))

I just finished the book today! It had an interesting feel to it, I liked the simplicity of the writing and the short read was nice as well!

It definitely had a different feel to it, but one I enjoyed. When it first started I thought it was going to be kind of dry, but the more you get to know Santiago the more you start to enjoy him. I thought it was interesting how he would over think a few things and try to decide it if was truly worth the treasure.

It definitely had a super simplistic feel to it ... and yet also kind of complex and deep meaning all the same?? Idk if that makes sense :lol:

One of the things i found striking is that the author chose not to really present names a lot. But instead referred to the characters as "the boy" or "the king" or "the Englishman". Which I found interesting because Santiago was reading a book (or trying to) and he said, if he ever wrote a book, he wouldn't use long names or something like that... which makes me think that even though it's a fictional novel, Paulo Coehlo wrote it from the perspective of the boy.

The other thing that the book has me thinking about is my own personal legend ... and honestly, it makes me feel unfulfilled in my own life :hide:

What about you all? Did you resonate with the personal legend aspect? Do you feel like we all have one? Or is life just about going through the motions and survival? Almost like the Englishman, whereas he wasn't about his personal legend so much as surviving and learning? Do resonate more with Santiago? The Englishman? Another character?