ASAP WAYANAD NEWSLETTER Vol : 9 | Page 24

Book Review

Title of the Book : The Alchemist

Author : Paulo Coelho

It is the story of a shepherd boy, named Santiago who followed his recurring dream of searching a treasure near the Pyramids in the Egypt and finally discovers his treasure. Similar to other works of Paulo Coelho this too includes positivity and hope. The main theme of the story lies in the famous quote "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

The storyline goes like this : Santiago reaches an abandoned church with his flock of sheep and decides to sleep there. This is the place where he sees his dream. Since he saw the same dream for the second time he decides to meet an old gypsy woman - a fortune teller who interprets dreams. He describes his dream to the woman. She is the first character in the story to say that he will discover his treasure and demands a share in it. Since he had a misconception about the woman and was not contented by her interpretation he decides to live his life as it is.

This urges the readers also to follow their desires. The book was first written in Portuguese and then translated to about 70 languages. It has won the Guinness world record for being the most translated book. Also there is no wonder that it is an international bestseller.

September 2017