The Alchemist

I'm more than halfway through the book "The Alchemist" by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho.

I don't even know what to say but I just can't comprehend how bad it is?

I mean it starts out kinda interesting. This young guy named Santiago is a shepard in the south of Spain during the middle ages (?). He lives a pretty lonely lifestyle where he reads books while enjoying the calm and peaceful life with his sheeps. 10 pages in - not too bad. I'm engaged in his further adventures because well at least Paulo took his time to write it down. So there must be something worth reading, right? RIGHT?

While living the shepard lifestyle Santiago has a reoccurring dream about a treasure which lays at the pyramids in Egypt. The treasure is somehow especially made for him, maybe a metaphor for his fate/destiny? I guess we will find out!

Santiago is all in on that dream so he forgets about his crush/side chick. That's a really great sacrifice considering that day dreaming about her kept him somewhat sane and hopefully from his inner demon of bestiality between all his woolish company.

But this boy is determined. So he sets sail to Africa after selling his beloved four legged clouds. But not before he talks to a strange old man who approaches him first. That guy is some sort of a king and the dialogue between the two is really the point where the story and my joy of it started derailing.

This pseudo deep conversation, which reads like the last 10 posts on your aunties Facebook wall, is setting the tone from now on. Like game on from now! With the intellectual depth of a finance bro manifestation short from YouTube he conquers the hearts of the Arabic world. He transforms an almost broke shop for crystal glass to a flourishing business just using his newly adopted start-up bro mindset. He saves an entire oasis in the Sahara desert by having a bird-induced vision, while niceguying/preying on a minor at the spring. He can do it all. This greater than life persona combined with his drive to thrive and achieve his goal/dream naturally attracts the name giver of the book. The Alchemist. And here I had to stop reading and start typing this rant into Reddit.

Sprinkle in some really wannabe profound religious nonsense and there you have it. A fever dream of a "inspirational book". Like damn. I've read "Veronica Decides to Die" from the author and I enjoyed it to some extent. But this one here is for the trash can. A dumpster fire rolled out to more than 150 pages. I'm about 110 pages in and I can't take it anymore! I CAN'T!!

Thanks for your attention.