Fool's Gold

The Alchemist was a bit of a letdown.

Yes, I just read The Alchemist. Finally!

Was getting rather fed up people asking me increduously "You haven't read The Alchemist???" while I was busy going through the fishy reports of the man in havana, being retrenched by the pointy haired boss or peeking into the personal life of Iacocca.

Like i said, the Midas touch of the alchemist left me cold.

One of my nominations for the type of book that everyone wants to have read but no one wants to read.

Perhaps it's because my expectations were too high. Perhaps,like the Englishman, I too was looking for the Master Work.

Perhaps.

It begins pretty well with the wanderings of Santiago, the shepherd. The simple , uncomplicated lives of the sheep analogous to that of the baker gives you quite a lot of food for thought.

But then there enters into Santiago's life the feeling that is the single most driving force of human progress. Want. Necessity. Ambition. Lust. It's all the same.

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

(I want a million dollars. I am waiting.)

This refrain is the life blood of the novel. And to me , the deathknell.

The book requires you to have Belief, Faith. In Him. In Destiny.

I don't.

Hence my mind always parses 'Soul of the World', 'Omens','Listening to your Heart" to a four letter word. Crap.

Things can get pretty tedious if all that you can read over a hundred pages is Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.

The book does have it's plus points though.

For one, it's got me interested in Alchemy. Where there is easy money I am always game.

Melchizedek, the King of Salem was an interesting character especially when a chink in his gold breastplate shows a brief flash of vanity.

Santiago's brief stint at the crystal shop appealed to my marketing instincts.

The ending was presented rather well.

And most importantly, I now have the right to exclaim "You haven't read The Alchemist???"


PS: I hope that when I hit back at "You haven't read The Life of Pi???", I will have a better experience.