The Secret Of Life!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Goodreads' "stock" review includes "what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within." That is only partially true, and that pleases me, reminding me of arguments decades ago with a thoughtful friend who said, "No, Harry, you cannot be a materialist, not with your values!" I argued that my values were rooted in an appreciation of this earth and all the riches and potential for human success, fulfillment and happiness it holds for us, if we are but wise enough to real-ize this. This "material" earth, where we have the means to express any spiritual dimension that we have cultivated within us. Yikes, where did that come from? I meant to write about The Alchemist, not Harry. So one of my "advisors" (in this case that means one of the authors whose books I actually purchase rather than just borrow from the library) Brendon Burchard repeatedly praises this book, so I thought I would give it a try. I finished it two months ago, it took that long to feel ready to write about it. (I wrote this on March 18th but posted it here on the date I read the book.) I really didn't need to read beyond the third page of the introduction. Haven't I said to all my friends for decades that I was searching for the secret of life? Well, there it was clearly spelled out, "The secret of life,though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times." However, I did go on to read the book, and enjoyed it thoroughly. The only reason I'm giving it four stars instead of five is that it has been so hyped and promoted that no book could live up to the expectation created. You should read this book for yourself so you can decide for yourself. If you are a long-time reader of inspirational works, this may remind you of the old "Acres of Diamonds" story, but it is richer and deeper than that.

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