On trip back to the United States, by some misfortune or luck, I managed to buy just one book. That I had to still endure the Maharajah with probably another couple gave me the shudders since this was not very inspiring though. Add to that the book I did got, “The Alchemist†was just around 100-150 pages long, thereby suggesting it would get over even before we crossed the Arabian sees! However things happen for good and luckily the seat next to me sat a good looking girl, about my age and just because you asked it, well, she was a Gujju! So while I was not chatting with her about India and she not telling me about her life, I read the book. In deed, the book lasted the whole flight and it was only near the end I finished the book. Also I need to make a trip to New Jersey soon, if you know what I mean J
Now coming back to the haranguing on the book I am going to review today, first and foremost let me tell you that I prefer books over girls. Now if this had been a such a stupendous book as it claimed to be on covers, I did have been pretty unlucky not to know her J. Fortunately or unfortunately, the book is nothing but an average rendition of one man’s quest for himself.
THE ALCHEMIST
Likes of such books have been written a many. Richard Bach’s brilliant book ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ or the average ‘Illusions’ come to my mind immediately which debated on similar topics albeit different ways. The problem with The Alchemist it tries vainly in the later half of the book to be come something grandiose and just falls flat on itself. So what is it about?
The Alchemist is about a dreamer who decides to follow his dream. The dreamer is a shepherd who is told that he would find a treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. With a wishing from the old man, begins his journey to the pyramids. In between he meets a budding alchemist who in turn wants to meet the one (The real Alchemist) in the oasis. At last when he comes in face with The Alchemist, the alchemist then sets out to explain him about the soul of the world and the soul within. Eventually the dreamer actually reaches the pyramids to only discover that the treasure he looked for all his life lied with him back home.
MORAL
The book begins brilliantly with some really thoughtful lines hidden in the story. When author says we are always sure of how others should lead their lives, but never quite ours,  you simply nod and wonder such exquisite lines. However to the book’s loss, they are far less and few, a fact that made both of Richard Bach’s works very famous. Things go downhill when the Soul of the World and such philosophies are introduced with some bizarre things happening within the book. The dreamer’s ultimate realization of the soul of the world, that is the soul of God was his own soul, doesn’t even sound satisfactory. His path to realization that God was probably his perfect self does not come across strongly enough for us to justify with the dreamer’s dream.
FATE & DESTINY
In the beginning of the book, till the later half of book, the author presents a thoughtful discussion on Destiny and Fate. We are all destined to do the work we were supposed to in our life the authors argued, however not many do it because they are simply bound by their insecurities of their fate. This probably came across as the strongest point of the whole philosophical thread of the book.
In my personal opinion, an individual controls his fate. And yet there is always a thing called destiny. Everyone is destined to do their work, and if we are destined to something, our fate too is destined with it. Conversely, my fate binds me to my destiny. It is in my fate to follow the destiny carved for me. So – do I believe in destiny? Yes! Do I believe in Fate – Yes! The book provides a good debate on this issue, and probably the only reason I ended up giving 3 stars to the book
PROSE
The prose of the book is very simple, straight and to the point. It does not try to be a literary classic in its own right, but manages to be simple. However, its far too simple – to the point that it bores you. Such a book requires the author to hold his reader’s interest throughout, however this is where it fails. One is never really interested so much in this book at any time.
FINALLY
Did I like this book? I thought this book was a pretty average book, and if I really had to recommend a book on similar lines, then I did seriously recommend Richard Bach’s ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ which is a far more superior piece of work; and yes, shorter too J
Richard Bach’s rendition of the Seagull looking to break beyond the boundaries to reach his dream to the point where his prodigy learns that to know thyself was to know the one, provides more thoughtful exposition than a dreamer lost in desert.
PI
In the book ‘Life Of Pi’ towards the end when the kid explains his adventures with the tiger, the police men refuse to believe him and laugh him off. When he reiterates the same story with animals, it becomes more convincing to the policemen. I probably felt the same after finishing Seagull and the Dreamer.
Do animals teach us more about life than we can to ourselves?