Honeymoon Read + Review | The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I apologize for my absence for the entirety of November. I spent the first week finishing an entire month’s worth of homework in a matter of days so that I could go on my internet-free honeymoon (for the sake of your mental health, I do not recommend this…), and the following two weeks actually on my honeymoon cruise! I plan on writing a two- or three-part blog post about our honeymoon experience in the Southern Caribbean, but for now I thought I would focus on the book I read while on the cruise ship: The Alchemist.

This is one of those books that initially intimidated me: it is a “classic”, so I lumped it together with others like The Count of Monte Cristo or The Grapes of Wrath (both of which I was not particularly fond of when I read them in grade school). However, per Macklemore’s suggestion, I thought I would give it a shot.

The Alchemist is a surprisingly addictive read. It details the adventures of Santiago, a young shepherd boy living in Spain who had a dream about searching for a grand treasure at the Pyramids in Egypt. In the midst of this daring journey, he meets a gypsy woman, a man claiming to be a king, and an alchemist. Santiago learns that by continuing his search for this treasure, he is pursuing his “Personal Legend”. While he is passionate about and actively pursuing this Personal Legend, “the universe” will initially conspire to help you succeed, then later challenge you along the way.

Ultimately, it is a story about listening to our hearts and working to achieve our dreams. If you give up on your dreams, the universe will no longer conspire to help you accomplish those goals. The key to success is to actively pursue your passions, no matter what challenges are thrown your way. You may feel like you cannot recover from the hurdles you encounter, but you must be truly tested before being deemed worthy to achieve your lifelong Personal Legend.

While on my honeymoon, I found myself snuggled up in bed reading this book nearly every night (when I probably should have been paying more attention to Austin!). If it weren’t so windy on the pool deck of the ship, I would have brought it up there, too! It is a quick, exciting read that I would recommend to everyone. The Alchemist is one of those books I will read repeatedly throughout my lifetime as I strive to accomplish my own Personal Legend.