The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It was a while back, so I can’t remember exactly, but I do remember my friend not doing it any favours by really praising that book. Perhaps I was expecting too much, but by contrast, I found it to be a rather naïve, consensual, and superficial self-help book trying to masquerade as something more profound with a thin veneer of new-age spirituality.
Hope I don’t offend someone who loves it. I don’t feel strongly about it now, it was a while back, so maybe I missed something then. If someone disagrees with me I won’t die on that hill.
I canceled reading it after 50 or 60 pages. It felt dusty and predictable. I also remember the language to be kind of prophetic, like it has something important to say, while failing at doing so.
The book might have proven me wrong, if I finished it. Who knows.
Don’t think you have. If memory serves me right, it’s about being mindful and focusing on what matters, but wraps it in a ridiculously artificial “spiritual” setting.
This book is to literature what Instagram inspiration quotes are to poetry.
That’s so funny. I was in somebody’s house and they picked up the alchemist and told me I should read it, and I asked them the same question.
“Is that about the boy who collects pebbles?”
And they told me
“Yea- well, no. I’m not really sure, i can’t remember the specifics, but it was really really good”.
And I was nice about it, but obviously if you cannot remember the main character or the point of the book at all it couldn’t have been a very significant experience for you.
Yeah I mean, it’s utterly forgettable. I’ve just not had that many book recommendations from friends, but I did really enjoy most of them, so I had to really scratch my head a bit. Best I could find to fit the bill was that.
I’ve read my fair share of shit books all on my own though, like a big boi.
I literally have that book at home because of how much I agree with this. A friend highly recommended it and borrowed it to me when I was ~15. I never gave it back purely to avoid having to tell them how eye roll inducingly fake deep I found it. To be fair though, I don’t remember much of it either.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It was a while back, so I can’t remember exactly, but I do remember my friend not doing it any favours by really praising that book. Perhaps I was expecting too much, but by contrast, I found it to be a rather naïve, consensual, and superficial self-help book trying to masquerade as something more profound with a thin veneer of new-age spirituality.
Hope I don’t offend someone who loves it. I don’t feel strongly about it now, it was a while back, so maybe I missed something then. If someone disagrees with me I won’t die on that hill.
interesting take. I don’t remember much of the detail but I do remember it helping me to take big next steps more confidently when I read it at 16.
Totally fair.
We all seem to agree that we kind of don’t really remember it though. It’s at least reassuring that that’s a shared experience.
I canceled reading it after 50 or 60 pages. It felt dusty and predictable. I also remember the language to be kind of prophetic, like it has something important to say, while failing at doing so.
The book might have proven me wrong, if I finished it. Who knows.
Don’t think you have. If memory serves me right, it’s about being mindful and focusing on what matters, but wraps it in a ridiculously artificial “spiritual” setting.
This book is to literature what Instagram inspiration quotes are to poetry.
It felt like one of those sappy motivational posters, but dragged out over 200 pages.
Had to read that for summer reading in high school. All I remember about it was how utterly forgettable it was.
Is that the one where the boy has a bag of pebbles?
Paper factory or something?
I honestly couldn’t remember any specifics beyond the fact I eyerolled many more times than one should when reading a book.
Something about a boy in a desert, meeting a wise old man who helps him find himself by telling him a few mystical stories…
That’s so funny. I was in somebody’s house and they picked up the alchemist and told me I should read it, and I asked them the same question.
“Is that about the boy who collects pebbles?”
And they told me
“Yea- well, no. I’m not really sure, i can’t remember the specifics, but it was really really good”.
And I was nice about it, but obviously if you cannot remember the main character or the point of the book at all it couldn’t have been a very significant experience for you.
Yeah I mean, it’s utterly forgettable. I’ve just not had that many book recommendations from friends, but I did really enjoy most of them, so I had to really scratch my head a bit. Best I could find to fit the bill was that.
I’ve read my fair share of shit books all on my own though, like a big boi.
The alchemist is a good shout out for being so uniquely forgettable.
So far, other commenters have a pretty clear reason they didn’t like their book.
With the alchemist, we’re all just shrugging into the void left behind by something we’re sure was a disappoiintment.
I literally have that book at home because of how much I agree with this. A friend highly recommended it and borrowed it to me when I was ~15. I never gave it back purely to avoid having to tell them how eye roll inducingly fake deep I found it. To be fair though, I don’t remember much of it either.