As we leave the month of love February behind, I thought, why not
review a book by one of the most famous authors of our time… Paulo
Coelho!
Considered by many the unsung good books by Coelho in
the list of books like The Fifth Mountain and The way
of the warriors of light, this book couldn’t get a lot of attention
because of Coelho’s greatest masterpiece called The
Alchemist.
The story revolves around a girl who meets her old friend after
11 years, only to find out that he now is a seminarian and travels around the
globe teaching people about spirituality, and with that starts her journey of
self-discovery, happiness, and emotion called love that she thought she
wouldn’t have the luxury to feel again.
Spoilers ahead!
What I liked about the book:
Just like any Paulo Coelho book, this one has
all the magical moments. The beautiful landscape, amazing imagination, subtle
dialogues, and a pinch of spirituality that even an atheist can eat up. The
protagonist is very relatable, and understandably so, she is a young college-goer. The male protagonist is slightly on the too much side, but his own
confusion within the book is understandable to us as a reader.
The entire book is finished through a journey that starts off
from a small town, through the mountains of Spain and other European countries.
The most unique thing about this book is that despite being claimed a ‘Romance
novel’ the entire first halves don’t really show a lot of romance in it.
Instead, we subtly hint about the two characters' emotions with
a very early bombshell of exposition. And I personally love it.
I understand that it might be a little hard
to digest for some readers, but if you love magical moments in romantic novels, then this one is
for you.
But the most beautiful part of the book is the prologue. The essay is given by Paulo Coelho on love in the preface will seal
the deal for any romance-hungry reader.
What I didn’t like about the book:
Needless to say, this book is not like The Alchemist.
It lacks the tone, beauty, and that essence of what made alchemist, ‘The
Alchemist’. If you’re looking for another book like it, then you’re going to be
disappointed.
Some scenes in the book would be considered weird by
today’s standard, and the pages are full to the brim with its religious tone.
If you don’t have an appetite for religious sermons in books, I am afraid
you should pass this one.
The male protagonist is shown as a very nice and likable guy
with emotions for the female lead. Still, throughout the book, all I think is that
he is a confused person, marred with his religious duty as a spiritual leader and his love for the girl. And that can put off some readers in today's generation full of pop culture erotica.
In some simple words, this book brings us back to classical
romance, where everything is beautiful, and love between the two souls is very
pure. Some will love it, some will puke, but I genuinely liked this
book.
Written by Sushrut
Tewari
Read
his other reviews here -
https://sushruttewari.home.blog/2019/02/28/book-review-living-loving-and-learning-by-leo-buscaglia/
https://sushruttewari.home.blog/2018/11/27/how-folk-tales-and-fairy-tales-impact-our-lives/
One of my all time favorite books!
ReplyDeleteThis book can be read by all ages.
It’s lessons are appreciated.