Hot take: I think 'The Alchemist' is way overrated and I regret spending $15 on it

I finally gave in last month and bought a paperback copy of The Alchemist because everyone in my book club swore it would change my life. Cost me $15 and about 4 hours of reading, and I just didn't get the hype. The whole thing felt like a fortune cookie stretched into a novel, not some deep spiritual guide. My buddy kept saying I missed the point, but I think the point is just too simple to justify the price. Has anyone else felt burned by a hyped-up book that everyone loves but you just can't get into?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabethmason20d ago

Same here, I borrowed it from a friend and felt ripped off for the time.

parkerbrown19d ago

Right is there anyone who actually finished that book and felt like it was worth the time? I got about halfway through and just kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but nope. My buddy hyped it up like it was life-changing and I was just sitting there bored out of my mind. I honestly don't get what people see in it, feels like I read a completely different book than everyone else.

emerym3619d ago

Did you get the same feeling I did where every chapter basically says "follow your dreams" in a slightly different way? My copy ended up as a coffee coaster because I got so annoyed thinking about the money I wasted on it. The whole story felt like a fortune cookie someone decided to turn into a whole book.