The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

This is one of those 'modern classics' that people are always saying is one of their all-time favourite books and which I had never read, but felt I should. It is a short novel that was originally published in Brazil in 1988 and is subtitled 'a fable about following your dream'.

I was not wholly sure when exactly it was set, certainly at some time in the past, but it is not made at all clear. The central character is referred to mostly just as 'the boy' and the story concerns a journey he makes over a year or two from southern Spain across to Morocco and subsequently through the Sahara to the Egyptian pyramids. He meets various strangers en route, some of whom are good to him and others not. It is all very folktaley and mystical, and intended I guess to be inspiring perhaps?

Original, beautifully written, but in all honesty not really my kind of book. It raises more questions than it answers. I found it to be a touch thin as a reading experience.