i had loved the alchemist. full stop. no doubt about it. it is the one fiction book which i read over and over.

i enjoyed the journey that the protagonist went through, truly enjoyed them. i loved the wisdom behind every trip he made. i loved the spiritual and mystic elements of it.it made me bring myself up again should i read it in times of difficulty.

and after so long not reading paulo’s books (after several other books i had read) came the aleph. i bought the book as soon as it came out in the bookstores. just the title itself is intriguing. so when i bought it, i thought the alchemist all over again?!

but somehow after reading the first two chapters, i was kind of disappointed with it. it was nothing like the alchemist.

it was about the author’s experience, a journey he took. i wanted to enjoy this trip he took but i just find it draggy and dry. i wanted to know who is the girl, his protagonist which is supposed to be connected to him in the past. but right until the end, i still dont know who the girl is, i mean not as much as i wanted apart from being a violinist virtuoso and the past being accused as a witch…i wanted to know more about this travelling in time aspect he mentioned many times in the book, but it just felt boring.  it wasnt exciting at all and the fact the the journey back in time was him being some sort of priest.  it’s just…urgh..

it was not a story i would have loved. i just read through it wanting to know what’s next but my thirst unsatisfied. all i remembered from the book was how dreary, tiring and uncomfortable the journey was for everyone. and i had to wait right till the end for what i think is the peak of the story. it took me very long for me to finish reading this book, a good pause of a few weeks after reading past the third chapter because i felt i wasnt ready for the aleph.

and the whole idea of this aleph. the book isnt about the aleph. he should give a different title for this book.

heck, i had even enjoyed the witch of portobello. even his experience in the zahir. i loved every page of the zahir!

maybe i should read the aleph again…next year and maybe i will understand better what it is all about. but for the first time ever, i am disappointed reading a paulo coelho book.