Recently caught up with a book I'd been intending to read for a couple of years: Paul Coelho's The Alchemist. And loved it. Was in the mood for something magical in the way of a fairytale, a folk tale, a parable or the like, and this fitted the bill exactly. Refreshing, wise, entertaining.
Thought I was being very perceptive in finding a similarity in tone to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince (an old favourite), until I discovered a reviewer had been cited on the back cover declaring something very similar. Oh well, guess that just reinforces the point: If you liked The Little Prince, there's every chance you'll get a kick out of The Alchemist too.
