Got into a weird debate at my book club about "The Alchemist" last night

I read it back in 2018 and thought it was fine, but this one guy kept saying it's just a collection of fortune cookie sayings dressed up as a novel. He pointed to a line on page 87 about "making your own path" and asked if that really counts as wisdom... has anyone else had a book totally split your group like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.anthony3h ago

oh man, that fortune cookie comparison hits hard. i mean i liked the book well enough when i read it but that guy's not totally wrong, there are definitely parts that feel like they're trying way too hard to be deep. it's funny how some books just split people right down the middle like that, no middle ground at all.

john_hunt21h ago

Came here to say the exact same thing. I remember reading a chapter that felt like it was trying to be some kind of life-changing manifesto (you know, the kind you highlight and post on Instagram), but the actual point was just "be nice to people." Like, okay, cool, but that's not exactly breaking new ground. There's this weird pressure to either love it or hate it completely, no room for just saying "yeah, it was a decent read with some solid parts and some eye-roll moments.