This is nonfiction commentary. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: The Alchemist, the Devil and Miss Prym, Veronika Decides to Die, Eleven Minutes, the Witch of Portobello, the Zahir, by the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, the Pilgrimage, the Fifth Mountain, the Valkyries. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: The Alchemist (Portuguese: ) is an allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho first published in 1988. It has been hailed as a modern classic. The Alchemist was originally written in Portuguese and has since been translated into 56 languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history. The story follows Santiago, a young shepherd who lives in Spain, on a journey to fulfil his personal legend and find his treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt The Advertiser, an Australian newspaper, published one of the first reviews of The Alchemist in 1993 saying "of books that I can recommend with the unshakable confidence of having read them and been entranced, impressed, entertained or moved, the universal gift is perhaps a limpid little fable called The Alchemist... In hauntingly spare prose, translated from the Brazilian original in Portuguese, it follows a young Andalusian shepherd into the desert on his quest for a dream and the fulfilment of his destiny." Since then, the novel has received nearly universal praise, making it to the top spot on best seller lists in 74 countries and winning prestigious awards in Germany and Italy. It has been called a "charming story," "a brilliant, simple narrative," and "a wonderful tale, a metaphor of life," from people in places as diverse as South Africa, Finland, and Turkey. It has been praised by public figure...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=1433579