I recently read The Alchemist and really loved it. I now see that
there are a bunch of books written by this author. I was wondering
if there were any Paulo Coelho readers and what other books that
they really liked or perhaps didn't like.

As luck would have it I came across The Zahir a few days ago in front
of a bookstore on a cart of books that were being sold for $1. I was very
pleased with that purchase as I have had that book on my wishlist for awhile.

I also have somewhere in my house The Valkyries.

I've also read The Alchemist and really enjoyed it. The only other Coelo book I've read is Veronika Decides to Die. Personally, I liked it, although I know others that didn't.

:ditto: I didn't really care for The Alchemist, though.

My favorite Paulo Coelho book so far, though I haven't read all that many, was Brida. I'm not sure if that's the title in English, though I'm not sure what other title it would have.

My first encounter with him was The Fifth Mountain, which, like Diamant's The Red Tent, is a retelling of a story from the Jewish scriptures. I loved it! Then I got By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept through bookcrossing... and was really disappointed.

Here are a few excerpts of the journal entry I wrote:

For the first half of the book: "this wasn’t really a novel but more of a heavy-handed religious tract dressed up as a novel"

and then as we entered the latter part of the book: "the whole novel seemed to take a sharp turn and go in a different direction than I had been expecting. And then there was another twist. However, they weren’t twists and turns that thrill, like in a murder mystery; these twists and turns left me disoriented."

I hope that's of some help.

I read The Alchemist for a school project my junior year of high school and really enjoyed it. I've also read Veronika Decides to Die and By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. I'd recommend them both.

Thanks guys. I enjoyed hearing your input.

I read the Alchemist, love it love it love it.
However, for some reason, none of the others of his books came close to it. I have been giving it another chance and another chance, but somehow it was so-so at best and disappointing at worse.


The Devil and Miss Prym - not bad
The Fifth Mountain - didn't work for me.
Eleven Minutes - love part of it, dislike part of it
The Valkyries - didn't like at all

But the funny thing is, I like The Alchemist so much that I will still continue to read his books in hope of finding another great one.