the struggle vs. the dream

On to a new book now: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
I had heard about the author for a long time, and I had one of his books, but I hadn't read anything by him. A friend got really into him and has recently been reading a lot of his books so when I was trawling a second hand book store in Inverness over the holidays to replace Desai's book, I came over this book. I read the back of the book and I was sold, and so was the book...It captured my feelings exactly at the time and is still making me think.

The story line is quite basic and in some ways simple, but i think that is what makes it special. It's not trying to be something it's not, like for example Desai's book which feels like it's trying too hard.
Desai has been taught from an early age what sells and how she should write, being influenced by her mother, that she's lost the feeling for it. It has no personality of its own.

In Coelho's book it's the simplicity that captures you, the plain language, the basic storyline. The survival of the believer, of the fighter, the lover and the dreamer. You can achieve anything as long as you believe it yourself, but that doesn't mean you won't have to fight for it. Nothing arrives on a silver plate and even if you face drawbacks you can't let them win.
It's an easy story to read if these thoughts and beliefs are already in you when you set out to read the book, but it's interesting to see how others believe the same thing you aspire towards.

There is one thing I don't like though and that is the magical angle. If you believe in the struggle and you believe in omens and working hard to get where you are today then the magical part ruins it. I don't believe that there is a selected few that are lucky and will get it right while others struggle. I believe everyone has the same chance without luck. I don't believe in luck. I believe that you have to work hard at things and you yourself will get to where you are today with that belief not because you've been the chosen one, but because you achieved your destiny by not giving up. And I hope that this book will lead to this aspect.
I don't want magic in my life. It will make me think that when something bad happens it's because some higher power is working against me. If I miss the bus in the morning it's not because I'm unlucky, or that someone wants me to be late, it's because I couldn't be bothered to leave the house on time.
Saying that though I do believe in omens and signs. But I also believe you can influence the signs and turn them into what you want t believe. I think these signs come from a higher force than religion or magic. I believe they come from the soil, the earth our atmosphere and our surroundings. I believe our human and natural instincts are stronger than any force of magic or religion and that these are the signs which will guide us to our destiny.