... Unfortunately the original bits are not inspiring and the inspiring bits are not original. (OK, OK, if Coelho can rip off ideas Why Can not I?). This I-Spy book of philosophy is nothing more than 10th rate, watered down Voltaire. For Santiago, read Candide and you'll get some idea of where Coelho's influences came from. If you have not already read Candide or Micromégas, then you may find a spark or two of inspiration within The Alchemist, as Coelho does pull the right string occasionally, making the reader ponder where life is taking them and the essential power each of us poss esses to change things. Admirable stuff indeed! When, HOWEVER one recognises how dirivative and inferior Coelho's writings are, The Message Becomes tainted, insubstantial and Ultimately worthless. By all means click to register your disapproval of my little review, but please, try Voltaire's Candide, Either in the original version (if your French is up to it) or in one of the excellent English translations available, and experience the wisdom and humor of a true master who genuinely Understood life's great comedy. Coelho if Far Short Of Those he seeks so desperately to emulate.
