CBR15 BINGO (On The Road square: Road trip of self-discovery from Spain to Egypt.) BINGO! | Politics to Bodies, Bodies Bodies
This was a book we had around the house because my son read it in high school. I think maybe it was a summer reading assignment. He recommended that I read it and it fit the bill for the square, so here we go.
A young shepherd in Spain sells his sheep and travels across land and sea in search of a treasure he has only seen in his dreams. Riches beyond his wild imagination are buried near the pyramids in Egypt. His dreams of treasure are confirmed by several people he meets on his long journey. A gypsy woman, a self-proclaimed King, a crystal merchant, and an alchemist each offer their “wisdom” to the young man as he makes his way to Egypt.
I know this book has been celebrated by readers for over two decades. I get the point of the parable here and even applaud it: follow your dreams, and listen to your heart, wealth doesn’t equal fulfillment. Unfortunately, for some reason, I never really connected to it emotionally, and this is the kind of book that relies on emotional connection. I had trouble with the flow, I think. A lot of it seemed repetitive and the unrelenting hammering of the moral of the story, which wasn’t a particularly difficult one to figure out, became exhausting. I don’t want to rail against a classic here. It just didn’t speak to me in the same way it has for so many others.
