Teresa’s Comments (group member since Jul 17, 2013)

Teresa’s comments from the What's the Worst Book You've Ever Read? group.

author: Paulo Coelho (Brazilian)
Book: The Alchemist (1988)
Why I gave up: terrible writing.

I'd say Paulo Coelho's books are considered classics here in Brazil and his books usually turn into bestsellers overnight. I once tried to read one of his books (The Alchemist). For someone with a degree in literature it was a torture to come across so many common place depictions of characters and scenes. The plot may seem interesting and enlightening to those who are searching for some meaning in life and have never had the chance to read skilled writers, but to me it was just bad writing. Maybe his translators have done a better job than the author himself.