Miscellany Pages - Book Group with Variety - Expand Your Reading Horizons discussion

I am about halfway through The Alchemist now and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far!

I often skip through author introductions but I am glad that I read Paul Coelho's introduction to his book, as it is an inspiring story in itself. I was amazed to hear that it only sold one copy in its first month, yet now is the most translated book in the world. It is a testament to Coelho's belief and perseverance, but also made me sad thinking about all the undiscovered gems left gathering dust in niche bookshops.

What do you think of the story so far? Is there another under-rated book you would like to see have an Alchemist-style breakthrough?

I have now finished The Alchemist! You can read my full review here:

https://miscellanypages.wordpress.com...

Overall I enjoyed the book, but I found the philosophical insights to be a little too heavy-handed at times so they interrupted the flow of the story. What did you think?