The Alchemist Audiobook By Paulo Coelho cover art

The Alchemist

A Fable About Following Your Dream

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Alchemist

By: Paulo Coelho
Narrated by: Jeremy Irons
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.09

Buy for $17.09

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an Alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a meditation on the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is art eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.©1988 Paulo Coelho (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers Fiction Literary Fiction Metaphysical & Visionary Well-being Essentials Inspiring Heartfelt Dream Feel-Good Treasure Thought-Provoking Funny Scary Career Change New Age Spirituality
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Editorial review


By Madeline Anthony, Audible Editor

THE STRANGE ALCHEMY OF THE ALCHEMIST, THE NOVEL TURNED SELF-DEV PHENOMENON

At its core, The Alchemist is a spiritual guide. Packed into the form of a short fable, it follows young Santiago, a shepherd boy who travels far and wide in hopes of finding his life’s treasures. Within the simplicity of the story, universal messages are able to unfold in profound ways, ringing true with a newfound sense of urgency—listen to your heart, follow your intuition, and have the courage to walk towards your dreams even when you are afraid of what might happen next.

Far from an expansive, ancient desert, I listened to this story for the first time on the beach. After hearing rave reviews of The Alchemist for several years from friends and acquaintances, I had decided to listen to the audiobook on a rare week off. It was Christmas, and for the first time in a long time, I was not with my family for the holidays. I was spending that lost week between Christmas and New Year's on a bed of white sand in the Hawaiian Islands, on something of an engagement-moon with my fiancé. It was all gorgeous—the sun, the purplish mountains in the distance, the giant sea turtles that gently floated in the water like kids on a perpetual vacation. Taken at face value, there should have been no worries in sight. But secretly, I was worried. In fact, I was extremely worried. I was living with a nagging feeling that I kept trying to push down, and that each time I did, would inevitably rise again. In the end, listening to a story about a young boy in Egypt helped me to tap into my own heart of hearts, inevitably realizing the truth—I did not want to marry this man, and in fact, I wouldn’t.

Continue reading Madeline's review >

Critic reviews

"The story has the comic charm, dramatic tension and psychological intensity of a fairy tale, but it's full of specific wisdom as well, about becoming self-empowered, overcoming depression, and believing in dreams." (Publishers Weekly)

"It is short, but certainly packs a wallop. What makes the story even better is Jeremy Irons's unforgettable narration.... Irons's voice is crystal clear, and every word is given its own starring role in the text. He creates wondrous characters, male and female, that stay with us." (AudioFile)

Featured Article: 50+ Undying Quotes About Life from Acclaimed Authors


Though it's hard to argue with Merriam-Webster, we all know that life means something more than the standard dictionary definition—or, at least, we want it to. If you're searching for insights into the meaning of life, or words of inspiration to make your life more meaningful, there's no better source than authors of great works of literature. From Shakespeare to Alice Walker, from Jane Austen to Saul Bellow, iconic authors have a lot to say about life.

What listeners say about The Alchemist

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    66,295
  • 4 Stars
    10,562
  • 3 Stars
    3,678
  • 2 Stars
    1,116
  • 1 Stars
    692
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    60,981
  • 4 Stars
    7,545
  • 3 Stars
    1,814
  • 2 Stars
    362
  • 1 Stars
    256
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    57,182
  • 4 Stars
    8,603
  • 3 Stars
    3,310
  • 2 Stars
    1,062
  • 1 Stars
    708

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enduring and Peaceful

This modern parable is a beautifully simple tale, beautifully read by Jeremy Irons. If you've read this before, then you won't be disappointed by this production. If you've not read it before, then do yourself a favour and listen to it now. Yes, it has a deep religious undercurrent, but you can take that in or just be swept along on the top of the wave of poetic language. So graceful. So peaceful. Truly enduring.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Jeremy Irons brings the book to life

Where does The Alchemist rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For fiction, this book ranks in the top 20. I only wish there were sequels!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The shepherd boy... because even though I don't herd sheep, I have dreams too.

Which character – as performed by Jeremy Irons – was your favorite?

Melchizedek


Any additional comments?

I wanted to curl up on the couch next to Uncle Jeremy and have him tell me more and more... What is it about the voice of Jeremy Irons? He did a fantastic job with the various characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Metaphor of Life

Loved reading the book years ago, but loved it even more listening to it narrated by Jeremy Irons! Lovely heartwarming story.♥️💖💋

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Spiritual but not religious or preachy

What did you love best about The Alchemist?

Made me want to keep listening. Filled with inspiring thoughts but also an really good story. I love the British narrator too, such a nice change from so many of the harsh American accents of many Audible books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Expected more

great story and narration... just had higher expectations based on other reviews and top lists this one made

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Special Book

Sitting by the pool, I wanted something to inspire me for 2020. Perfect length and interesting story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Jeremy Irons made this read all the more magical.

An amazing story about realizing your mission in life. Uplifiting and full of light - a lesson from the SOUL of the Universe! Jeremy Irons made this audio book doubly special to me. His voice brings me comfort and captivates.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful example of how we should live

Loved this. Beautiful example of how we should live our lives. it has a ton of quotables.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good

A self help tale based on superstition and fairy tales. One of my must reads.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Blown Away!

Amazing story, great narration, you can’t go wrong listening to this one! Definitely one of my all time favorites now!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!