Book Reviews

The Archer : Book Review

The Archer Book ReviewThe Archer Book Review

Rating: 2/5
Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: Philosophy
Pages: 135 (Count of Pages. The book is much shorter than that)

The last time I had read Paula Coelho was more than a decade ago. After reading Alchemist (which I liked a lot), I had got myself a copy of Brida ( which I couldn’t read beyond 30 pages. Just Couldn’t! Found it weird and unnecessary). A few days ago, I watched a book review video on YouTube, and The Archer was one of the recommended books. I will quote the reviewer here. She had said, “This is a must-read for all those who want to succeed in their careers.” I, for one, sure do. So, after reading the Archer book summary on Goodreads, I decided to trust the reviewer and give Coelho a second chance after the Brida debacle.

The Archer : Book Review

Let’s just say I am disappointed. I feel that certain books are pure marketing and money-making gimmicks. But what I fail to understand is why would an author, as accomplished as Paulo Coelho,  need that.

To begin with, the book summary gives you a feeling that The Archer is on the lines of Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. But it’s far from that. The book summary is misleading esp. because it is conveying that there is an active conversation between the “preacher” and the “disciple” while there is hardly any.

Secondly, if I really wanted to learn the lessons that the book is trying to teach, I would go for something more palpable. I would go for something more direct like Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. His 10,000 hour rule not only gives a perspective but is also very actionable. Although, I do agree that The Archer is trying to convey the idea in a  spiritual format which has its own merits. One of the merits being that each reader gets to decipher the text according to their understanding of it. And because their is no set interpretation everyone benefits differently. So, I think I get this concept in general. But as far as my understanding of the book is concerned, the idea that the author is putting out didn’t require a spiritual packaging. Hence, I found The Archer superficial.

Thirdly, the illustrations were nice. But I don’t completely see them fitting in with the text. May be I am the one missing the “deep spiritual” message that the illustrations are supposed to convey, if there is any at all. But nothing is making sense.

I don’t like criticising  books because writing one requires time, effort and emotions, but I just can’t wrap my head around this one. The message the book is conveying is obviously priceless and accurate. It makes me think of musicians, tennis players, classical dancers, etc. who spend years, even decades mastering their skills. It makes you realise how much patience,dedication and respect these people have for their art forms. The book is a good reminder about working hard and respecting the “target” and the “means”, but I was definitely expecting so much more from it. Thoroughly let down!

Did you like The Archer book review? If you did, please like, share and subscribe. Are you planning to read The Archer, if you haven’t read it yet? Do let me know how you found the book  once you are done reading.

Happy Reading. Chao!

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3 comments

  1. Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

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