The first time I read this book I found it a nice fairy tale. After reading the others reviews here I decided to take the advice of one reader from Brazil and I bought a book by Viktor Frankl and compared it with the Coelho's one. Well, to be honest, the Coelho's book seems to be a little bit naive compared with the Frankl's. Viktor Frankl had been in a really ordeal experience and he really knows what he's talking about. Although Paulo Coelho's books are a little fancy, I still think they are a nice reading to pass the time.(but I really can't see how it can change someone's life).