Eleven minutes by Paulo Coelho

Its a daring novel of Maria ,whose is heart broken at a very young age by the relationships she was on to thus concluding that she'll never find true love..Right from when she was eleven her beauty was adored but nobody wanted to embrace the girl in her..This book is about discovering fantasy called sex through Maria's character..She is a paradigmatic girl whose journey took her through love,lust, betrayal,confusion, attraction by the men she was involved..She never had a steady relationship always ended up being betrayed ..Her past gives her courage to follow completely different path breaking rules of society's confinement..This makes her travel seeking knowledge building a window to her inner self, from Brazilian village  to Rio to Switzerland.. In search of fame and wealth unfortunately ending up as a prostitute..In Switzerland she is given with a choice to go back home or to become high class prostitute  and she chose the latter.. But when he meets handsome painter Ralf and as love blooms its turns out to be her battle to fight between desire and life there by true love..Ralf sees the light in her beyond the mask of a prostitute...
This book ventures upon prejudice on sex dealing things philosophically and through simple dialogues between Maria and intellectual Ralf  ..Maria's character is  not of a girl who becomes a prostitute by fate that earns her sympathy but she comes one by choice somehow puzzles the reader yet I couldn't get to hate her only like her more as the story culminates..
Best part of novel is that author speaks from a prostitute's point, her desire her wish to seek knowledge , wanting to travel more and learn things are amazingly portrayed.. This is something unexpected from an author of a book like Alchemist.. Love sex, desire all three are completely dissected and well placed completely , that nothing feels overdone..Difference between the sacredness of sex and masochism is neatly built on..The treatment of the subject is different and refreshing so is the beginning of the novel.."Once upon a time, there was a prostitute called Maria. Wait a minute. "Once upon a time" is how all the best children's stories begin and "prostitute" is a word for adults. How can I start with this apparent contradiction? Author has differentiated sex from love making and tells that when involved with the right man with all love a girl feel her divine self..The novel uncovers about human body its desires and need in simplicity and elegance..

The alchemist by Paulo Coelho

First thing I did was look into dictionary for the meaning yes you would have come across in your school  but alas as you get older your memory fades of course..lol..Alchemy means the transformation of metal to gold by nature it is a philosophical tradition related with intellectual power from time immemorial..

Every time  Santiago sleeps under sycamore tree, he is troubled by a dream where a child tries to show him a hidden treasure near pyramid...He goes to a gypsy woman to interpret his dream , she asks him to set on the journey to pursue his dream..Thus begins his journey that transcends places right from his home in Spain to lively Tangeries's market and finally to desert in Egypt where his destiny awaits him...
Though Santiago's parents sent him to school to study language and religion he chooses to become a shepherd that would match his aptitude of curiosity travelling far and wide learning things on his own...In course of the journey he  meets Fatima a beautiful maid falling in love she encourages him to pursue his dream as he is hit by dilemma between his destiny and love...He once even loses all money that forces him to work in a carpet shop in Tangeries ,but he turns out to be the lucky charm.. His ideas slowly transforms the business into profit from loss, he runs on to Englishmen who are in search of a universal language..Finally he moves to desert in Egypt where he encounters the Alchemist.....Among all the characters Santiago get to meet, the golden one is of course the alchemist who has discovered the secret about philosopher's stone...

Santiago's character is that of a determined headstrong and curious boy who wants to taste everything around....In short the book tells you to listen to yourself and follow your dreams..It says life is full of omen that will lead to your destiny just watch out carefully..It says that the world itself has a soul of its own and when person's and the world's soul are in sync, magic happens or in other words you do what you are destined to be and for that one has to start with following instincts..I wish the end was more detailed, somehow I felt it ended all of a sudden..