I'm actually leaning more toward a 3.5 for this, but I bumped it up because I know it will be something I will think about for a while. There is a tendency toward didacticism, which I am thinking is just Coelho's style, and I am sure there will be people who bash this for being too obvious and earnest, but it is thought provoking none the less. Its the sort of book where you dont so much question the characters as much as you question yourself, and that is bound to make some uncomfortable.