Monday, January 4, 2010

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Mitch Albom

"From the author of the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, a novel that explores the unexpected connections of our lives, and the idea that heaven is more than a place; it's an answer.
Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"

My Take:

First of all, I am not usually a huge fan of this type of book. Most "meaning of life" books I find totally wordy and just plain unnecessary. This book struck me different. I liked that it was simple, to the point and straight forward. Some of these books talk so much about a whole lot of nothing, that it is difficult to even find the message it is trying to get out. The Five People You Meet in Heaven was wonderful. The characters were so vivid and explored so thoroughly in such a short book. This book uses one man's life to illustrate that all people are connected and no life is ever a waste, no matter how bleak their existence may have been. I also enjoyed the setup of Heaven as describes in the book. The structure of if was very interesting. I highly recommend this book. The paperback is very inexpensive and you more than get your money's worth. I give this book a 1, Pay Full Price Guilt Free

Do you agree with my review? Do you think I am totally off base? Either way, be sure to leave a comment and tell me how you feel.

If you liked this book, be sure to check out The Classics Section of The Book Buff, as well as the rest of The Fiction Section


If this book were a movie it would likely be rated PG for intense situations in war.

10 comments:

Plentymorefishoutofwater said...

Hey, I like your blog - really nice looking and well written. Left you some feedback in the coffee shop.
I blog about my disastrous dates/sexual embarrassments/pursuit of my hairdresser - check it out: http://plentymorefishoutofwater.blogspot.com/

A.S. said...

The book sounds very interesting, I am not a bookworm so I probably will never get a chance to experience this book personally. I found your site from the Coffee Shop, stop by my blog too.

B.J. Thompson said...

Lovely blog and a useful topic to all who love to read, or need someone to tell them not to bother! (tee hee)

I love your background image but it doesn't really say "Book Reviews Here!" to me...have you considered looking for more of a "booksy" feeling BG, to go along with your topic? Just a thought...

Stop by The Coffee Shop anytime and update us on your progress! And Cheers for a great site!Am LURKING you now (as I'm morally prohibited from doing the "F" thing!)

Cordially, (If Not Entirely Sober!)
MsBurb

Honorary Blogger Help Forum Coffee Shop Hostess-In-Chief &
High Chief Mucky Muck of

Burb's Buck & Buntline Inn (B3) http://burbsbuckandbuntlineinn.blogspot.com/

2nd Official Tate-LaBianca Murders Blog (TLB2) http://2ndofficialtate-labiancamurdersblog.blogspot.com/

Marie McCulloch said...

i love mitch albom, he's so easy to read. One More Day - is equally wonderful.

p.s. love you blog kaitle.

Kaitlyn Devin and Grace said...

thank you for all of your comments and suggestions. i take everything into account! thank you for book ideas, and as always, remember if you want to be a guest reviewer, just send an e-mail my way: k8thebookbuff@yahoo.com

B.J. Thompson said...

Sounds like a DEFINITE read!

BTW, LOVE the new BG, far more in keeping with your booksy blog!

Cheers!

Cordially,
MsBurb

Burb's Buck & Buntline Inn (B3) http://burbsbuckandbuntlineinn.blogspot.com/

2nd Official Tate-LaBianca Murders Blog (TLB2) http://2ndofficialtate-labiancamurdersblog.blogspot.com/

Pennie said...

I like your blog - and I loved this book! I found your blog because you reviewed by book on link referral. :) Thanks for doing that, btw!

Cerebral Unpublished Guy said...

I had mixed feelings about this book, which I received as a gift. I thought that it would be too sentimental for my excessivley cerebral view of the world. I was right, but I did find parts of it too be touching, despite my qualms about all that feeling stuff.

Unknown said...

I totally agree with this post! I love Mitch's books and this one was no exception! Great review!

http://acozyreaderscorner.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I liked your blog specially I liked the fact that you have written about different genres. I am into classics and loved reading the reviews of classics.I also read 'Pride and Prejudice'. I always used to think that women writers are less interesting than male ones but I was wrong and enjoyed reading Jane Austen.'Pride and Prejudice is no doubt one of the greatest love story.
Enjoyed reading your blog and thanks for welcoming me.
Maria.

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