The Five People You Meet in Heaven
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?'
Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs.
Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. --Patrick O'Kelley
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1587 Reviews
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 21, 2008 Type: User Review |
What would Morrie think about this garbage?
First of all, I loved Albom's book "Tuesdays with Morrie". This is a truly inspirational book about lesson on life and death and the struggles of an old man suffering from an incurable disease. An excellent read! However, I absolutely hated the...
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 1.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 13, 2008 Type: User Review |
A Fan for Life
This is the mainstream style readers love to read and writers love to achieve. No critique needed. I'll just say I'll buy every single book this author writes from now on. Mr. Albom never disappoints.
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 5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 07, 2008 Type: User Review |
beautifully written and developed
"the five people" is an outstanding book. about 200 pages, it's very easy reading. it tells the story of a man who goes to heaven and meets various people who share with him secrets that had affected him at various times throughout his life....
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 05, 2008 Type: User Review |
Loved this book--very inspirational!
I am so glad I decided to read this book. I was really feeling torn as to whether I wanted to start a book that was known be slightly controversial, because I have a hard time "ditching" a book midway. However, this was a quick-read that proved...
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 4.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 03, 2008 Type: User Review |
ANOTHER GREAT ALBOM BOOK
I really liked this story about 83 year old Eddie who dies saving a girl from a carnival ride and going to heaven meeting 5 people who have changed his life on earth. It is well written and I loved the movie as well. I love this man's book. I also...
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Aug 03, 2008 Type: User Review |
Simply Amazing
This book, is one persons view of what happens after we die. He's not trying to preach like some other people are saying. He is just expressing his opinion, and its very entertaining. The story engrosses you and has many twists you never expect....
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 27, 2008 Type: User Review |
A great book, told in a unique way
This was my first Albom book, but I can't wait to read another book. The story is about Eddie, an Eighty year old man who dies an meets five people who help him understand the life he lived, and how it impacted the world.
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4.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 15, 2008 Type: User Review |
Fantastic Book
I absolutely loved this book. Mitch Albom is a fantastic writer. You will not be able to put this book down. I must read.
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 12, 2008 Type: User Review |
Just Okay.
Kept my attention. Just a little too weird for me. The whole carnival setting & characters I just couldn't relate to.
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 2.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jul 07, 2008 Type: User Review |
Your life is important!
You never know whose life you'll have the ability to change or positively impact by simply "knowing" them. The Five People You Meet In Heaven, weaves a story of how one man impacted the lives of so many people and yet, never realized it until he...
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4.00/5 |
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