Book - The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
This is a fun little book. I like to think of it as the perfect read for when you are travelling.
I picked up at an airport in Florida and read the entire book in the space of the 3 hour flight. In fact, it was so well timed that I had scarcely closed the back cover when the seatbelt light came on in preparation for my landing in Toronto.
The book features an 83 year old protaganist. Hardly the sort of main character I would normal relate to.
Eddie had worked for years at maintenance at Ruby Pier Amusement Park insuring the rides were safe for patrons. He did his job meticulously and everyone kind of knew Eddie, but he wasn't really close to anyone. Children seem to like him but even Eddie when he became an octogenarian reflecting back on his life felt he achieved zero. Eddie recently died trying to save a little girl. Then the book really begins.
Eddie regains consciousness in heaven where five people, one at a time, show him the positive impact of his life on others. Though his deeds may seem small, Eddie begins to understand that humanity consists of a vast series of interconnecting networks that mesh the lives of everyone.
Each of the five people have 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. With each meeting he relives in part that time of his life, but now the gaps are filled in.
I think the book connected well with me because of several of my own beliefs, such as: it's the little things that sometimes have the biggest impact on people's lives, there is a reason for your existance if you choose to find it, and you can learn something from everyone.
A story like this can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and some readers may feel that this one does in moments. 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 tales like It's A Wonderful Life.
Perhaps one of the most profound thoughts in the book is that death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed lives are changed.
Eddie is human and likable for his foibles, fears and faults. The writing is often lyrical and fable-like. While the book is intended to be a deep commentary and thought provoking, I personally found it most enjoyable as just a relaxing read.
I recommend it to anyone looking to curl up with a good book for a few hours.
I picked up at an airport in Florida and read the entire book in the space of the 3 hour flight. In fact, it was so well timed that I had scarcely closed the back cover when the seatbelt light came on in preparation for my landing in Toronto.
The book features an 83 year old protaganist. Hardly the sort of main character I would normal relate to.
Eddie had worked for years at maintenance at Ruby Pier Amusement Park insuring the rides were safe for patrons. He did his job meticulously and everyone kind of knew Eddie, but he wasn't really close to anyone. Children seem to like him but even Eddie when he became an octogenarian reflecting back on his life felt he achieved zero. Eddie recently died trying to save a little girl. Then the book really begins.
Eddie regains consciousness in heaven where five people, one at a time, show him the positive impact of his life on others. Though his deeds may seem small, Eddie begins to understand that humanity consists of a vast series of interconnecting networks that mesh the lives of everyone.
Each of the five people have 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. With each meeting he relives in part that time of his life, but now the gaps are filled in.
I think the book connected well with me because of several of my own beliefs, such as: it's the little things that sometimes have the biggest impact on people's lives, there is a reason for your existance if you choose to find it, and you can learn something from everyone.
A story like this can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and some readers may feel that this one does in moments. 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 tales like It's A Wonderful Life.
Perhaps one of the most profound thoughts in the book is that death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed lives are changed.
Eddie is human and likable for his foibles, fears and faults. The writing is often lyrical and fable-like. While the book is intended to be a deep commentary and thought provoking, I personally found it most enjoyable as just a relaxing read.
I recommend it to anyone looking to curl up with a good book for a few hours.
posted by Blue | 7:16 PM
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