Review: The Five People You Meet in Heaven

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Mitch Albom

Hard to Classify

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, but an answer. 

In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others 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?"

Don't ask about the purple. I felt like it.

I'm having difficulty putting my thoughts into words on this one. It just IS. It defys opinions. It's pure storytelling, with no problems or special features. It's just a story, Eddie's story. And eventually all of ours.

The plotline is original and fascinating- an idea of heaven that's very different from the various religions' views of it. It kind of gives you hope - that one day, you'll understand. It shows you the difference you made on others' lives, and them on yours. 

I liked the writing more in this book than in Tuesdays with Morrie (link to my review). I think it has to do with the quotation things he did in the above. What can I say, it really bothered me. Or maybe it's the fact that this is a work of fiction, as opposed to the former which is a memoir. Either way, The Five People You Meet in Heaven reads quickly, and touched more heartstrings for me.  It really made for a beautiful read, good for all ages. 

Rating:

Have a great back-to-school, everyone!

Love, 

Esty

Review: Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuesday's with Morrie
Mitch Albom
Inspirational memoir

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly 20 years ago. Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you? Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Morrie visited Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final class: lessons in how to live. This is a chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.

So this book is in every bookstore's recommended shelf and probably discussed in every book club. My grandmother gave this one to me and one of my best friends loved it, so I was really looking forward to reading Tuesdays with Morrie.

I'll be honest- I was kinda disappointed.

Maybe it was because I was raised on these life lessons since birth, maybe because I read a lot, but the novel didn't strike a cord with me. After every big revelation I was like, well, duh. The things were a bit cliche- well-known defects in American culture. (That's another thing. Not living in North America helps when it comes to perspective on world issues and life in general.) Also, being religious, I already knew and understood some ideas that Morrie brought up.

However, there were some aspects I liked.

The story- Mitch goes from starving-musician-on-the-streets-of-NY-who-hopes-to-be-a-star to rich-journalist-who-spends-his-life-trying-to-make-more-money-with-a-job-he-doesn't-even-like. Sound familiar? I would hazard to guess that was the humble beginning of many a businessman. I thought it was nice to see that narrative after the fact- as in, the story isn't about Morrie counseling the poor confused young adult against this course. After it all, student and teacher reunite and talk about mistakes made and what forward. Not a typical plotline (it's real life! As stated above, Tuesdays with Morrie is a memoir) at all- no epic romance or medical miracle.

The POV- the author does not put his own words in quote- just Morrie's. I'm not sure how to explain this to you, just flip through the book and see for yourself. Anyway, it emphasizes Morrie and minimizes Mitch, which I think was the desired effect.

Rating: 3.5 stars