Rating: 
Summary: Cliched and unimaginative
Review: A friend gave me this book as a gift and several people recommended I read it seeing that they thought it was the best book they have ever read. I guess it does have some appeal if you are looking for a fuzzy feel-good read on a rainy Sunday afternoon, but if you are looking for depth, do look elsewhere. The organization of the story, going back and forth between the main protagonist's experiences in "heaven" and episodic flashbacks to his life before death would make for an interesting read, had the "lessons" that are - apparently - to be learnt in heaven not already been trodden out by other new-agey novels of questionable value or daytime shows on Lifetime. Derivative and tedious.
Rating:
Summary: Worst Book I've Ever Read
Review: I always finish what I start. With that said, I TRIED to make myself finish this book but it was so poorly written that I refused to torchure myself further.
Rating: 
Summary: The Five People You Meet In Heaven
Review: I for one loved this book! I see that it has not received the highest recommendations from other readers and I am surprised at that. This book really makes you see how so many people affect the course of your life, whether they are alive, or passed away years before you were even born. Some people just set the path that your life will follow, whether that is good or bad it is up for you to see.
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Summary: Short and sweet
Review: Part Dickens' "Christmas Carol," part "It's a Wonderful Life" with the style of Albom's former work--"Tuesdays's with Morrie," this book is short, easy to read, and sweet. The writing and pacing are enjoyable and there's nothing too stressful here. Also would recommend a book titled "Bark of the Dogwood" by Jackson McCrae. While it's more complicated and lengthy, it does deal with that "Six Degree of Separation" theme that so many books seem to take on nowadays. Highly recommended.
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Summary: So what if it's corny -- such if life
Review: There's nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of easy-down soup, and that's what we get in Mitch Albom's parable about a man finding that his life mattered. Soup inspires whimsical thoughts, this book can get you thinking about THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU (might) MEET IN HEAVEN, and what they might have to show you. A starker and darker read is Peter Hillary's IN THE GHOST COUNTRY, about Hillary's descent into a death-state as he journeys to the South Pole. In a lonely but visison-filled hell, he meets the ghosts of his dead friends who show him more than his mind can stand. Oh, and IN THE GHOST COUNTRY is a true story. Like, wow.
Rating: 
Summary: Disapointed
Review: When I bought this book, I was expecting one of those heart wrenching inspirational books, but I was very disapointed. This book is written as though it's for jouveniles.
Rating:
Summary: Me too...
Review: I have to agree with almost everything in the last review - if this is heaven, I'll stay here. I was very disappointed with this book. I didn't finish it feeling uplifted but rather blah. The only reason I can think of for the books' popularity is the success of the authors' first book. Go rent the movie "Always" instead - that will get you crying and soaring at the same time!
Rating: 
Summary: You must read this tiny book
Review: This is one of the best books I have read for a long time. When I picked it up in the store, I immediately knew I would like this book and it turned out to be one of those you "Can't lay down." It is a page-turner for sure. It is much like Dickens "A Christmas Carol" in theme but much easier to read and not nearly as long. I think they should make a movie of this novel. It is full of profound sentences and thoughts like "children are pristine glass and parents leave their prints on that glass. Some are only smudges, some are slighly cracked and some are broken beyond repair." It has so many nuggets like this one, I will have to re-read it several times to get the full benefit. Please do youself a favor and read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written, enjoyable story
Review: I hope there is more to look forward to in heaven than meeting five people who will try to explain the significance of my life. This is the experience of Eddie, the 83-year old widower who dies and goes to heaven in the Five People You Meet in Heaven. At the time of his death, Eddie is a "squat, white-haired old man, with a short neck, a barrel chest, thick forearms, and a faded army tattoo on his right shoulder." Albom introduces us to Eddie and informs the reader that he is about to die. Eddie is in charge of maintenance at the Ruby Pier amusement park. He spends his days, as he has spent most of his adult life since coming home injured from World War II, making sure the rides run safely for the many visitors to the park. After a brief countdown of events in the beginning of the book, Eddie is killed by a broken ride after rescuing a little girl from certain death. We then learn about Eddie from three separate narratives. One is the story of Eddie in heaven meeting the five people God has chosen to help him understand his life. Interspersed throughout these scenes are flashbacks to several of Eddie's birthdays during his life that reveal his interactions with family and friends. Albom also takes us to events from Eddie's life that are associated with the five people he meets. Meanwhile, we see the events that follow Eddie's death at the amusement park. The first person Eddie meets in heaven describes the roles of the five people he will meet, "Each of us was in your life for a reason. You may not have known the reason at the time, and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth."
In helping the reader understand Eddie's life on earth, Albom presents a spiritual story but avoids religious or theological issues. This story centers on the afterlife and on relationships we develop during the course of our lives. The condensed message of the story is that each person's life matters, even when one is ignorant of his or her impact on others. Eddie views his life as having been wasted and of little significance to anyone. What he learns in heaven is the opposite. During his life, he suffered several tragedies that have caused him to overlook the contributions he was making to those around him. He looks at his war experience as having been particularly detrimental to the rest of his life. In heaven, his Captain from World War II and a little girl show him the truth about what happened in the jungle of the Philippines during the war. Albom succeeds in writing an entertaining, imaginative narrative that provides a positive, inspiring message. The message, however, lacks spiritual insight and is narrow. It fails to address many of the issues that a story about heaven causes to arise. For example, God plays only a distant role in Eddie's experience in heaven, and Albom does not address good and evil. His version of heaven is pure fantasy. The five people Eddie meets challenge him to accept his life and himself so that he might enjoy peace and contentment in heaven. I think most readers will find the Five People You Meet in Heaven entertaining and thought provoking but will gain little insight from it. The story should be read as what it is--an imaginative, enjoyable fable based on the author's fantasy rather than on any theology about heaven.
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Summary: The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Review: I had heard what a wonderful book this was, but after reading it, I began to think that this is one of those books that people feel obligated to like when really there isn't much there. I definitely wanted to like this book much more than I did, I enjoyed Tuesdays with Morrie, also by Mitch Albom, and I liked the idea of heaven being an exploration of our interconnectedness and an answer to the question "Why am I here?" but it was not the life-altering experience for me that I've heard about from other people...Things I did like about the book (in addition to it being a quick read) was that I learned some things about myself, not so much because the book told me things about myself, more so because it did inspire me to self reflect, but then again, I think that is what books are supposed to do. I also liked that the story showed a portrait of a man who hated what his life had become, but in the end (through the mentors he meets in heaven) finds out that he wasn't as worthless as he believed he was.
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