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Summary: A new outlook from a new book
Review: Riveting and profound, this novel, Five People You Meet in Heaven, can make even the shallowest minds experience a sententious shift. Written by Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie, would lead one to expect yet another sentimental heart-wrencher that would leave the reader with tears in their eyes. But rather, this book leaves you with a new feeling, one which conveys a great review on one's own life between each turning page.We are brought to relation with out main character, Eddie, a bereaved war veteran who works the rides at a local amusement part. Eddie, once young, happy, and chipper, has slowly lost his spirit through his passing years. As time slips by, he loses his spirit, stamina, and youth, as we all do. He now works alone checking the running equipment on the rides at a fun park. He is 83 and has a barrel chest and a torso as squat as a soup can, nevertheless, children love him, and he discreetly loves them in return. He stays at the park all day, just doing his job, and in between, he listens to the aging world around him. We meet Eddie, fifty minutes before his unsuspecting death, as he is checking the gears on a ride. Tragedy strikes and our timeworn and unacknowledged hero sacrifices his own life in a desperate attempt to save a little girl on the ride. We face Eddie's tragic final moments, his funeral, and his friends as they move on with their lives, and yet, Eddie moves on with his as well. We are there as Eddie passes into heaven, where he meets five people that were a part of his life. Some he knew well, others were strangers, and yet each and every one of them was affected by Eddie one way or another. Piece by piece, Eddie's life begins to come together in a whole new understanding. Powerful and fast paced, you will understand both Eddie's life, and a little of your own with this simple, yet beautifully written novel. It's not packed with meticulous details, and yet it is to the point and never slows. I recommend it to anyone looking for a new thought on life in an un-preachy way. For teens and up, Eddie's story will be stuck in your head for years to come. And after those many years, you will indeed be compelled to read this book again. After reading this book, I have found both entertainment and meaning in our protagonist's journey through the afterlife. It has compelled me to wonder whose lives I may have changed, and if I will ever meet five people who will help me to understand life and put my heart at ease. This is a fabulous and well written novel that is a must-read for all of humankind.
Rating: 
Summary: The Five People You Meet In Heaven- must read!
Review: "Why am I here?" Eddie, the head maintenance worker at Ruby Point Amusement Park asked himself over and over again.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a book you won't want to put down! The book starts out at the end of Eddie's life and continues as the author counts down Eddie's last few minutes on Earth.
Although Eddie seemed like an ordinary man with an ordinary job, when reviewing his life we come to realize that it was anything but ordinary! Along his adventure, Eddie meets five people in heaven who have contributed to his life in many ways. Many of these people were complete strangers, but in one way or another they were connected to him. The main purpose of the five people that Eddie meets in heaven is to teach him about his life. Each person teaches one lesson, many of which turn out to be very surprising!
The main characters in The Five People You Meet in Heaven are extremely memorable. They have distinctive qualities and faults that many people will be able to relate to.
What I found so interesting about the book is how Albom starts in the beginning with the first chapter titled "The End", explaining the end of Eddie's life. He then alternates times of Eddie's life throughout the book from when he was young, to when he died at an old age and went to heaven. Although the book contains a handful of slow parts, most of it is a fast read! The author uses descriptive words to bring you into the story and you feel like you're actually in the scene with the characters.
This book is inspirational and wonderful for people ages 12 and up... I strongly recommend it!
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Summary: You Owe It To Yourself To Buy This Book
Review: It still amazes me that a book this short is still one of the two books (the other being 'The Life Of Pi') that has had such a huge impact on my life. After a bitter old man dies in a roller coaster accident at an amusemant park where he works, he is sent to meet five people that affected his life in some way or another, whether he knew it or not. There is suspense, closure, solutions, and love at each visit, along with the realization that no life is a wasted life. With an uplifting and happy ending, this book has would be a great read for anyone that respects literature or for anyone who needs closure in their life to any problem they might have. Do yourself a favor and read this excellent novel.
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Summary: Definitely Worth Your Time
Review: The story of Eddie, an aging machinist at a seaside amusement park, his life, his loves, and his frustrations, "The Five People you Meet in Heaven" reminds us once again that it is not always what we do consciously that affects people the most, but that merely by living we affect the lives of more people than we could ever be aware of. In Mitch Albom's follow-up to his bestselling "Tuesdays with Morrie", Albom uses the fable form to drive this message home, with mixed results.
I think that more so than any of his previous work, "The Five People you Meet in Heaven" is probably going to prove to be Mitch Albom's most divisive book. Almost everyone I have spoken to was favorably impressed by "Tuesdays with Morrie" - some loved it, some felt it was "good for a first attempt", and others felt it was "a bit overrated, but not bad." Those same people have a much broader set of reactions to "The Five People...". One felt that it was opportunistic garbage, designed solely to make money. Another was "disappointed" and expected more. And so it goes. From like to hate, and everything in-between is represented in peoples' reaction to this book. As for myself, I thought it was a better book than "Morrie"; I read it in one sitting (admittedly not a difficult feat) and I did indeed cry when I reached the end. Eddie is by far one of the most believable fictional characters I have met in recent years, and his reactions to the events chronicled in the book are very human. If the basic messages that Albom is trying to get across seem preachy or simplistic, ask yourself when was the last time you took time to consider any of them personally? Coming up with grand new truths to share is a wonderful thing, but the ability to focus our attention on things which are simple, yet forgotten can at times be even more meaningful. If I had one critique to make about this book it would be that I think Albom erred in placing the first person before the fifth person. It seems that a great deal of the first person's message was lost (or its impact lessened, in any event) once we meet the fifth and reconsider what has been revealed in that new light. As a shock ending the fifth person works well (I know I was expecting something completely different) but it brings up all sorts of questions which remain unanswered. Which, I guess, is part of the point. Whether you have five people or fifty, there are always going to be questions unanswered. That's life. Pick up this book! Another Amazon quick pick I'd like to recommend is THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez, an strange but wonderful little novel that moved me.
Rating: 
Summary: So Disappointed--germainehawkins.com
Review: It was one of the most disappointing books I have read in a long time. I am a christian which obviously means I believe in heaven and was looking forward to a book that would allow me the opportunity to ponder my affect on the lives of others and the greater meaning of my life. However, I found the book hard to follow, not well written, and did not provide and form of a reality check for me. I waited for a climatic moment with each person that he met in heaven and each passed with a disappointing conclusion. I have not read Tuesdays with Morrie and will never read another book by Mitch Albom.
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Summary: Equal to "Morrie"
Review: Like most people, I first became aquainted with Mitch Albom via TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE. Loved the book--loved the movie. And what a great thing it is that Albom is not a one book author, for he's given us another great read--THE FIVE PEOPLE. As always, his books are inspiritational and complete, and parts of THE FIVE PEOPLE have the ring of truth, the way some other classics do. My only problem with this book is that I keep giving my current copy away to friends and have to keep buying another one--at least it's good for sales! Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
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Summary: Poignantly, touchingly, and sentimentally great!
Review: The book tells a beautifully scripted story of an old man named Eddie who meets his demise at an amusement park and subsequently ascends the stairway to heaven. There he is met by five people.
1. Adolph Hitler
2. Hannibal Lecter
3. Frankenstein
4. His also deceased twin brother, Larry
5. Satan
Each one having a profound effect on Eddie and the way he views his previous, tangible existance. Satan and Frankenstein show Eddie all the misdeeds of his mortal life and, just when it seems like all is lost, Hannibal and Hitler open up a time portal and send Eddie back into Earthly Existance so he can make up for his past misdoings. But, Hannibal and Hitler make a grave mistake and send Larry, not Eddie back to the land of the living. Comedy ensues as Larry has a tough time pulling off being his twin brother! Do you think Eddie's girlfriend can tell the difference?
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Summary: It didn't just open my eyes... it opened my heart & mind
Review: Amazing. This book is incredibly well-written and well-thought out. I finished it in a 4 hour sitting, as I just could not put it down. Being a 20 year old female, who has often questioned life since my mother died 12 years ago, this put a lot of things in perspective. It showed me the importance of living, that I DO matter and that I DO effect others on a day to day basis. I learned that forgiving is okae, people die for a reason, that the most simple task may have a huge outcome, etc. etc. I suggest anyone who has ever questioned their existance, to read this book. It'll give you a new insight on this thing we like to call life.
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Summary: The New Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Review: Hallmark greeting card sentiments litter this book, posing as philosophical profundities. Why would anyone want to believe that heaven exists as some kind of therapeutic analysis meant to explain your earthly existence. What is the point? You're dead already! Albom fuses a little Buddhist Karma philsophy with Jewish mysticism to create this banal concept of heaven. I sure hope I don't end up there!
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Summary: Best Book I Read In Weeks
Review: I just read this book and I just loved it because I thought it was so good the way Eddie was just so helpful to other people even though he thought he was another "meaningless existence". Instead, he was like a hero when he goes to heaven and meets five people. I just couldn't stop reading The Five People You Meet In Heaven and I look forward to the next sequel so that we can learn about what the magic trolls do to him when he is returned to earth as the Sultan of Islamabad.
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