Rating: 
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.
Rating:
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.
Rating:
Summary: OK, it's creative
Review: But that's really about all it is. Depressing, emotionally empty, self imposed guilt is what the main character, Eddy tries to come to terms with. But in Eddy's heaven, there are five strange people. That's all. Five people (one of whom is blue, one is a very angry GI from World War 2) who serve only to reinforce Eddy's emptiness until all of a sudden, Eddy finds 'satisfaction' in knowing that his meaningless life had meaning to someone else. And the meaning Eddy found was totally focused on the past-the life he just left. So the underlying point of the book subtly implies that the point of heaven is to put relevance to our lives here. In otherwords, Heaven is nothing more than an extended session to try to find meaning to this life. Sorry folks, if you can't find meaning or purpose of life on earth, you ain't going to find it in Heaven either. I found out, from the Very Reliable Source, that the purpose of life here on Earth is to put the perspective on the meaningfulness of Heaven. This book just reminds me of how so often we want to put Heaven on our own terms.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ!!!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I too could not put it down as I started reading it. To the reader who only gave it one star, they need to relax. Sure, people know that their lives are changed by other people, far off occourences etc. But, this story was about a man who didn't know that, who felt he contributed to nothing in his life. Only after meeting his five people does he realize that is not the case. Again I suggest that this is a book worth reading. It's very engaging and a quick read. Happy reading.
Rating:
Summary: reserve an afternoon
Review: This book has to have been one of the best I've read in years. I started reading it early one Sunday afternoon, and after the first three chapeters, I knew I would not be able to do anything else until I was done. Everyone I know who has read it had the same experience. I have since spent much time contemplating the meaning to my life and who I have effected, and contrary to some reviews, I have not idea who I will meet there. I will give this book as a present to everyone I know.
Rating:
Summary: Not to be missed!
Review: After the magnificent Tuesdays with Morrie, which was based on the true story of his meetings with his old professor who was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, Albom writes this book, a fable about life. It's not a big book, you can read it in less than two hours. But it's time well spent. The story concerns Eddie, an 83 year old amusement park worker. As the book begins, Eddie has about an hour to live. Within a chapter or so, Eddie dies and begins a journey meeting five people who tell him what his life was truly about. They point out that we're all connected, that strangers are really family that we haven't met yet. These five people don't seem connected at all to each other. But they each represent important parts of Eddie's life and they help him discover the things that are important to him, and to each of us. Who cares if he died virtually penniless and that he spent his life doing a job he really didn't want to do? The book talks about looking on the bright side and realizing that we are all here for a reason, and making a lot of money isn't one of those reasons. For example, Eddie and his wife did not have children, but Eddie helped so many little children throughout his life by providing them a safe place to ride and giving them animals made out of pipe cleaners to delight them. There are many twists and turns in this book, but they're all enlightening and wonderful. Albom's writing style is excellent, the words literally flow off the page. The words have stayed with me also, as they helped me reexamine the important things in my life. The really important things. True, this is a fable. But it's also one heck of a great story. A Great Book. I must also agree with the reviewer who recommended THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez. These two are my recent favorite Amazon picks.
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