Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the read
Review: I was wary of the book at the outset due to the fact that heaven-views rarely line up with the only authority on heaven. I felt that Albom's take was more like a drawn-out Twilight Zone episode. I kept expecting Rod Serling to appear and explain this story. If you want a better clue as to what heaven may be like, try John Eldredge's "Waking the Dead."
Rating: 
Summary: A Comfort and a Joy
Review: The time when I became familiar with this book has, unfortunately, been a time of premature losses for me, and I give a great deal of credit to Mr. Albom's book for helping to sustain me through such dark times. Obviously we cannot know, while we remain on earth, what the ultimate destination will be like, but I would very much like to hope that it is indeed an answer, a state where we can come to fully understand the *why* of our lives. You do not have to adhere to any particular religion to read this book, but I do recommend that readers be spiritual in some way--otherwise, it may be much more difficult to be truly moved by The Five People You Meet in Heaven.One of the nicest touches Mr. Albom puts in this story is choosing a very "ordinary" man to be his main character. As he so wonderfully illustrates, many of the people who make a real difference in our lives are unsung heros. They are people we may not even recognize as we go about our lives, but their impact is tremendous. Eddie himself is, to countless many, one of these, and others have been to him. This book, as well as being an idea of Heaven, also becomes a tribute to the everyday, unsung hero. We would be nowhere without the Eddies of this world. There are too many enlightening and comforting passages to ever hope to name them all, but I'll highlight one of the best here. This is probably the one that's been the most helpful to me in dealing with recent losses: "Lost love is still love...It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food our tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it. Life has to end...Love doesn't." Be prepared for things to be revealed in a fractured, often out-of-sequence manner where things don't always make sense until the end. This is, in fact, how we remember our own lives: in pieces, not always able to see the subtle interconnections that give them meaning and purpose. Heaven, according to this tale, is the lifting of that veil, a place where the gaps are filled in and the total picture becomes clear. This is a Heaven I would very much like for my lost loved ones to experience, and one I'd also love to have waiting for me when my time comes. But The Five People You Meet in Heaven is not just a daydream about what will someday be--these are also wonderful lessons and comforts that we can apply to our lives, here, now. Take it from me...this is worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Educates by Making You Think
Review: Mitch Albom's 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven' is a small book, but good things do come in small packages. It is a straightforward and enjoyable story that educates by making you think about life (rather then TELLING you about life). I loved it just as much as anything else I've been recommended. It holds its own with 'Secret Life of Bees', 'Time Traveler's Wife' and 'My Fractured Life.' It's the kind of book you can read in a day and go to bed happy when you're done.
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: This was an easy read, and yet had such an impact that even weeks later I am still thinking about it. I have recommended this book to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: All I can say is that this was a very enjoyable, well written, imaginative book. I normally prefer non-fiction and although this book takes you on a journey from heaven to earth, I did not find it to be "far fetched" or "ridiculous". As another reviewer said, you will probably be crying in the end (another sign of a good book), but it made me feel good and as soon as I finished it, I immediately offered it to my husband, mother and friend, knowing that they would love it too. It is fast moving and quick to read. The only problem is that I finished it in one day, and now I have to go buy another book. Get this one - you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: just a great story
Review: This book followed Eddie, an elderly man who has just died, on his journey through Heaven, where he must learn what his life meant. Mitch Albom's writing is easy to read, and not too flowery. I almost didn't pick this up, because I don't enjoy reading philosophy or any kind of self-help books, and the title sounded like one of those books. It isn't. Albom has written a beautiful story about one man's realization that we affect more people than we can ever know. I gave my copy to my husband, and I will buy another for my father. My only wish was that it was longer!
Rating:
Summary: A Quick Yet Painful Read
Review: I had heard about the subject matter of the book and the premise intrigued me. It was such a creative idea that you meet five people in heaven that tell you about your life and why things happened as they did. Maybe my expectations were too high but I did not enjoy the book. The book jumped around a lot from past to present. Many of the scenarios presented in the past were uninformative and not necessary to the plot or character development. The focus was mostly on the main character, Eddie, and his actual life and not his afterlife. The sections on his afterlife were brief and very disappointing. I was expecting some profound words about life and life's lessons but the author's take on the meaning of Eddie's life was a disappointment. I finished reading the book only out of curiosity as to why others found the book interesting, and in hopes that it would get better. I would not recommend this book for it did not captivate me nor cause me to think.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written and a good read
Review: "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" is an enjoyable quick read that attempts to make sense of the main character's life after he is killed in a tragic amusement park accident. Eddie is the amusement park's maintenance man charged with keeping the rides safe and operational. The novel open's with a countdown of the last fifty minutes that Eddie spends on earth. During this time, Albom introduces scenes that establish Eddie as a gentle giant whose heart has been dampened by a life of trials, tribulations and shortcomings. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that at the core of Eddie's heart is a deep - at times inexpressible - love for his family and friends. After Eddie's death, he is transported to heaven where he meets people whose purpose in heaven is to help him understand his life on earth, "That's what heaven is" explains Eddie's Army Captain who died in combat while attempting to rescue his troops, "You get to make sense of your yesterdays". Each person he meets represents levels of heaven and provides insight to how Eddie's life affected others. In doing so, the novel becomes a compilation of the various concepts of life after death that is popular in modern spiritual beliefs. There is never any mention of a hell and heaven is depicted in terms easily accessible by readers. ". . . heaven can be found in the most unlikely corners. And heaven itself has many steps." "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." This is a good read. Although Albom doesn't offer any new perspectives on the concept of heaven, he does tell a nice story with feel-good dimensions that are always good to reiterate. The writing is clear, well paced and contains some of the most truthful passages I've ever come across in literature - "ALL PARENTS DAMAGE their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely. . . . " and "LOVE, LIKE RAIN, can nourish from above, drenching couples with a soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must be nourished from below. . . ." These are a few of the many well written and truthfully constructed passages throughout the book. "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" will be a God send to some, offering comfort in moments of death and clarity in times of uncertainty. A worthwhile read. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Very good book!
Review: Annotation: "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" is about a man named Eddie. Eddie gets into an accident at Ruby Pier and dies. From there, the Eddie goes through five different people in heaven. Each person has had an impact on Eddie's life, in one way or the other, whether he knew them as family, or didn't know them at all. Each person taught him a different lesson about his life. Author Bio: Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mitch Albom graduated from Brandeis University and later from Columbia University with Masters degrees in Journalism and Business Administration. He is a well-known newspaper columnist for the Detroit Free Press and has received several honors and awards for his writing. Mitch Albom also is a radio personality and television commentator. Evaluation: The title of this book is actually what caught my eye. The title "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" seemed really interesting so I decided to pick it up. This book got me hooked right away. I don't know what it was about it, but once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. My favorite part of the book was reading about the lessons Eddie learns in heaven. It really made me think about my own life. I also liked the way that not all the people Eddie met in heaven were his family and friends, but people he didn't necessarily know or people that may not have even lived in his lifetime, but he was effected by all these people and/or they were effected by him.
Rating:
Summary: I KNOW YOURE SMILE DOWN ON ME FROM HEAVEN
Review: BOTH COMPELLING, REVITING AND UTTERLY CAPTIVATING,ONES INTEREST. I WOULD BE VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN READING MORE, FOR ONE OF TWO REASONS, I,KNOW THERE IS AN AFTERLIFE, IN ACCORDANCE TO THE SPIRITUAL WORD, I OFTEN WONDER, EVEN BEFORE READING ITS EXCERPTS, WHO WOULD ACTUALLY BE WAITING ON ME, WHEN THAT TIME DO COME, TRULY, I KNOW THAT WE ARE GIVEN SECOND CHANCES. THE READING FOR ME WOULD ALREADY SEEM LIKE, THE AUTHOR, MORE OR LESS, PUTS US IN A MINDSET THAT, WE NEED TO TRULY TAKE 2 STEPS BACK AND LOOK AT OUR LIVES, AS IT REALLY IS, AND IN OUR OWN VISUALIZATION OF OURSELVES,,,IT GIVES YOU A MINDSET THAT YOU EACH AND EVERY DAY SHOULD SEE YOURSELF AS IF YOURE "UP" THERE LOOKING "DOWN" ON YOURSELF, JUST AS IF YOURE SMILING DOWN FROM HEAVEN, OR YOU SEE A VISION OF THAT SPECIAL PERSON SMILING DOWN ON YOU, FROM HEAVEN..............PSS.......I KNOW MY MOTHER AND DAD IS SMILE DOWN ON ME FROM HEAVEN.......GOD BLESS.........ITS A FEEL GOOD,FEELING..............
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