The Five People You Meet in Heaven

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Summary: not so good for me
Review: I think the story is too simple and didn't satisfy my expectations.

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Summary: The 5 People is a thought provoking view of life and heaven
Review: The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a great book. Albom hits a homerun, it is touching, poignant, and thought provoking, the next logical step after Tuesdays with Morrie. Both Albom's uncle "the real Eddie" and Morrie would be proud of this work. Albom's writing skills are superb as Eddie flows from one scene to the next flawlessly making for a quick yet very enjoyable read.
In the end the reader feels at once happy for, and sorry for Eddie, as he learns the meaning of his life and the part Ruby Pier played in that story. It is a gripping story, destine to become a favorite with book clubs and casual readers. I would highly recommend reading it to anyone searching for meaning in his or her life.
This would be the perfect book for a cross-country plane trip.

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Summary: Great sequel to "Tuesdays with Morrie"
Review: "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" is a great sequel to "Tuesdays With Morrie" Mitch Albom is very creative and did a wonderful job explaining his thoughts on what happens after you die. This book is the only one that has ever made me laugh and cry at the same time! There are many lessons that I have learned from this book, and shall always remember. One is to understand sacrafices and why they are made. Eddie's sacrafice was his leg instead of his life. I also learned that everything happens for a reason. Mitch Albom is an inspiring writer who has touched and changed lives to many readers around the world. Another Mitch albom book that I recommend you to read is "Tuesdays with Morrie" which is about death and the meaning of life. I can hardly wait for Mitch's next bestseller to come out!

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Summary: What happens when we die
Review: This is a book I really couldn't put down. I felt Eddie's pain, I wanted him to be happy, I cared for him - I went thought his life with him , purely due to the eloquent and vibrant literary prowess of the author. It is a (dare I use the word) whimsical journey we all as human beings who love, who hurt, who get afraid, can share and relate. A treasure I will read again and again.

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Summary: An enjoyable fable
Review: This book is simply yet beautifully written. It is a fable that Mitch Albom heard from his uncle, who I suppose is now deceased since there was a photo of him next to an 80th birthday cake in the bake, dedicating the book to him. It is about a man named Eddie who works at a small amusement park. He has a hurt leg from the war (I suppose either the Vietnam war or the Korean War although it is not stated, but there are clues that say it was with Asian people), and he now works as a management technical person. He dies when one of the rides malfunctions and he pushes a little girl out of the way as the cart fell on him. The book has many flashbacks about the regrets of his life and then he meets five different people in heaven (not famous people as I had expected before reading the book, but people from his personal life). They tell him why certain things happened in life, such as injuries and the deaths of people, and he comes to understand his life on earth in heaven. He finally is able to forgive others and himself. It is a beautiful book about treasuring others and understanding that no happenings are random.

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Summary: Sharing Life's Lessons
Review: Upon recommendation at a Bookstore, I got this for a read and find it's about Sharing Life's Lessons. Three stories told about the same person 'Eddie' and in last, rying to save a girl, Eddie meets with an accident and dies. The author follows him to heaven where he meets five people of his life who had been waiting for him in heaven. Each one of them is a stranger yet they have in some way played a role in Eddie's life. The true meaning of life and the mystery of living is identified as they share the secrets, share the life's experiences. Mitch Albom has a great preaching sort of tale as each soul reveal the wisdom ways of living. Why am I here, What is the reason of living and all these puzzling questions meet the answers in Albom's meeting the five men in Heaven! People get lost in cultural obsessions and life drifts away with the mystery unfurled and the author has insightful thoughts on Living and Sharing the Life's lessons. Nice Book n a Nice Read.

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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.

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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.