It moved even my stony heart.
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I sat reading this book on a long haul flight next to my very senior boss. Despite needing to keep my proffesionalism and composure throughout the flight, I couldn't. Only a handful of books have ever made me cry and I was literally sobbing. So unexpected; it's a simple story, beautifully written and the ending touched my heart.
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maybe it's slightly better. im not sure
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This book was quite inspirational. but the problem with it was, i didnt feel excited enough to go back to it everytime i put it down. So even though it's only a short read, it took me ages to finish it. But saying that, when i did pick it up again to read, i was quite immersed in it. So im not exactly sure why i didnt feel the push to read it in a day or two. so i think if i could, i'd give it 3-1/2 stars.
I thought it was wrtten beautifully, and i liked the actual 5 people Eddie met in heaven. and like another reviewer, i wasn't expecting the 5th one, and that was the more emotional of them all. I thought the ending was beautiful. And it kind of makes you think, or hope, that there's some special people from your life waiting to meet you again.
I enjoyed reading about Eddie's time in the army, i thought it was really well written and i felt for him and the tough times he went through. I'm a big believer in fate and everything happens for a reason and this book is all about that, which i really liked and felt comforted by it. But like i said, im not sure what, but it didnt grip me quite enough. Although i will read it again in the future, and will recommend it to people just for the fact that it leaves you with a lovely, comforted feeling.
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I wish I could meet Mitch Albom's 5 people for me right now!
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A beautiful escapist story, that makes you want to keep reading it.
In some ways it is a simplistic story showing how people can sort out the tangle webs they weave within their own minds with just a little help (perhaps the Californians with their 'shrinks' have got it right after all) but it goes deeper than that, showing how we are all part of the huge fabric of life which we all influence, for good or bad.
Not a difficult read and not one I'd expect on any A-level syllabus but well worth the read nonetheless (well, I did give it 5 stars).
If you're wondering which book to pick up next now that you are all Harry Pottered out, make it this one.
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What a moving little book.
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This was such a lovely, hopeful and thought provoking work of fiction. But here's the thing - a bit of me believes/hopes that it's bordering on fact.
Mitch Albom's 'The Five People You Meet In Heaven' tells the tale of Eddie, the fairground maintainance man and his story begins on his 83rd birthday.......his last day on earth.
To help him put his lifetime into perspective he is met in heaven by 5 people from his past, some he knows - some he doesn't, but they all hold information that will help Eddie make sense of his life and understand what led him to arrive in heaven on the day he did.
The message seems to be that whether we are aware of it or not, everything happens for a reason but more importantly, even trivial things can shape a person and that every encounter, occurance or event is tightly woven into the fabric of our lives.
It is a very quick read, at just over 100 pages, but Mr Albom's writing style seems to pack a lot into those 100 pages. It's not 'gripping' or 'fast paced' but it is a page turner. I read it in one sitting as I couldn't wait to find out who Eddie's 5 people were and what his personal heaven would be.
I don't think I've ever sobbed as much over a book as I did at the bittersweet ending of this one. I didn't see the 5th person coming and was literally moved to tears at their fragment of Eddie's life.
It gets 5 out of 5 from me and I'm so glad I've read it.
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Powerful yet folksy - a great read
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This book couldn't have been set in England - we're too uptight! Like another bestseller 'The bridges of Madison County', it needs its good dose of schmaltz, and that schmaltz helps to make it the powerful little story it is.
The story of Eddie who dies on his 83rd birthday; he saves a little girl from being killed on a fairground ride but perishes himself. Eddie arrives in heaven to find out he will meet five people who were involved with him, who will in turn help him come to terms with his life.
A fascinating concept, particularly because, bar his wife and father, Eddie couldn't have predicted the other people who help him to work out his life once he died, yet were essential to understanding it.
A lovely, life-affirming read.
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