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Available
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Publication
Hachette Books (2003), Edition: 1, 208 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him, as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?".
Media reviews
''The Five People You Meet in Heaven'' can be reduced to a string of.. reassuring verities and a list of who Eddie's five people turn out to be... But that would do an injustice to a book with the genuine power to stir and comfort its readers.
Subjects
Awards
Soaring Eagle Book Award (Nominee — 2006)
Audie Award (Finalist — 2007)
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2008)
Waterstones top 25 books of the last 25 years (No 16 — 2007)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
Charming but lightweight, with a simplistic, Christian left philosophy. The characters Albom creates are nicely drawn out, but overall, it leaves you feeling like you had dessert without any lunch, and leaves you feeling slightly sticky from all the heartwarming syrup.
LibraryThing member fiverivers
It has been some time since I've been so deeply and profoundly moved by a novel, indeed moved to a shattered state and uncontrolled weeping. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is not only a subtle, deftly crafted novel that deals with the ambiguities and silent secrets ordinary people carry with
The story follows a relatively simple narrative, employing a relatively simple style. No flash and dazzle here. But it is in the deception of simplicity that Mitch Albom creates the complexities in which humans chain themselves.
We follow the life of Eddie, an aged maintenance man at an amusement park, who believes himself trapped by his wartime disabilities, and by his inability to confront his father. The story begins, as Albom puts it, at the end, in this case the end of Eddie's life.
What unfolds is a story of redemption and discovery, and in the end of reconciliation and peace. It is a very human story. Any lover, any friend, any child and any parent will find common cause in this story, will nod, will identify.
I found the following passage deeply moving:
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 into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.
I believe The Five People You Meet in Heaven will remain on the shelves of classic literature for generations to come.
Highly recommended.
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them, like burdens or crutches, but a clear insight into motivation, cause and effect.The story follows a relatively simple narrative, employing a relatively simple style. No flash and dazzle here. But it is in the deception of simplicity that Mitch Albom creates the complexities in which humans chain themselves.
We follow the life of Eddie, an aged maintenance man at an amusement park, who believes himself trapped by his wartime disabilities, and by his inability to confront his father. The story begins, as Albom puts it, at the end, in this case the end of Eddie's life.
What unfolds is a story of redemption and discovery, and in the end of reconciliation and peace. It is a very human story. Any lover, any friend, any child and any parent will find common cause in this story, will nod, will identify.
I found the following passage deeply moving:
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 into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.
I believe The Five People You Meet in Heaven will remain on the shelves of classic literature for generations to come.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member lovethelibrary
Outstanding, Poignant and touching
LibraryThing member Clurb
I'll admit that this is a nice idea but the whole thing was just far too sacharine sweet for me. It was overdone and unconvincing.
LibraryThing member SimoneA
The idea of having one's life explained after death is quite interesting, though maybe a bit too spiritual for me. However, the book didn't make a big impression on me, but was a nice quick read.
LibraryThing member Laura_Frederick
I absolutely loved this book! While some people may describe it as boring, I thought it was simple and to the point yet still possessed more then enough detail to experience the book itself in your mind. I found this story to be touching and heart warming along with displaying the various phases
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and emotions one experiences through the many stages of a death. Although I would not recommend this book to anyone who needs constant action, I found it to be a lovely read. It reminds me of times when I sit down and listen to my grandparents talk about their childhoods or earlier years. Show Less
LibraryThing member AgneJakubauskaite
MAIN IDEA:
In "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," Mitch Albom offers a unique and comforting image of heaven. Heaven is the place where you are the happiest, thus it is different for every individual. But before you reach your heaven, you must meet five people, each of whom teach you a different
MY THOUGHTS:
"The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom is a truly inspirational story which makes you ponder upon the purpose of life and reminds what really matters. I loved the idea of purposeful heaven as much as I loved the main character Eddie's life story. This novel is exceptionally well written: the narrative is very entertaining but there is so much depth! I even highlighted a handful of quotes, something I never did before.
In "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," Mitch Albom offers a unique and comforting image of heaven. Heaven is the place where you are the happiest, thus it is different for every individual. But before you reach your heaven, you must meet five people, each of whom teach you a different
Show More
lesson. This step is a crucial part of heaven experience because each of the five people help you understand the purpose of your life and finally make peace with the past.MY THOUGHTS:
"The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom is a truly inspirational story which makes you ponder upon the purpose of life and reminds what really matters. I loved the idea of purposeful heaven as much as I loved the main character Eddie's life story. This novel is exceptionally well written: the narrative is very entertaining but there is so much depth! I even highlighted a handful of quotes, something I never did before.
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LibraryThing member Desiree9
The Five People you meet in Heaven is a wonderful book about a man named Eddie(a retired world war 2 veteran) whos life revolves around fixing the carnival rides at Ruby Pier.
The book starts off with Eddies death at the age of eighty-three, who dies trying to save a young girl from being hit by a
The story continues with flash backs of Eddies life in heaven
and with the five people he meets there. The five people he meets all have a story to tell and help him to understand his life on earth. He learns that in life there are no random acts and all lives are interconnected, and many things that happen
in life just arent fair.
The book starts off with Eddies death at the age of eighty-three, who dies trying to save a young girl from being hit by a
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falling cart from Freddy's Free fall(a popular carnival ride).The story continues with flash backs of Eddies life in heaven
and with the five people he meets there. The five people he meets all have a story to tell and help him to understand his life on earth. He learns that in life there are no random acts and all lives are interconnected, and many things that happen
in life just arent fair.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mantooth
On my list to read for some time and after I finally got to it I couldn't figure out what all the hype was about.
LibraryThing member cuozzo41085
This book was really wierd. It was hard to relate to and it got pretty boring.
LibraryThing member jolerie
The amusement park at Ruby Pier has been home to Eddie for as long as he can remember. It was home to his father before him and following in the family tradition, Eddie becomes the head maintenance man in charge of ensuring the safety and up-keeping of the rides. A freak accident that occurs on the
Death usually leaves us with more questions than answers. Death may seem final, absolute and yet The Five People You Meet in Heaven offers an alternate explanation in that what may seem to be the end of life may actually be the beginning of understanding that our stories are only part of a bigger picture. The message in the book is one of hope - hope that death is not the final chapter, that redemption is found in our ability to acknowledge and accept truth which the eye may not see, but with faith, the heart may hopefully one day learn.
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same day as Eddie's 83rd birthday sets him on a soul searching journey in heaven where he encounters five different people - people whose purpose is to illuminate and answer some of the questions that have plagued him for most of his life. Death usually leaves us with more questions than answers. Death may seem final, absolute and yet The Five People You Meet in Heaven offers an alternate explanation in that what may seem to be the end of life may actually be the beginning of understanding that our stories are only part of a bigger picture. The message in the book is one of hope - hope that death is not the final chapter, that redemption is found in our ability to acknowledge and accept truth which the eye may not see, but with faith, the heart may hopefully one day learn.
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LibraryThing member jfe16
War veteran Eddie believes he’s lived a meaningless life, accomplishing nothing as he’s spent his days working as a maintenance man on the amusement park pier. He’s disillusioned, bitter, lonely, and filled with regret.
On his eighty-third birthday, Eddie dies in a tragic accident at the
When he awakens in the afterlife, Eddie finds that heaven is a place for explaining his earthly life. Five people who were significant in changing the path of his life are waiting for their opportunity to explain everything to him.
Eddie’s story builds to a stunning conclusion as he comes to learn that these five people view his earthly life far differently than he does. They challenge Eddie’s evaluation of his own life, of everything he believed he understood about his life and the people who filled it. Will Eddie find that his life was a success? Or is he doomed to be the failure he believed his life to be?
This memorable story is as heart-wrenching as it is affirming, a story to be treasured, a story to read and then to read again. It’s a story to share with those searching for answers to the meaning of their lives. It’s wisdom and eloquence and hope. It’s pure magic. Put this one on your must-read list. You’ll find yourself reaching for it again and again.
Highly recommended.
On his eighty-third birthday, Eddie dies in a tragic accident at the
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amusement park. He’d tried to save a little girl from a falling cart. When he awakens in the afterlife, Eddie finds that heaven is a place for explaining his earthly life. Five people who were significant in changing the path of his life are waiting for their opportunity to explain everything to him.
Eddie’s story builds to a stunning conclusion as he comes to learn that these five people view his earthly life far differently than he does. They challenge Eddie’s evaluation of his own life, of everything he believed he understood about his life and the people who filled it. Will Eddie find that his life was a success? Or is he doomed to be the failure he believed his life to be?
This memorable story is as heart-wrenching as it is affirming, a story to be treasured, a story to read and then to read again. It’s a story to share with those searching for answers to the meaning of their lives. It’s wisdom and eloquence and hope. It’s pure magic. Put this one on your must-read list. You’ll find yourself reaching for it again and again.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member nursejane
Whereas Tuesdays with Morrie quite literally changed my life, Five People left me kind of cold. Granted, Tuesdays with Morrie is tough to outdo, but I think even if this weren't "A Mitch Albom" novel I would still feel pretty meh about it.
I'm afraid that in delving into fiction Albom has exposed
It's a short book and I think worth a read, but may be best to delve into with lowish expectations.
I'm afraid that in delving into fiction Albom has exposed
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his weaknesses. His thesis is quite lovely and creative in and of itself, but his execution of it is rather lacking in this department, often yielding cliched vignettes and stale dialogue. On the other hand, a few key passages and characters in this story do deliver - Albom's writing is occasionally vivid and inviting. It's a short book and I think worth a read, but may be best to delve into with lowish expectations.
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LibraryThing member mjayne
So difficult to characterize, yet one of those books that just make you pause and think about the ways we are all interconnected and realize that our lives have deeper meanings and impacts than we sometimes ever understand.One of those quick reads I had to finish in one sitting.
LibraryThing member wang.1142
The Five People You Meet in Heaven is an excellent book that presents a new and interesting way of what heaven what could be like. However, I do not think it was the author's intention to really propose that in Heaven you will meet five people who you have impacted. The main message of the novel is
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more complicated than this. Even though it has a somber beginning with the heroic, yet tragic death of an old man who works at the carnival, the ending is satisfying. The people that Eddie (the main character meets) all have valuable information that answers many of the questions that Eddie had throughout his life. I almost wished that this indeed is what Heaven is about: finding out all the answers to the puzzles and questions I've had about my life but could never find out. This novel is poignant and worthwhile to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member siafl
Some good conclusions, but a bit too much "plotting" and a bit too little "writing".
I thought the book started with all the possibilities of turning into one fantastic read. At the end I was mildly bored by it. Eventually I didn't feel that the story earned its ending. The fact that this all
And the writing to me was bland. Hard to put a label on the style when all I feel is that it lacks one.
The epilogue is great though.
I thought the book started with all the possibilities of turning into one fantastic read. At the end I was mildly bored by it. Eventually I didn't feel that the story earned its ending. The fact that this all
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evolved around an amusement park to me was a great idea, but I didn't think the author managed to take full advantage of it.And the writing to me was bland. Hard to put a label on the style when all I feel is that it lacks one.
The epilogue is great though.
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LibraryThing member buckeyeaholic
Excellent book. Really got me thinking about the things I have done/said/not done/not said in my life.
LibraryThing member Mrs.Stansbury
While simply written this book explores what heaven might be like. Albom's protagonist Eddie, dies and then begins a journey through heaven meeting five people who touched his life in extraordinary ways. I cried through many of these touching encounters between Eddie and each of his five people.
Don't read this book with an expectation of literary greatness; read this book with the expectation that a simple story with few words and tight descriptions can and does touch your heart. Perhaps you too will feel that mercy and compassion are traits the world needs in abundance.
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But my tears were not of sadness but of profound mercy shown and exchanged between Eddie and each person. I walked away from the book with a sense of hope for mankind (which often disappoints in daily encounters) and joy thinking on life's possibilities. Don't read this book with an expectation of literary greatness; read this book with the expectation that a simple story with few words and tight descriptions can and does touch your heart. Perhaps you too will feel that mercy and compassion are traits the world needs in abundance.
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LibraryThing member varwenea
A fine tale, effectively told, in few words.
This little book is surprisingly heart-tugging. Maybe my bar was low and my mood was even lower, so I was easily moved. :-) But this tale of the tired, 83-yrs old yet still working through his painful war injuries, ‘Maintenance Eddie’, made me cringe
The story unfolded with Eddie’s final hours, his death, at which time the main stories begins. The five people that he meets in heaven – the first four each bestows a lesson upon him, and finally the fifth explains the purpose of his life. This last aspect is God’s gift to those who enter Heaven. Giving meaning to the life you’ve lived, however good or bad you may have thought it was. It’s a powerful concept – to have meaning in one’s life.
The writing style is straightforward, clearly marking between past and present, as we learn the key events of Eddie’s life, primarily through his birthdays. Based on the subject, the reader pays attention to the people he meets, the life he lived, feeling for clues to who the 5 people may be and what they may say to him. If you agree with the lessons, it’s a satisfying book.
Some Quotes, and I am omitting the lessons, of course:
On Living and Dying:
“… Birth and death are part of a whole. It is why we are drawn to babies… And to funerals.”
On War:
“Young men go to war. Sometimes because they have to, sometimes because they want to. Always, they feel they are supposed to. This comes from the sad, layered stories of life, which over the centuries have seen courage confused with picking up arms, and cowardice confused with laying them down.”
And
“He learned that sometimes you are sitting next to a buddy in a dugout, whispering about how hungry you are, and the next instant there is a small whoosh and the buddy slumps over and his hunger is no longer an issue.”
On Parents – This ding near broke my heart in half, thinking about someone I know:
“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 into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.”
On Love:
“People say they ‘find’ love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man and woman. What people find then is a certain love. And Eddie found a certain love with Marguerite, a grateful love, a deep but quiet love, one that he knew, above all else, was irreplaceable. Once she’d gone, he’d let the days go stale. He put his heart to sleep.”
This little book is surprisingly heart-tugging. Maybe my bar was low and my mood was even lower, so I was easily moved. :-) But this tale of the tired, 83-yrs old yet still working through his painful war injuries, ‘Maintenance Eddie’, made me cringe
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and smile, expecting the worst and best of circumstances. And the book met both. Predictable? I wouldn’t say. Surprising? I wouldn’t say either. The story unfolded with Eddie’s final hours, his death, at which time the main stories begins. The five people that he meets in heaven – the first four each bestows a lesson upon him, and finally the fifth explains the purpose of his life. This last aspect is God’s gift to those who enter Heaven. Giving meaning to the life you’ve lived, however good or bad you may have thought it was. It’s a powerful concept – to have meaning in one’s life.
The writing style is straightforward, clearly marking between past and present, as we learn the key events of Eddie’s life, primarily through his birthdays. Based on the subject, the reader pays attention to the people he meets, the life he lived, feeling for clues to who the 5 people may be and what they may say to him. If you agree with the lessons, it’s a satisfying book.
Some Quotes, and I am omitting the lessons, of course:
On Living and Dying:
“… Birth and death are part of a whole. It is why we are drawn to babies… And to funerals.”
On War:
“Young men go to war. Sometimes because they have to, sometimes because they want to. Always, they feel they are supposed to. This comes from the sad, layered stories of life, which over the centuries have seen courage confused with picking up arms, and cowardice confused with laying them down.”
And
“He learned that sometimes you are sitting next to a buddy in a dugout, whispering about how hungry you are, and the next instant there is a small whoosh and the buddy slumps over and his hunger is no longer an issue.”
On Parents – This ding near broke my heart in half, thinking about someone I know:
“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 into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.”
On Love:
“People say they ‘find’ love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man and woman. What people find then is a certain love. And Eddie found a certain love with Marguerite, a grateful love, a deep but quiet love, one that he knew, above all else, was irreplaceable. Once she’d gone, he’d let the days go stale. He put his heart to sleep.”
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LibraryThing member Eily
Garbage really – it takes us through the life of a carnival mechanic who dies trying to save a child from a faulty rollercoaster ride. Up in heaven (a very strange place with jump-cuts like in the movies) he meets the five people whose lives he changed and who changed him. Forgettable,
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sentimental rubbish. Show Less
LibraryThing member elliehughes
This book is sad, and cute, but very cheesy. Mitch Albom succeeded in making a book children will love, religious people will love, and sentimental people will love. I, however, did not love this book. I don't regret reading it - it only took about an hour and a half, so you might as well- but I
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don't think it really taught me anything or made me take something from it that I didn't already have. And, to me, that's the point of a book. The whole idea of this novel is far fetched to me, the idea of heaven is hard to contemplate. But, the take on the afterlife was interesting, and definitely unique. Meeting, after death, the people that made your life. In this book, we meet the 5 people that made Eddie's life what it was. Not the 5 people he loved the most or knew the best, but the 5 people that, even though he didn't know it, made his life play out how it did. A good concept, but too unbelievable for my appreciation. Show Less
LibraryThing member lisa211
This is a novel about 83 year old man named Eddie, the head of maintenance at Ruby Point Amusement Park. The story begins at the ends where the chapter started just hours before Eddie upcoming death. When death came unexpectedly, Eddie finds himself in an older version of the amusement park, except
The book is an easy read. I found myself striding through the pages as I read through, drawn in the paragraphs. The plots are pretty simple but insightful. The characters are written in such as way that you feel like you are interacting with them. In the end the story did strikes me as a memorable read and I would recommends it to anybody.
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it was empty and he couldn’t talk. There he meets his “First Person”, The Blue Man, where he tells him the story of his own death and his connection to Eddie. Then, he meets his, Captain from the war he was in as his “Second Person”, Ruby the person whose was the reason why the park was name for as his “Third”, his dead wife as his “fourth” and then there’s the little girl as his final one. At each encounter, the author recounts the events that happened in Eddie’s birthdays, his ups and downs. The author managed to weave the point out that everyone are connected and affects everybody else.The book is an easy read. I found myself striding through the pages as I read through, drawn in the paragraphs. The plots are pretty simple but insightful. The characters are written in such as way that you feel like you are interacting with them. In the end the story did strikes me as a memorable read and I would recommends it to anybody.
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LibraryThing member Unishta
Most of us live our lives wondering why things happen the way they happen. Mitch Album connects the dots in Eddie's ordinary life in the most amazing way - connecting him with the people who changed his life on earth - in heaven! Even for those who do not believe in the afterlife, this wonderful
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story will probably change one's perspective. Simply written, at times cheesy, the concept of synchronicity is very well illustrated in this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member wendyrey
I was a third of the way in and realised I was getting sucked into soppiness. A saccharine book not worth wasting a brain cell on.
LibraryThing member zweven
I read this over 5 nights, wanting to pause after the story of each person that he 'met' in heaven. For me, each story was thought provoking, and it brings into focus that everyone has their own perspective of the same event. It's stories like this that makes my world less black and white, more
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grey. Highly recommend. Show Less
ISBN
9780786868711