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The Five People You Meet in Heaven | | Author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Hyperion
Category: Book
New (273) Used (3185) Collectible (87) from $0.01
Rating:  1687 reviews
Sales Rank: 2313
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 198
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 1920798218
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781920798215
ASIN: 0786868716
Publication Date: September 2003
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Product Description
Outline Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at
Amazon.com Review
Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs. Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. --Patrick O'Kelley
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1687
 Not worth the paper it's printed on - buy something else - you can thank me later! September 1, 2010
Dan Panetti (Plano, TX USA)
I was thinking this was going to be a bad book, and it was. Not only was the book filled with very bad theology, it was very poorly written. The word that just kept popping in my head was contrived. The author loves to tell stories and I love a good story - but Five People wasn't a good story. The other issue that really bothered me with this book was the author's completely idiotic view of heaven - what an incredible waste of eternity! I think Albom is one of those people who just love their own work - his description of heaven changing colors...from blue to green to cotton candy...and on and on and on. It's like listening to that guy who just loves the sound of his own voice!
Plus, the resolution that Albom's main character Eddie - the one who dies and goes to heaven to meet his five people - was ridiculous at best. His typical "now that you understand, it makes everything alright concept" was awful - especially the part when Eddie learns about his father. The classic "abandoned son of a bad father" is supposed to understand why his dad was such a loser - but Albom doesn't even accomplish that. Eddie's dad was a bad father - plain and simple. I just feel bad for Eddie spending his eternity in this multi-colored heaven still being separated from his father and having no closure to his life. I would suggest that a person spend their time reading a book that is preparing them for heaven like NT Wright's Justification or RC Spoul's Faith Alone instead of reading Albom's worthless story about Eddie and his miserable life that continues forever!
Cannot understand why this book is a best-seller August 30, 2010
Discerning Reader
We all tend to look at reviews before selecting a new book to read. It is not easy to understand why The Five People You Meet in Heaven has supposedly been so popular.
I tried very hard, although it is a relatively short book, I just could not get into it. I did groan and persevere in finishing it but just could not understand its appeal. It is badly written. There is a lot of repetition. It is not easy to see why these five people have been selected. It would have perhaps been more meaningful if each character selected had some symbolic significance.
Looking at some four and five star reviews, one wonders whether the book so appealing to many because it is so simple. But then there are many great works of literature about ordinary people, but they are much more deeply written and give you an idea of everyone's interconnectedness written in a much better literary style.
Because of its supposed appeal this book has been even published in large print- a shame as I can think so many other titles that people with sight problems would find much more worthwhile.
As expected August 29, 2010
Beth
I appreciate having the opportunity to purchase a used copy of "The five people you meet in heaven" by Mitch Albom. There was a little wear on the cover, but the pages were in good shape and it was certainly fine for a high school freshman to use in class.
Thank you.
Pretty Good August 24, 2010
Barbara Kent (New York)
Interestingly, I like this book more than Tuesdays with Morrie. As I stated in that review, I enjoy Mitch Albom's style - concise, clear and not overly elaborative. I found the story quite creative and was quite absorbed in the story, wanting to meet each of the character's that Eddie meets in heaven. It was interesting how Albom intersected the characters. However, as with Tuesdays with Morrie, I thought the book was overall good but not at all in the Great -- Must Read category. Yet it was a NY Times Best Seller so I guess there are many who would disagree.
I would read future books by this author.
Barbara Kent, author Success in the Words of the Masters
 Fluff August 6, 2010
Tsehay (Bda)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In terms of having writing skill (I'm talking delivery), Albom is pretty good. I enjoyed the beginning of the book leading up to the main character's death. It intrigued me to read through him going about his day with only a half hour left to live...just going about his daily mundane activities with no clue that he was down to his last few moments. It struck me because it isn't something people usually think about and Albom did a good job at capturing that. With that captivating opening I really thought I was in for some great big philosophical, mind-boggling, insightful and intellectually stimulating journey into the 'unknown'.
However, after the character died the book turned into pure fluff! At one point I realized I was only reading the book out of curiosity to see who the five people were and nothing other than that. To his credit I did appreciate the message that we're all interconnected in some way. Others will certainly find this book to be beautiful and touching. For that kind of reading audience I'd say Albom truly delivered. Too new age-ish and fluff for my liking though.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1687
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