I enjoyed this book. It had a great voice, interesting characters and good messages. I liked how each of the 5 people were connected in different ways, some surprise. The style grabs you. I thought it was a good intro to learn more about how this author writes. Spiritual without getting too religious. Witty and charismatic on some levels. Endearing to see how you watch other people live, as well as guess what happens when you die. I will definitely read more from the author.

“In order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did and why you no longer need to feel it.“

The concept, the story, the lessons, and the idea of heaven- what was there not to like? After Khaled Hosseini and Toni Morrison, if there is an author I can read in one sitting, it is Mitch Albom.

The story starts with the last hour of the lead character ‘Eddie’ on earth. And ends with him understanding the life he left behind. As the title suggests, Eddie meets five people up in heaven, and all five of them had an impact on the life he lived. Each one of them carries their own story and a lesson for him.

“That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another.”

That's the beauty of this work of fiction, the entrapment of the lives of 6 different people as if they are all one. The thing I most love about Mitch Albom is his narrating style; there was not even a single dull or slow moment while reading his work. You and your imagination flow as the story moves forward.

I will surely recommend this to everyone. Please read this one; it's a must.

It's a wonderful book. The writing style makes you believe that the author has actually gone through the events he describes.

The story opens early on with an aged maintenance worker at a fairground called Eddie is involved in an accident. When he awakes he finds himself in another realm of consciousness and comes into contact with people throughout his life. Some he has strong connections with and others he met only fleetingly.

Although the title says 'Five people you meet in heaven', I was left feeling the theme of the book was a kind of pre-afterlife. An explanation of how your life touched others before the final judgement is cast on whether you are up/down.

I don't often get teary eyed at books but did at various stages of this, when a gentle explanation was offered to certain turns of fate in his life.

In my opinion this is one of the best books I've ever read! Every time the main character Eddie meets one of his people in heaven, he is taught a lesson about life. Sometimes a lesson on why he exists. And sometimes on how life functions. After each lesson taught the next chapter is always titled: Today is Eddies Birthday. I really like how the paragraphs are structured.

This is just the most awful book I have ever read. I hate this book!

I didn’t read this book when everyone was in love with it, cheering it, championing its readability, its imagination, its magical splendor. Nor did I read it when the inevitable backlash kicked in, when it was accused of being trite, overly sentimental manipulative dreck, one of the worst books to be foisted upon Western literature. The fervor has since died down on both sides and at last this book found its way to me. Which side would I fall on?

Well I must be a sentimentalist, for I just absolutely loved it. I thought it resonated with profound emotion and insight into the human condition. Humans aren’t that complicated, but we sure do have a way of making things so. A life lived is filled to the brim of hurt feelings, misunderstandings, misplaced grudges … we carry the burden of guilt over things we had no control over to begin with. Always, we seem confused by life and our place in it, plagued by pernicious doubts about what we didn’t do, what we failed to try, to say, to give.

Mitch Albom’s version of heaven is a wondrous, engaging concept – without being preachy or overtly recognizable as any particular faith. I appreciated that. If we’re lucky, we all believe in something, and it will be that something that waits for us when our life on this particular plane is through. Who would my five people be, and what they would teach me?

Several passages that I loved:

It is because the human spirit knows, deep down, that all lives intersect. That death doesn’t just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed (48).

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 (57).

The curious naming of the first chapter as "The End" seems peculiar at first, but upon reflection, isn't an ending also a new beginning?

83 year-old Eddie dies in an amusement park accident while trying to save a girl. Upon awakening, he finds himself in Heaven, only to discover that it's not an idyllic Eden but an overlapping re-enactment of life on Earth. Five people, whom Eddie had either remembered, neglected, or forgotten, take turns appearing, leading him to search for his lost time and question the mysteries of life.

The Blue Man: The Meaning of Life
We are all interconnected; you can't separate one life from another, just like the wind and a breeze are closely connected. The world is a vast net, and your every action may be intertwined with others, even if you don't realize it. Something others consider ordinary might seem completely different to you; the same thing can look entirely different from different angles. But within this, everyone plays their part, which reduces 'injustice' in the world. So don't complain about the world's unfairness over small things.

The Captain: Self-Sacrifice
Sacrifice is part of life; it's not something to regret but something worth pursuing. I've heard it said, "When God closes a door, he opens a window." So, when we feel like we've lost something, don't dwell on the pain of loss; look around, and you'll find something even more precious.

Ruby: Forgiveness
Hatred is a double-edged sword; when we hurt others, we also hurt ourselves. If someone has hurt or deceived you, that's not a reason to hate them. Sometimes you only see one side of the story, and that small part angers you. You retaliate, but in the end, you only feel a meaningless sense of satisfaction and are left with resentment for wasting your time and energy on something so pointless. The you with good intentions is no more. Perhaps only forgiveness can bring such relief.

Margaret: Love Never Ends
Life ends, but love doesn't. Everyone must experience the pain of losing a loved one. But we should understand that while they are gone, the beautiful memories they left behind will not disappear. With these memories, their departure is not so sad. In the West, after a person dies, their relatives and friends gather together to recall the details of their life; this should be considered the best way to comfort the deceased's family. Although some people are no longer with us, beautiful memories will always remain.

The Little Girl
I can't describe what she taught Eddie with a single word because she both led Eddie astray and brought him to heaven. In heaven, Eddie healed the little girl's wounds and, in doing so, healed his own guilt-ridden heart. His heart was no longer burdened; he felt incredibly light.

The missions of the five people were completed, and Eddie understood the true meaning of his life. At the same time, I, along with him, understood so much more.

3.6 / 5

بسیار داستان تاثیرگذاری بود.
بخصوص اولین و دومین فردی که ملاقات کرد...و البته پنجمین فرد فقط به خاطر یک جمله اش...وقتی که ادی بهش گفت زندگیش بی معنا و پوچ بوده..ولی اون بهش گفت تو زندگی پرباری داشتی چون کارت برای شاد کردن بچه ها بوده....
حیف که وقتی داستانایی اینچنینی میخونیم تحت تاثیر جو قرار میگیریم. یعنی یه جورایی آدم دلش میخواد زندگیشو بهتر کنه ولی متاسفانه باز توی روزمرگی ها و نادانی هاش اسیر میشه...
جایی از کتاب گفته بود بهشت جاییه که میشینی به حوادث زندگیت و کل روندش فکر میکنی و دلایلش برات روشن میشه....به نظرم این میتونه خودش بدترین نوع شکنجه و جهنم هم باشه.
خیلی جالبه این ایده...5 نفر رو آدم در زمان مرگش ملاقات کنه....در حالت کاملا فانتزی و توهمی(!!!!)برای من کیا میتونن باشن و ایا من جزء اون 5 نفر هستم برای آدمای دیگه!!!!!حالا یه سوال اگه من زودتر از اون 5 نفر بمیرم چی میشه؟؟؟همینجور باید معطل بمونم تا اونا هم بمیرن و بیان برام توضیح بدن!!!!
اگه کتاب هیجان قسمت اول و دوم رو حفظ میکرد قطعا بهش 5 میدادم...ولی به نظرم نفر سوم و چهارمی رو که ملاقات کرد زیاد نکته دار! نبود....نمیدونم چرا منتظر بودم برادرش رو ملاقات کنه یا حتی مادرش رو....

و در آخر اینکه:
به نظرم زیباترین جمله رو سروان میگه:پیش از انکه شروع به کشتن یکدیگر کنیم،ارزویم این بود که ببینم دنیای خالی از جنگ، چگونه دنیایی است.

Listened on audio. Did not enjoy

I appreciate the sentiments of this book, the messages although a little schmaltzy made you stop and think about your own reflections on life, the little differences and the impact you can make that can leave impressions on other people whether your aware of it or not. I wasn’t completely sold on the style of the writing or the overall message, as an agnostic I feel somewhat conflicted about the whole heaven thing so I feel 3 stars is being generous.

What comes after death? What does heaven looks like?

I have a vague idea of heaven, I simply believe that when we pass on-- if there's really a place where our spirits travel, a place where pain does not exist, where we could be reunited with the ones we lost, where we could reminisce the lives we lived and the change we brought to the world. I am not a religious person, I can't even remember the last time I've been to church, but I know there is a God.

This book was very touching. Especially the latter part of the story, I cried so much because I have a very special connection with the fifth person Eddie met and reading the familiar words in their conversations really warmed my heart. I thought about my country and how bad I wanted to come home.

Still a bit emotional so I'll end this here.