Oddly enough – I was slightly disappointed when I read this book. I read Mitch Albom’s other famous book Tuesday’s with Morrie first, and absolutely loved it. When I read this story, it just wasn’t as good. It was certainly thought provoking. The twists and turns as you read are unexpected and intriguing. The book explains one view of what heaven might be like, and how we might come to see our life differently from another person’s point of view. Five different points of view actually – from five people who can explain a moment or part of our life in a way we had never thought before. Four of the people’s stories made sense to me, but my problem was with the third person – Ruby.
The story starts with Eddie’s death – then his journey with 5 people to explain the meaning of moments in his life. When Albom writes the chapter about Ruby, he decides to throw in the story of Eddie’s Dad. But Ruby never met Eddie’s dad, and having both these stories tied together in the same chapter was a bit of a stretch. For me it didn’t work – he should have either omitted one of the stories, or called the book instead “The SIX People You Meet in Heaven.”
My other problem was that it’s a little too simple. 5 people – and that’s all you really need to learn about your life before you set up your own version of heaven.
Yes the story is fascinating. The characters are well described, and the writing makes you want to keep reading – you’ll easily finish the book in a day or two because you’ll want to finish it.
But it’s not as “AMAZING” or life changing as people had said. I may be slightly biased having just read Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol. I think that story does a much better job, with three spirits, of taking a man through his life and showing him things he had forgotten or never realized.
SO – my advice: Read “The Five People,” then read “Tuesdays with Morrie,” and then read “A Christmas Carol”
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