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The Five People You Meet in Heaven


by Mitch Albom

List Price: $12.00
Price: $9.60
You Save: $2.40 (20%)
Available: Usually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank: 7074
Studio: Hyperion
Binding: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 196
Publication Date: April 07, 2003
Publisher: Hyperion


EDITORIAL REVIEWS

Product Description
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

Amazon.com
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



CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 1597 reviews)

What would Morrie think about this garbage?  
First of all, I loved Albom's book "Tuesdays with Morrie". This is a truly inspirational book about lesson on life and death and the struggles of an old man suffering from an incurable disease. An excellent read! However, I absolutely hated the other book "Five People you Meet in Heaven". I thought it would be a great sequel from the same author and purchased it. I got mislead by the many wonderful reviews from others. Big mistake!!! This book truly sucks!! It is distressing, depressing and downright scary beyond imagination. I cannot imagine "heaven" to be a miserable place where you get to relive all the mishaps and bad fortunes of your life. Neither can I imagine that after dying, you have to experience and relive your own decay and sufferings. How come you have to endure a lot more of the same earthly crap in "heaven" after dying? Why did Albom's character, Eddie, have to get continued punishment in "heaven" after having lived a miserable life on earth??? How can some reviewers find that fact inspirational? How can that help you to understand your shortcomings on earth? How can all the extra suffering in the afterlife help you to make sense of your previous life? I had nightmares for several days after reading the book. If that is what awaits us in (Albom's) "heaven", I'd rather stay here!. Fortunately, nobody knows what the afterlife is like. I'm not a religious person, but I imagine or hope, that the after life is a more soothing place. A more confortable place where the newcomers are welcome in compassion and unconditional love for what they ARE (or were), regardless of what they DID or HAD. Not a gigantic courthouse where you get sacked or punished (like in Albom's proposal), but a place where you can find serenity and peace, at last! Yes, this review contains spoilers. Read the book and get to your own conclusions. If you decide not to read it afterall, congratulations! You just saved a buck on a peace of junk.
August 21, 2008

A Fan for Life  
This is the mainstream style readers love to read and writers love to achieve. No critique needed. I'll just say I'll buy every single book this author writes from now on. Mr. Albom never disappoints.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is genius. Jealousy and professional criticism aside, the readers needs to decide for themselves.

I did, and I loved it.

Wolfe

August 13, 2008

beautifully written and developed  
"the five people" is an outstanding book. about 200 pages, it's very easy reading. it tells the story of a man who goes to heaven and meets various people who share with him secrets that had affected him at various times throughout his life. this book is brilliantly developed. it is highly recommended!!!
August 07, 2008

Loved this book--very inspirational!  
I am so glad I decided to read this book. I was really feeling torn as to whether I wanted to start a book that was known be slightly controversial, because I have a hard time "ditching" a book midway. However, this was a quick-read that proved to be more inspirational than entertaining. It was, however, exciting to attempt to predict who Eddie's "next person" in Heaven was. (Not so predictable, it turned out!) I will mention that while I am a Christian woman, you do not need to be a Christian to relate to this book. It simply describes the "pre-heaven" state that Eddie goes to directly after his death where he meets 5 different people that explain to him how their lives were connected and explain different aspects of his life that he didn't understand before. It really is interesting and really makes you think. There are more than a few phrases and paragraphs from the book that I think will stay with me forever :)
August 05, 2008

ANOTHER GREAT ALBOM BOOK  
I really liked this story about 83 year old Eddie who dies saving a girl from a carnival ride and going to heaven meeting 5 people who have changed his life on earth. It is well written and I loved the movie as well. I love this man's book. I also read Tuesdays with Morrie (twice), and loved it. I can't wait to get For One More Day written by him as well.
August 03, 2008


SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
by Mitch Albom

For One More Day
by Mitch Albom

The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Directed by Lloyd Kramer
Starring Jon Voight, Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Daniels, Dagmara Dominczyk, Steven Grayhm
Lions Gate

Tuesdays with Morrie
Directed by Mick Jackson
Starring Jack Lemmon, Hank Azaria, Wendy Moniz, Caroline Aaron, Bonnie Bartlett
Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Morrie: In His Own Words
by Morrie Schwartz
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