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| The Five People You Meet in Heaven | 
 enlarge | Author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Hyperion
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $0.01
You Save: $19.94 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (1615 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1305
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 198
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0786868716
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780786868711
ASIN: 0786868716
Publication Date: September 2003
Release Date: September 23, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Plot 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?" Personal Details Collection Status In Collection Index 10 Read It Yes Links Amazon US Product Details LoC Classification PS3601.L335F59 2003 Dewey 813/.6
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: Read 1610 more reviews...
 Fantastic book, matches my personal philosophy December 2, 2008
This book is not preachy don't worry, that was my biggest fear in initially reading it. It turns out that it is a good story with insight into a concept of life that of connections that is really interesting
Sappy emotionalism but difficult to put down November 25, 2008
Despite myself I could not put it down. It is the message of the holiday favorite, It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition). Only this telling delves deeper into many philosophical questions concerning life. It follows a man who has died and must pass through 5 people (as everybody does in heaven) who explain the meaning to his life. What seemed pointless and a waste to him is revealed to be poetic justice with rich meaning. Yes, it is sappy and emotional. But the story is gripping and the writing style is an enjoyable and rich telling. An emotional but worthwhile tale in lovely pros. Very well done.
 Reads like a bad children's book November 24, 2008
It has the feeling of a children's book with lame lessons, except that children's books are more interesting and have better characters.
 movie is better November 24, 2008
Overall, I loved the plot of this book. Whether you're religious or not, it really makes you think. Unfortunately, I found the movie to be far better than the book, which is something I normally never ever say. But, the way Mitch Albom writes really bothered me. I can't put my finger on it just yet, but I really didn't enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the movie.
 Book vs. Movie November 23, 2008
I saw the film starring Jon Voight and was inspired to buy the book, assuming that the book would probably be better. I was surprised at how short the book was considering the length & intensity of the film. The book is basically short & sweet, and written more like a creative short story. I felt it didn't "pack-the-punch". For me, the message it bears is best expressed visually. I was happy to find out that the story is not quite as the title implies- such as the cliche meet Saint So & So at the"Pearly Gates". As a Buddhist, I found it more in line with eastern thought and how we are all connected. My advise... buy the film for content, buy the book as a momento.
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