Reviews - The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Albom. Mitch ( 2004 ) Paperback

6.93k reviews for:

The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Albom. Mitch ( 2004 ) Paperback

Mitch Albom, Mitch Albom

3.88 AVERAGE

mellowreads's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

safiyyakhan's review against another edition

5.0

Life-altering. It is a testament to the writing just how important the messages were and the powerful reminder that everything you do is connected. Well worth a read.

juliejoann's review against another edition

4.5

hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sylviapsyoplath's review against another edition

5.0

emotional sad

troyjdavidson's review against another edition

3.5

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I’ve put off adding a review to ‘The Five People You Meet in Heaven’ as once I finished it, I tend to reflect and then know how I feel. But about a month or so later, I’m still conflicted. I’m unsure if it’s cause I didn’t sit down with a physical copy of this book, opting instead for an audiobook while I walked to and from work but something just didn’t connect for me.
The story itself is a beautiful reflective one which when starting, Eddie is a walled off character who is so set in his ways and after passing away; goes on a journey which leads the reader through his life, what made him the man we first meet and allows him to reflect on his and others impact while alive. Eddie is a character that I personally learned to love, seeing he wasn’t a cold man but rather one who had experienced so much love and yet so much hurt that he learned to protect himself. This book isn’t one that you just read, it’s one you map against your own life and reflect on the relationship (present & past) you have and how ultimately they impact you. I think this will be due a re-read at some point to fully understand and appreciate the text. For now, I have to give this 3.5 stars.

katleana's review against another edition

4.5

emotional reflective fast-paced

ed_moore's review against another edition

5.0

emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

“Life has to end, love doesn’t”

This book made me feel so many emotions. It follows Eddie after he is killed by a falling rollercoaster car in an attempt to save a young girl sat beneath it, and his interactions with five people in liminal spaces of heaven, each of which teach him moral lessons and help him understand his life and why it played out as it did. It was so beautifully written and hit me in the feels in so many places, I sobbed twice for completely different reasons in the course of two of the closing chapters. Albom presents such a beautiful interpretation of heaven which is so wholesome and healing, and pioneers the value of the small elements in life and all those you interact with during it that shape it, both loved ones and strangers.

This book especially hit hard as it felt in places like it was talking to me. This was partially down to the protagonist being called Eddie, and therefore he being referred to as Edward during the speaking of the five peoples moral lessons as they directly explain things to the protagonist. This combined with the chapter about Eddie’s father felt so raw and directed it was a disembodying but also very intimate reading experience.

Though the plot has the freedom to do whatever it was, and therefore does in a nonsensical way in places, Albom crafts it together so well and though entirely speculative it feels so real. It was so beautifully written, so raw, so relatable, a rare five star and absolutely my best book of the year so far.