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All We Know of Heaven
Riveting, compassionate and psychologically nuanced…utterly gripping.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “All We Know of Heaven keeps the reader wanting more.”— Teen Talk “Give this to readers…they’ll relish the specifics and be caught by the tabloid drama.”—ALA Booklist “A riveting tale of despair and joy that feels remarkably true to life.” — Teen Reads In a single moment on a dark and icy road, the life of two lifelong best friends is changed forever. Brutally injured, Maureen and Bridget are rushed to the hospital to try to save their lives. One dies. One survives. But which is which? All We Know of Heaven is more than a tale of tragedy and its aftermath. One girl, two families, a grieving boyfriend, and a whole town must come to grips with the fallout of a terrible event and a terrible mistake and find a way to treasure what survives — the bonds of friendship and love that are stronger than death. Like Dylan Scott and Vi Keeland's Left Behind, New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard's All We Know of Heaven has readers on the edge of their seats wondering, did they bury the wrong girl?
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2008
55 people are currently reading
1563 people want to read
About the author
Jacquelyn Mitchard
80 books1,229 followersJacquelyn Mitchard’s first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was named by USA Today as one of the ten most influential books of the past 25 years – second only to the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (but second by a long shot, it must be said.)
The Deep End of the Ocean was chosen as the first novel in the book club made famous by the TV host Oprah Winfrey, and transformed into a feature film produced by and starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Most of Mitchard’s novels have been greater or lesser bestsellers – and include The Most Wanted, A Theory of Relativity, Twelve Times Blessed, The Breakdown Lane, The Good Son, and Cage of Stars. Critics have praised them for their authentic humanity and command of story. Readers identify because they see reflected, in her characters – however extreme their circumstances – emotions they already understand.
Mitchard also has written four novels for young adults.
The first, Now You See Her, from HarperTeen, is the story of a pampered, driven young actress who fakes her own abduction.
All We Know of Heaven told the story of lifetime best friends Bridget and Maureen, who are just sixteen when a fatal crash on an icy road and a poignant case of mistaken identity divide their small Minnesota town forever.
The Midnight Twins was the first in a trilogy of teen mysteries about identical twin sisters born on New Year’s Eve – one a minute before and a minute after midnight – Meredith and Mallory Brynn learn on the night they turn thirteen that their psychic abilities will force them to intervene in dire events, although one twin can see only the future and one can see only the past. The Midnight Twins is in development as a TV series by Kaleidoscope Entertainment.
Mitchard's newest novel for adult, A Very Inconvenient Scandal, out in November 2023 from Mira/HarperCollins, is the story of an acclaimed young underwater photographer whose famed marine biologist father shatters their family by marrying her best friend., a woman 35 years his junior.
At the local coffee shop, Mitchard is best-known as the mother of Rob, Dan, Marty, Francie, Mia, Will and Atticus , as the grandma of Hank and Diana and the wife of handsome Chris Brent.
Her favorite color is periwinkle blue; her favorite holiday is Halloween; her favorite flower is freesia; her favorite word is "smite," and her second favorite is "Massachusetts"; her lucky number is 119 (anyone who can guess where that comes from wins free first editions of her novels for life). She lives in her favorite place on earth, Cape Cod, summering in a villa on the Amalfi Coast. (Guess which part of that sentence is fiction.)
Her essays have appeared in publications including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune Magazine and Reader's Digest, and are widely anthologized and used in school curricula. She has taught in MFA programs in Vermont, Ohio, and Massachusetts, and is part of the faculty at the Summer Writers Institute at Yale University. She is a member of the Tall Poppies Writers and has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Ragdale Foundation.
Her pet peeves are known authors and editors who cannot and will not learn the difference between “lie” and “lay” and family signs pluralized with apostrophes.
She would love to appear on just ONE episode of any incarnation of ‘Law and Order,’ as has everyone else in America. She still is willing to play the role of a murder victim – except one found by earth-moving equipment in a landfill – though she would do that in a pinch.
Mitchard would like to have a swimming pool, because, although she lives near the ocean, she is afraid of the dark water and hates sand. She would love to have a clawfoot tub, or any tub.
She believes that stories are the ways that human beings make sense of life and that our stories will save us.
The Deep End of the Ocean was chosen as the first novel in the book club made famous by the TV host Oprah Winfrey, and transformed into a feature film produced by and starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Most of Mitchard’s novels have been greater or lesser bestsellers – and include The Most Wanted, A Theory of Relativity, Twelve Times Blessed, The Breakdown Lane, The Good Son, and Cage of Stars. Critics have praised them for their authentic humanity and command of story. Readers identify because they see reflected, in her characters – however extreme their circumstances – emotions they already understand.
Mitchard also has written four novels for young adults.
The first, Now You See Her, from HarperTeen, is the story of a pampered, driven young actress who fakes her own abduction.
All We Know of Heaven told the story of lifetime best friends Bridget and Maureen, who are just sixteen when a fatal crash on an icy road and a poignant case of mistaken identity divide their small Minnesota town forever.
The Midnight Twins was the first in a trilogy of teen mysteries about identical twin sisters born on New Year’s Eve – one a minute before and a minute after midnight – Meredith and Mallory Brynn learn on the night they turn thirteen that their psychic abilities will force them to intervene in dire events, although one twin can see only the future and one can see only the past. The Midnight Twins is in development as a TV series by Kaleidoscope Entertainment.
Mitchard's newest novel for adult, A Very Inconvenient Scandal, out in November 2023 from Mira/HarperCollins, is the story of an acclaimed young underwater photographer whose famed marine biologist father shatters their family by marrying her best friend., a woman 35 years his junior.
At the local coffee shop, Mitchard is best-known as the mother of Rob, Dan, Marty, Francie, Mia, Will and Atticus , as the grandma of Hank and Diana and the wife of handsome Chris Brent.
Her favorite color is periwinkle blue; her favorite holiday is Halloween; her favorite flower is freesia; her favorite word is "smite," and her second favorite is "Massachusetts"; her lucky number is 119 (anyone who can guess where that comes from wins free first editions of her novels for life). She lives in her favorite place on earth, Cape Cod, summering in a villa on the Amalfi Coast. (Guess which part of that sentence is fiction.)
Her essays have appeared in publications including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune Magazine and Reader's Digest, and are widely anthologized and used in school curricula. She has taught in MFA programs in Vermont, Ohio, and Massachusetts, and is part of the faculty at the Summer Writers Institute at Yale University. She is a member of the Tall Poppies Writers and has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Ragdale Foundation.
Her pet peeves are known authors and editors who cannot and will not learn the difference between “lie” and “lay” and family signs pluralized with apostrophes.
She would love to appear on just ONE episode of any incarnation of ‘Law and Order,’ as has everyone else in America. She still is willing to play the role of a murder victim – except one found by earth-moving equipment in a landfill – though she would do that in a pinch.
Mitchard would like to have a swimming pool, because, although she lives near the ocean, she is afraid of the dark water and hates sand. She would love to have a clawfoot tub, or any tub.
She believes that stories are the ways that human beings make sense of life and that our stories will save us.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 231 reviews
March 29, 2015
Loved the premise, but the book failed to amuse me. As a lot of reviews say, the first part of the book was interesting: We learn about the accident and the aftermath and we feel truly sorry (and happy) for the families. BUT... after that, it went downhill. Maureen's recovery was far from believable, Danny and Maureen's relationship was ugh/meh/omgno!, and the rest of the characters were not likeable at all.
May 8, 2012
I thought this was a good book, but it had one major problem--believability. Okay, I know this situation of a bad accident and thinking it was one person who died but it was actually the other has happened in the past, and I'm fine with that. I'm fine that they made a book about it. What I'm not fine with is how unbelievable everything else is. Like the girl who survived happened to be the nicer of the two. The girl who survived's family is more religious than the other family. They also didn't react so violently when they thought it was their girl who had died. The boyfriend happened to realize he always loved the girl who survived more than his actual girlfriend who was the one who died. Then there's the fact that she recovered so quickly. In the book there was a scene where the nurse told the mother not to expect too much and that it wasn't like a movie where in one scene the girl is lying there helpless and in the next she's taking her first unassisted steps.... and yet, that's what the book was like. She was in a coma forever and then it seemed like in no time at all she was out of the hospital and back to school. If you look past all of that, though, I liked this book. I don't know anything about people with brain injuries, but I thought the girl's speech and actions were realistic.
February 25, 2012
This novel was inspired by a true story. It is about two girls, Bridget and Maureen, who are so alike and yet so different at the same time. They look quite similar, they have the same colour hair and eyes, and they are the same height. The two have been best friends since they were small children.
One night while travelling home from a cheerleading practice, there is an accident, an extremely serious one, and the lives of these two girls are changed forever. One girl dies while the other one survives. One family buries their child, while the other sits over their child's hospital bed as their injured and broken daughter lies in a coma. When the girl, who is believed to be Bridget, finally wakes from her coma, it is soon realised that the wrong child has been buried.
This is really a fantastic novel. The book is unputdownable! It's a tale of tragedy and hope, renewal and death, romance, growth and forgiveness. The characters are portrayed so clearly and vividly. It is a thrilling read and nearly impossible not to become completely absorbed into the situation.
One night while travelling home from a cheerleading practice, there is an accident, an extremely serious one, and the lives of these two girls are changed forever. One girl dies while the other one survives. One family buries their child, while the other sits over their child's hospital bed as their injured and broken daughter lies in a coma. When the girl, who is believed to be Bridget, finally wakes from her coma, it is soon realised that the wrong child has been buried.
This is really a fantastic novel. The book is unputdownable! It's a tale of tragedy and hope, renewal and death, romance, growth and forgiveness. The characters are portrayed so clearly and vividly. It is a thrilling read and nearly impossible not to become completely absorbed into the situation.
May 10, 2011
All we know of heaven, a novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard is about 2 teenage girls that have been best friends since kindergarten, and grew up together. It all starts when Maureen O’Malley and Bridget Flannery finished cheerleading practice and were on their drive home for Christmas Break.
Right when it was building up to them driving home, the next chapter started off with them already in the scene, injured, with paramedics and everything – which I didn’t like at all. It happened too early in the book, and it would’ve been more entertaining if the author had written about how they crashed. Was she not paying attention? Was there another car that hit them? That was what I had thought at the time, until I kept reading further. I guess they did a good job of integrating what happened into the book.
“They crossed right in front of me, on my mother’s grave if I’m lying! They didn’t see me none! I wouldn’t ever hurt anyone. I wasn’t going but forty! All I had to get to was the Days Inn up there a mile! The snow ‘n’ all! One more mile!” The trucker told the police.
The only part that I liked was when they were about to find out that it was Maureen in the coma, instead of Bridget. They lead up to it really well, with the doctors suddenly rising suspicion. We usually don’t hear about these incidents about getting them confused, because they were so battered up that you couldn’t tell, but instead, their dental history spoke for their identities.
The thing that I really disliked was that the author used so many characters that weren’t really the main topic but were just background characters. Mitchard would mention this person once, without really bringing them attention, and then later on in the book mention them again, and I would get so confused about who this character is and how he/she relates to the situation.
I think that after they found out who was who, the book went really slowly. For the next 100 pages or so it is about everybody mourning, and highly unentertaining. This book overall was just unentertaining. It went too slow, and there wasn’t enough drama, and could’ve been a lot better with the plot.
Right when it was building up to them driving home, the next chapter started off with them already in the scene, injured, with paramedics and everything – which I didn’t like at all. It happened too early in the book, and it would’ve been more entertaining if the author had written about how they crashed. Was she not paying attention? Was there another car that hit them? That was what I had thought at the time, until I kept reading further. I guess they did a good job of integrating what happened into the book.
“They crossed right in front of me, on my mother’s grave if I’m lying! They didn’t see me none! I wouldn’t ever hurt anyone. I wasn’t going but forty! All I had to get to was the Days Inn up there a mile! The snow ‘n’ all! One more mile!” The trucker told the police.
The only part that I liked was when they were about to find out that it was Maureen in the coma, instead of Bridget. They lead up to it really well, with the doctors suddenly rising suspicion. We usually don’t hear about these incidents about getting them confused, because they were so battered up that you couldn’t tell, but instead, their dental history spoke for their identities.
The thing that I really disliked was that the author used so many characters that weren’t really the main topic but were just background characters. Mitchard would mention this person once, without really bringing them attention, and then later on in the book mention them again, and I would get so confused about who this character is and how he/she relates to the situation.
I think that after they found out who was who, the book went really slowly. For the next 100 pages or so it is about everybody mourning, and highly unentertaining. This book overall was just unentertaining. It went too slow, and there wasn’t enough drama, and could’ve been a lot better with the plot.
November 25, 2008
I picked this book up for two reasons: 1. I think Jacquelyn Mitchard is a very good writer, although I've only read one of her novels previously (and lots of freelance articles); and 2. I vividly remember reading about the true incident upon which this novel is loosely based. The real-life incident involved two college students who were also good friends; they were involved in a violent car accident in which one of the girls was killed and the other was terribly injured and in a coma for over five weeks. Eventually, the truth came to be known: it was a case of mistaken identity. The family who had been keeping vigil at their comatose daughter's bedside discovered that their daughter was actually the one who had died and been buried (by the family of the surviving girl). The girls looked remarkably alike and the one in a coma suffered facial swelling, broken bones, and cuts and bruises. To read more about this disturbing event, go to www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197694,0....
Unfortunately, the novel didn't grab me like I thought it would. Perhaps because Mitchard targets a young adult audience, the writing was sometimes sappy and the dialogue often seemed contrived and shallow. I also found the focus on the physical relationship/love triangle between the two girls and a boyfriend to be a distraction. The premise of the story, though, leaves so much room for rumination! What a heartbreaking situation.
Unfortunately, the novel didn't grab me like I thought it would. Perhaps because Mitchard targets a young adult audience, the writing was sometimes sappy and the dialogue often seemed contrived and shallow. I also found the focus on the physical relationship/love triangle between the two girls and a boyfriend to be a distraction. The premise of the story, though, leaves so much room for rumination! What a heartbreaking situation.
January 3, 2015
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Mitchard handled the emotions of everyone very well. That was, I think, the most well-done part of the entire book. She captured the grief, the shock, the relief, the joy, the heartbreak very realistically.
Maureen’s recovery is wonderful to read about.
The first 100-150 pages of this book are fine. Great, maybe. And then for the next half of the book it just drags on and on…I almost stopped reading it at one point. Danny (a.k.a STUPID DANNY) and Maureen’s relationship was just so over the top and annoying. I hated it every time they were together. This book would have been fantastic if it had ended a whole lot sooner than it did. I just stopped caring about the characters. I felt immensely sorry for poor Evan, who just got thrown over because of STUPID DANNY. I liked Evan. I wanted Maureen to forget about STUPID DANNY (you’re fourteen, stop talking about “true love”), but she was so obsessed that I started hating her.
Mitchard handled the emotions of everyone very well. That was, I think, the most well-done part of the entire book. She captured the grief, the shock, the relief, the joy, the heartbreak very realistically.
Maureen’s recovery is wonderful to read about.
The first 100-150 pages of this book are fine. Great, maybe. And then for the next half of the book it just drags on and on…I almost stopped reading it at one point. Danny (a.k.a STUPID DANNY) and Maureen’s relationship was just so over the top and annoying. I hated it every time they were together. This book would have been fantastic if it had ended a whole lot sooner than it did. I just stopped caring about the characters. I felt immensely sorry for poor Evan, who just got thrown over because of STUPID DANNY. I liked Evan. I wanted Maureen to forget about STUPID DANNY (you’re fourteen, stop talking about “true love”), but she was so obsessed that I started hating her.
August 12, 2015
Sometimes I really like Mitchard's books. I loved "Still Summer" and "Cage Of Stars." But sometimes she draws you in, which she is really good at, only to drop the ball at the end. (See "Breakdown Lane" with its happy-sappy ending.)
"All We Know Of Heaven" is about two teenage girls who are in a terrible car accident together. They look very similar anyway, but given all the injuries, identification becomes dicey. One dies and the other is in a coma, and everyone has them crossed, thinking each is the other. (Yes, such a situation actually happened a few years ago.) Finally, Maureen wakes up, and along with dental records that don't jibe, the error is discovered. One family, who thought they had already buried their daughter, suddenly finds out she is alive, while another family finds out their daughter is dead. All of this is really absorbing and well told, as is the lengthy section of the book dealing with Maureen's recovery.
What really annoys me is that, after investing in the story and liking it through 80% of the book, the last section devolves into a teenage beach blanket bingo soap opera, but without the beach. Mitchard, do you mean to tell me that this brave girl cheated death, survived the loss of her best friend, fought hard and long to regain her faculties, and handled the resentment of her friend's family gracefully, all so that she could agonize over which boy to date? So NOT recommended.
"All We Know Of Heaven" is about two teenage girls who are in a terrible car accident together. They look very similar anyway, but given all the injuries, identification becomes dicey. One dies and the other is in a coma, and everyone has them crossed, thinking each is the other. (Yes, such a situation actually happened a few years ago.) Finally, Maureen wakes up, and along with dental records that don't jibe, the error is discovered. One family, who thought they had already buried their daughter, suddenly finds out she is alive, while another family finds out their daughter is dead. All of this is really absorbing and well told, as is the lengthy section of the book dealing with Maureen's recovery.
What really annoys me is that, after investing in the story and liking it through 80% of the book, the last section devolves into a teenage beach blanket bingo soap opera, but without the beach. Mitchard, do you mean to tell me that this brave girl cheated death, survived the loss of her best friend, fought hard and long to regain her faculties, and handled the resentment of her friend's family gracefully, all so that she could agonize over which boy to date? So NOT recommended.
June 19, 2011
Very touching novel about friendships, love, and tragedy. I found myself laughing at times, in tears at others.
******Review******
Bridget and Maureeen have been best friends since they were 5 years old. They do everything together and if you saw the girls in person, you would probably have to look twice, thinking you were looking at a set of twins since the girls are almost mirror images of each other. Same height, slender build, and long blonde hair. So it's easy to see how the hospital screwed up in thinking the girl who lived was actually the girl who died. This book was a definite page turner for me and was very moving and sad in more ways than one. Maureen is the girl who lived, but throughout the book she feels as if she is being punished for living. But despite the obstacles she is faced with(from the accident, with friends, and in love) she shines and overcomes them all. Loved, Loved, Loved this book!! I definitely recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the deeper YA novel.
******Review******
Bridget and Maureeen have been best friends since they were 5 years old. They do everything together and if you saw the girls in person, you would probably have to look twice, thinking you were looking at a set of twins since the girls are almost mirror images of each other. Same height, slender build, and long blonde hair. So it's easy to see how the hospital screwed up in thinking the girl who lived was actually the girl who died. This book was a definite page turner for me and was very moving and sad in more ways than one. Maureen is the girl who lived, but throughout the book she feels as if she is being punished for living. But despite the obstacles she is faced with(from the accident, with friends, and in love) she shines and overcomes them all. Loved, Loved, Loved this book!! I definitely recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the deeper YA novel.
March 29, 2017
Another random YA book that I had read in high school and that just popped into my head when I was trying to think of some quick, fun reads to amuse me.
Surprisingly, I think this one resonated a bit more with me now upon rereading it than it did when initially reading it. The complicated nature of Danny's and Maureen's and Bridget's relationships with one another is well done.
The characters are all extremely compelling and linger long after the book is closed (in the eight or nine years in between reading this, I still remembered the characters and lines from the book would come to me when a memory was nudged).
There are no simple answers, no fairytale endings, no dumbed-down or candy-coated emotions here.
Sure, you could call it "chick lit for the teen set" like the back cover does, but then you're probably a sexist dick with the emotional range of a toe ring.
Surprisingly, I think this one resonated a bit more with me now upon rereading it than it did when initially reading it. The complicated nature of Danny's and Maureen's and Bridget's relationships with one another is well done.
The characters are all extremely compelling and linger long after the book is closed (in the eight or nine years in between reading this, I still remembered the characters and lines from the book would come to me when a memory was nudged).
There are no simple answers, no fairytale endings, no dumbed-down or candy-coated emotions here.
Sure, you could call it "chick lit for the teen set" like the back cover does, but then you're probably a sexist dick with the emotional range of a toe ring.
September 30, 2015
Jacqueline Mitchard and Wally Lamb write the most depressing books. And I like it.
All We Know of Heaven is a ripped from the headlines story of two girls who are in a car accident. One dies, one lives. Their broken bodies lead to a case of mistaken identity.
The story covers all aspects of the tragedy, the overwhelming grief of the parents, the relief of finding out it wasn't their child, the guilt of having their child live. The press attention complicates their lives, the long hard road of rehabilitation for their daughter's injuries. Everything, she writes the full story.
Does it have a happy ending? Do any of Wally Lamb's books have a happy ending? I don't know. Maybe the message is, just keep on trucking, there's going to be unbearable grief in life and days of pure happiness.
I loved the book.
I really need to work on my review skills.
All We Know of Heaven is a ripped from the headlines story of two girls who are in a car accident. One dies, one lives. Their broken bodies lead to a case of mistaken identity.
The story covers all aspects of the tragedy, the overwhelming grief of the parents, the relief of finding out it wasn't their child, the guilt of having their child live. The press attention complicates their lives, the long hard road of rehabilitation for their daughter's injuries. Everything, she writes the full story.
Does it have a happy ending? Do any of Wally Lamb's books have a happy ending? I don't know. Maybe the message is, just keep on trucking, there's going to be unbearable grief in life and days of pure happiness.
I loved the book.
I really need to work on my review skills.
February 1, 2017
This book had a GREAT force behind it. Between the story line, the emotion and the possibility, it really had the potential to soar. However, this book fell short of my expectations greatly. The story line is good, but it focuses on a lot of petty drama as opposed to the real matter at hand. There's a lot of typical high school problems and an overall choppy feel to the book. I'm very disappointed to say this because I was thoroughly excited to read this book.
Read
February 21, 2018All We Know of Heaven by Jacquelyn Mitchard is a really good book that I read. It has joy and has a sadness. There are two best friends named Bridget and Maureen, that have been best friends ever since they were really tiny. Matter of fact they tend to be very identical to each other as if they were twins. One day something very terrible happens and one of the girl passed away. I liked this book because it had suspense most of the time.
September 12, 2018
I really enjoyed this book!
November 18, 2012
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
I have read and reviewed many books over the past two years that have impressed me. I have read only a handful, however, that have touched me as deeply as ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN. This is a book that's hard to describe in detail, due mainly to the fact that I don't want to give too much of the story away. Suffice it to say, however, that it's a story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.
Two girls, Bridget and Maureen, who are so similar and yet so different at the same time. They have nearly identical body shapes, have the same colored hair and eyes, and even share many of the same mannerisms and characteristics. They've been best friends for several years, and yet there's a part of Maureen that understands that Bridget considers her to be her friend out of convenience, and for what she can provide for her.
Then there is an accident, a deadly one, and the lives of two girls and their families are forever changed. One girl dies, one girl lives. One family buries their daughter, one rejoices and yet fears over the fact that their daughter, now forever changed, lies unconscious and unknowing in a hospitable bed. Yet through it all, interspersed throughout the pages of the story, are the tangled thoughts of a young woman, who is unable to grasp even the simplest words and put them to the images she sees, yet who understands the concept that she's not the girl everyone seems to think she is.
The wrong daughter buried, the wrong family rejoicing. Fear, regret, heartbreak, happiness, hope -- and with it all, through it all, tinged by it all, lies guilt. Guilt that one girl survived, and one didn't. Guilt that one mother once hoped her daughter might die, to spare them all the pain of a long recovery. Guilt that one family's prayers seemed to be answered, and another's joy was cut short.
Guilt that one girl is not the other, could never be the other, and yet seems to be stepping into the life that girl left behind.
Jacquelyn Mitchard can write. She writes so well, in fact, that the reader is unable to step outside of the story of Maureen and Bridget once they've begun reading it. You can feel the pain, the happiness, the sorrow. You understand, and you grieve, and you rejoice, right along with the characters of ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN. This is a story you won't soon forget -- nor will you want to.
I have read and reviewed many books over the past two years that have impressed me. I have read only a handful, however, that have touched me as deeply as ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN. This is a book that's hard to describe in detail, due mainly to the fact that I don't want to give too much of the story away. Suffice it to say, however, that it's a story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.
Two girls, Bridget and Maureen, who are so similar and yet so different at the same time. They have nearly identical body shapes, have the same colored hair and eyes, and even share many of the same mannerisms and characteristics. They've been best friends for several years, and yet there's a part of Maureen that understands that Bridget considers her to be her friend out of convenience, and for what she can provide for her.
Then there is an accident, a deadly one, and the lives of two girls and their families are forever changed. One girl dies, one girl lives. One family buries their daughter, one rejoices and yet fears over the fact that their daughter, now forever changed, lies unconscious and unknowing in a hospitable bed. Yet through it all, interspersed throughout the pages of the story, are the tangled thoughts of a young woman, who is unable to grasp even the simplest words and put them to the images she sees, yet who understands the concept that she's not the girl everyone seems to think she is.
The wrong daughter buried, the wrong family rejoicing. Fear, regret, heartbreak, happiness, hope -- and with it all, through it all, tinged by it all, lies guilt. Guilt that one girl survived, and one didn't. Guilt that one mother once hoped her daughter might die, to spare them all the pain of a long recovery. Guilt that one family's prayers seemed to be answered, and another's joy was cut short.
Guilt that one girl is not the other, could never be the other, and yet seems to be stepping into the life that girl left behind.
Jacquelyn Mitchard can write. She writes so well, in fact, that the reader is unable to step outside of the story of Maureen and Bridget once they've begun reading it. You can feel the pain, the happiness, the sorrow. You understand, and you grieve, and you rejoice, right along with the characters of ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN. This is a story you won't soon forget -- nor will you want to.
April 17, 2012
The book "All We Know Of Heaven" was not the type of book I would recommend on a daily basis. It's quite in interesting book, but at the same time, its not quite moving. I do have to say that the beginning was a bore and the end was quite a delicate story. The interesting part was the beginning even though it was boring.
How two girls lost their lives, but only one survived. Only one was in a coma. The incident which took one girl's lives, split the two family apart. Maureen and Bidget. Could you have told them apart?
There is one quotation that I loved and that is on Page 122 "We understand now in part but will understand all in time. We aren't given to understand what happened, but we need to rejoice for both of these girls, for one has gone home to god and the other has come home, like the lost lamb,to her family."
That verse split the two families apart because of a switch a roo in the incident. No one could tell them apart besides the inside look of their teeth. I was surprised because I thought "man, when is the good part going to come in? This is a boring book." Then I thought, patience is the only personality that you need to read this book. If I were one of the mother's of course I would be disappointed if I lost my daughter, but I know that as long as the other girl is still alive, half of the other girl is still there with her. Two best friends lives in one body.
The only thing I don't like about this book is how they make you wait until 'almost' the end of the book. I also hate the part where Kitt, Bridget's mother, made fun of Maureen for being alive. Living instead of her own daughter. On Page 223 to 229 is how Kitt talked brutally to Maureen just because she's alive. Losing a daughter to a neighbor that lives across the streets is a heart breaking situation, but that girl, Maureen. Has one part of Bridget. Bridget is still there with her family and friends even though she went with god. She's still watching over them. Also how Kitt wanted to hurt and blame Maureen when she did nothing wrong.
Even though the part where she did admit she pushed her and how Maureen is still trying to get her movement back, Kitt takes the advantage of hurting her.
There is also one person I like in the novel and that is Danny. He helped Maureen pass the hard times and move forward to the future.
How two girls lost their lives, but only one survived. Only one was in a coma. The incident which took one girl's lives, split the two family apart. Maureen and Bidget. Could you have told them apart?
There is one quotation that I loved and that is on Page 122 "We understand now in part but will understand all in time. We aren't given to understand what happened, but we need to rejoice for both of these girls, for one has gone home to god and the other has come home, like the lost lamb,to her family."
That verse split the two families apart because of a switch a roo in the incident. No one could tell them apart besides the inside look of their teeth. I was surprised because I thought "man, when is the good part going to come in? This is a boring book." Then I thought, patience is the only personality that you need to read this book. If I were one of the mother's of course I would be disappointed if I lost my daughter, but I know that as long as the other girl is still alive, half of the other girl is still there with her. Two best friends lives in one body.
The only thing I don't like about this book is how they make you wait until 'almost' the end of the book. I also hate the part where Kitt, Bridget's mother, made fun of Maureen for being alive. Living instead of her own daughter. On Page 223 to 229 is how Kitt talked brutally to Maureen just because she's alive. Losing a daughter to a neighbor that lives across the streets is a heart breaking situation, but that girl, Maureen. Has one part of Bridget. Bridget is still there with her family and friends even though she went with god. She's still watching over them. Also how Kitt wanted to hurt and blame Maureen when she did nothing wrong.
Even though the part where she did admit she pushed her and how Maureen is still trying to get her movement back, Kitt takes the advantage of hurting her.
There is also one person I like in the novel and that is Danny. He helped Maureen pass the hard times and move forward to the future.
October 30, 2012
After reading the description of this book, I was torn between wanting to read it and passing it up. The main reason why I sort of wanted to pass is because I have a daughter and can not imagine outliving her. On the other hand, this book sounded so intriguing, I just had to read it. This is one of those books where it makes the reader think, “There’s someone out there who has it worse than I do”.
I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to have a child involved in a horrific traffic accident, have her die at the hospital, and bury her, only to find out the hospital made an honest mistake and you’ve buried your child’s best friend instead and your child is actually in a coma (but ALIVE!). Can you imagine being the other set of parents, sitting at a your child’s bedside, your child broken & bruised and barely recognizable due to injuries?? Praying & hoping they will wake up & heal, only to find out (a month or two later) upon closer inspection that it’s not your child after all?? That’s exactly what happened in this novel. Looking at it from the other side (victim’s POV), here again, I cannot imagine the emotions my friends & parents would feel. Thinking one friend is buried and gone, only to find out it was the OTHER friend. And my best friend’s parents?? Would they be happy for me or hate me?? This is all addressed as we follow both sets of parents and the surviving girl’s progress on this long road painful road to healing (both physically & emotionally).
I actually felt every emotion the characters were feeling. I felt the grief, the joy, the bewilderment, everything!
Ms. Mitchard has a way of drawing her readers in and not letting go. In this novel, she grabs the reader’s attention and by the end, she has you asking yourself questions about a situation in which you hope this NEVER happens to you or anyone you know. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel, literally, every emotion in the spectrum.
Why 5 stars?? Because any author who makes you “feel”, think and question everything you know deserves 5 stars, if not more.
I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to have a child involved in a horrific traffic accident, have her die at the hospital, and bury her, only to find out the hospital made an honest mistake and you’ve buried your child’s best friend instead and your child is actually in a coma (but ALIVE!). Can you imagine being the other set of parents, sitting at a your child’s bedside, your child broken & bruised and barely recognizable due to injuries?? Praying & hoping they will wake up & heal, only to find out (a month or two later) upon closer inspection that it’s not your child after all?? That’s exactly what happened in this novel. Looking at it from the other side (victim’s POV), here again, I cannot imagine the emotions my friends & parents would feel. Thinking one friend is buried and gone, only to find out it was the OTHER friend. And my best friend’s parents?? Would they be happy for me or hate me?? This is all addressed as we follow both sets of parents and the surviving girl’s progress on this long road painful road to healing (both physically & emotionally).
I actually felt every emotion the characters were feeling. I felt the grief, the joy, the bewilderment, everything!
Ms. Mitchard has a way of drawing her readers in and not letting go. In this novel, she grabs the reader’s attention and by the end, she has you asking yourself questions about a situation in which you hope this NEVER happens to you or anyone you know. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel, literally, every emotion in the spectrum.
Why 5 stars?? Because any author who makes you “feel”, think and question everything you know deserves 5 stars, if not more.
January 30, 2009
* Inspired by a true and tragic story of mistaken identity, Mitchard's first teen novel, "All We Know of Heaven," explores what happens when look-alike best friends are involved in a fatal car accident. Emergency crews desperately try to save both Maureen and Bridget. In the first frantic minutes of the rescue, the girl's identities are confused. One girl dies and the other lingers in a coma. Maureen's family holds a funereal. Bridget's family prays their daughter will regain consciousness. But when the survivor begins to communicate, it becomes clear they have made a terrible mistake. Maureen is alive and Bridget is dead. The families struggle with the emotional upheaval and onslaught of press coverage. Maureen faces a long and arduous recovery. She confronts both physical and emotional pain as she slowly heals, mourns the loss of best friend, Bridget, and tries to underst5and the misplaced rage of Bridget's mother. The first half of the book is dramatic and fast paced. After the mistake is revealed, the book moves slowly, but the pace complements the story. Maureen's journey back is tough and hard-earned, every step of progress offset by challenge. Will she ever be able to return to her old life? Would it just have been easier if she had been the one to die? This direct from the headlines melodrama is certain to appeal to Jodi Picoult fans. Readers may also want to check out "Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope," an account of the actual events from which Mitchard drew this story.
January 28, 2015
I have not read any books by Jackquelyn Mitchard before, and I really though this book would be interesting.
This book started out awesome. It wasn't a slow start. It right into the action of the car accident. The scene was graphic and very nerve wrecking. I liked how this book had you on the edge of your seat. At least for the first part.
After the accident, things started slowing down, It gave more background about the two girls, and then the story kinda switched up to a sad romance novel which kind of turned me off of the book.
Going through the book knowing that they had mistaken the two girls identities was kind of a bummer. I would have liked it more if the author would have made it a surprise! I couldn't get too excited over the story line because I already knew what was going to happen. I'm usually not a big fan of books like that.
This book was alright in my opinion. I would definitely recommend it to more middle school aged people. I guess I just wanted to try a new type of book, and came out disappointed. The fact that it based on true events does make it interesting though!
This book started out awesome. It wasn't a slow start. It right into the action of the car accident. The scene was graphic and very nerve wrecking. I liked how this book had you on the edge of your seat. At least for the first part.
After the accident, things started slowing down, It gave more background about the two girls, and then the story kinda switched up to a sad romance novel which kind of turned me off of the book.
Going through the book knowing that they had mistaken the two girls identities was kind of a bummer. I would have liked it more if the author would have made it a surprise! I couldn't get too excited over the story line because I already knew what was going to happen. I'm usually not a big fan of books like that.
This book was alright in my opinion. I would definitely recommend it to more middle school aged people. I guess I just wanted to try a new type of book, and came out disappointed. The fact that it based on true events does make it interesting though!
May 1, 2010
My favorite book of all time. PERIOD.
Forget THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, Jacquelyn Mitchard should be known as the author of the legendary ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN. I would have read it in one sitting, except (thankfully, since it was 3 AM) my Kindle demanded charging.
The other books I've read and loved cannot even be mentioned in the same review. It's that good. In fact, I almost feel like I should go and subtract a star from every other book I've read, just to keep things proportional... but that would be silly. Instead, let me just say that this is a MUST READ that is absolutely 100% accurate in its portrayal of brain injury and also the inner workings of the hospital and rehabilitation center. I know--as a physician, I've spent far more time than I'd care to admit "on the inside" and if I didn't know better, I would swear the book was written by Dr. Mitchard. Jackie did her homework on this one!
Forget THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, Jacquelyn Mitchard should be known as the author of the legendary ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN. I would have read it in one sitting, except (thankfully, since it was 3 AM) my Kindle demanded charging.
The other books I've read and loved cannot even be mentioned in the same review. It's that good. In fact, I almost feel like I should go and subtract a star from every other book I've read, just to keep things proportional... but that would be silly. Instead, let me just say that this is a MUST READ that is absolutely 100% accurate in its portrayal of brain injury and also the inner workings of the hospital and rehabilitation center. I know--as a physician, I've spent far more time than I'd care to admit "on the inside" and if I didn't know better, I would swear the book was written by Dr. Mitchard. Jackie did her homework on this one!
April 28, 2011
My last Mitchard - the least annoying by far, but still. There was so much potential to the story of mistaken identity about which of two best friends survived a car wreck in a coma and which one died, yet so much of this book was wasted on defending cheerleading as a sport and having the stereotype mean girl drama... this would've been a fascinating book in a better author's hands. In this case, mildly entertaining is about the best I could muster.
(At least, unlike the previous few of her books, I only had to flip back a page a few times to figure out if I'd missed a page while turning since she is so prone to jumping wildly from place to place without transition. I did that at least once a chapter in the past few books.)
(At least, unlike the previous few of her books, I only had to flip back a page a few times to figure out if I'd missed a page while turning since she is so prone to jumping wildly from place to place without transition. I did that at least once a chapter in the past few books.)
August 8, 2011
I read a magazine article that was very similar to this story, about two girls mixed up in a car accident and how one family buried the others' daughter and the wrong family was care-taking until the girl was able to express who she really was. The difference here was, the author added in extra drama. The boyfriend sharing thing, I could totally get, as I could with the teen friends' reactions. The mother of the girl who died was overblown though. Of course she'd be distraught, but she wouldn't be violent against the survivor. That's too extreme.
It was an okay book on a very sad and interesting premise, one that's happened several times according to a quick Google search.
It was an okay book on a very sad and interesting premise, one that's happened several times according to a quick Google search.
December 9, 2009
All We Know of Heaven is anamazing book. In the book two best friends are driving there is a caar crash one dies one lives, but they mistook the identy of the one who died so after a funeral and one family mourns they have to go through it all again.There have been many books writen about the same thing but this one really shows how a family would deal with it and how the loved ones arre left behind to pick up the pieces.
February 28, 2010
Definitely a tear jerker. I found that I really like epilogues and that I wsh ths book had one. The ending was good, but it would have been great to have a tiny epilogue, I think. It was interesting because we just got done learnig about brain injuries in psychology, so it was pretty cool to read this. It was a really GREAT book, and had many emotions! Love it!
August 31, 2008
It was a little slow going there in the middle, but ultimately a really enjoyable, moving read. I read this one right after a five day stint in the hospital so I think I related to the main character a bit more than I would have normally.
August 21, 2010
Beautiful book! I liked the beginning a lot more than the end though. I really enjoyed seeing how the delt with the situation that arose and seeing how the families delt with their grief, how one found God and the other their own grief.
December 12, 2010
This very sad but moving book. It was the type of book that you can easily skim the pages and not miss any important information. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read an interesting book about mistaken identity.
July 5, 2013
I know a real life incident where two young girls were confused for a short (!) while in a hospital. One survived and the other did not. The one that survived did have a traumatic brain injury that changed her life. Yes, these things do happen.....
June 5, 2009
This book was recommended by a student and I'm so glad I listened because now I can recommend it to others without hesitation; especially my students
August 17, 2013
Not as moving as I had hoped for... and I was hoping for more heavenly moments.....
Full review later.
3.5 stars
Full review later.
3.5 stars
September 25, 2024
55%
The premise is interesting, and the first 1/3 was actually pretty good, but it took a weird direction after that and went downhill.
I think it was trying to express the importance of resilience, growth, and inner strength to YA readers, but the fact that it switched from a sort of horrific life drama to a mild twisted teen romance just felt strange.
The premise is interesting, and the first 1/3 was actually pretty good, but it took a weird direction after that and went downhill.
I think it was trying to express the importance of resilience, growth, and inner strength to YA readers, but the fact that it switched from a sort of horrific life drama to a mild twisted teen romance just felt strange.
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