Vijf ontmoetingen in de hemel

The Five People You Meet in Heaven #1

by Mitch Albom, Marc-Peter van der Maas (Narrator)

Is er leven na de dood? Wanneer Eddie op 83-jarige leeftijd komt te overlijden, wordt hij wakker in de hemel. Hier ontmoet hij vijf mensen die van invloed zijn geweest op zijn aardse leven. Samen bespreken ze Eddie’s leven: De waardevolle momenten uit zijn jeugd, zijn militaire dienst en de laatste levensjaren komen voorbij. Pas nu hij in de hemel is, komt hij er langzamerhand achter waarom hij op deze aardbol is verschenen. Wat was de zin van zijn bestaan?

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Inspirational, Fantasy, Classics, Book Club, Spirituality

6 pages, Audiobook

First published September 23, 2003

About the author

Author, screenwriter, philanthropist, journalist, and broadcaster Mitch Albom is an inspiration around the world. His fiction and non-fiction books — which include 8 #1 New York Times bestsellers — have collectively sold 42 million copies worldwide in 48 languages. TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, the bestselling memoir of all time, topped the list for four straight years and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022. He has also written Emmy Award-winning TV films, stage plays, screenplays, a nationally syndicated newspaper column, and a musical. Through his work at the Detroit Free Press, he was inducted into both the National Sports Media Association and Michigan Sports halls of fame and was the recipient of the Red Smith Award for lifetime achievement.

Following his bestselling memoir FINDING CHIKA and HUMAN TOUCH, a web and audio weekly serial that raised funds for pandemic relief, he returned to fiction with the bestselling novels THE STRANGER IN THE LIFEBOAT and THE LITTLE LIAR. His much-anticipated new novel is a stunning love story about magical second chances called TWICE, which dares to explore how our unchecked desires might mean losing what we’ve had all along.

Albom spends the majority of his time in philanthropic work. In 2006, he founded the nonprofit SAY Detroit, which provides pathways to success for Detroiters in need through major health, housing and education initiatives. All profits from an original dessert shop and a gourmet popcorn line also help fund the nonprofit. He operates Have Faith Haiti, a home and school for impoverished children and orphans, in Port-au-Prince, which he visits monthly. He lives with his wife, Janine, in Michigan.

Reviews

[Fretty · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Lost love is still love, Eddie. It just takes a different form, that's all. You can't hold their hand... You can't tousle their hair... But when those senses weaken another one comes to life... Memory... Memory becomes your partner. You hold it... you dance with it... Life has to end, Eddie... Love doesn't."

The book that taught me the idea of death, God and life's never ending unanswered questions.

I vaguely remember when exactly I read this but I remember I read this couple of months before I broke up with my current-boyfriend and it was around the end of the year. Maybe September-October to November. It is significant to know when I read because it is one of the reasons why this book just stays in my mind.

I pictured myself as Eddie. An old man with so many bruises (physically and emotionally) draging the last breath he had to carry before he died and saved a little girl's life. With a cause he died (which for me is amazing!) and the sky went darker like any scene we might see in movies or stories about the long tunnel after we are no longer connected to this life and earth (classic - but I kinda fond of this typical scene). Then he met the five people that bumped into his life for a second and even for a lifetime that he might didn't remember or know them before when he was alive. These five people were there to answer all of his unanswered questions about his life and why God had purposes with him in his life even when he thought that he had no value at all - This too amazes me still; have you EVER wondered why are you here on earth? why God made you so grand that He let you breath-eat-work-smoke-have sex-make decision-go crazy-fall in love-make mistakes-cheat-be bad-curse-etc? doesn't that make you feel so little to know that now?)

And the story evolved from there. And all the classic questions that I believe WE all are facing now are written so nicely by Albom. With jokes, with poems, with simple everyday words. Albom didn't preach within this book which I think it is the risk of writing such subject - and the fact that he didn't preach makes it universal for all races and religions to read. And be spiritually touched.

And so how does this effect on me with the broke-up? Highly emmense. I was angry all the time and didn't understand why I was treated so bad by a man and how I thought I have not a value to go on. Then a friend's death which rolled me back to the time I read this book in the first place reminds me of how life goes on (and how life NEEDS to go on). God has purposes with us, even if it means only to be a bell-boy of a grand hotel, or to be a mistress, or to be a virgin queen or to be an ordinary guy standing on the train station. Little things matter the most.

On the account of this book, I got to know that Albom had written another grand book about life-death-God previously before this book. I haven't read the previous one; Tuesday with Morrie (which led to a movie), so I am really looking forward to read it after reading this. I hope that book will be highly amazing and enlight me like Five People did.

[gunne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't understand the one star reviews for the book. Are these directed to the author, Mitch Albom, because he openly dissed the Harry Potter phenomena via a 594-word short story? Because as far as I can tell, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a decent piece of literature that doesn't deserve the harsh punishment (presumably) directed to its writer. It's well-written, has a handful of good quotes, and is overall an inspiring and personal take on one's idea of the moment between death and the afterlife. I rather enjoyed it. Mitch Albom has a gift of words, and to give a biased rating is to behave no better than the author itself - to dislike something not based on its own merits, but because of its reputation. I have equal love for the Harry Potter books and for The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and am proud to say neither HP's popularity nor Albom's notoriety had a say in how I felt for them.

I highly recommend this book, particularly if you're one into bittersweet life lessons and notions of death. Some have accused the book for being both preachy and boring, but I don't find that the case.

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEADLINE: FILTHY RICH WRITER CASHES IN ON GEEZERS’ CHRONIC PAIN?

Right, kids?

The world is cut-and-dried SIMPLE - or IS it???

Well, wait till you’re inching painfully towards the Big 8-0, like me.

WHAT! Yet another sentimental old-timer gives this piece of jellied sugar syrup FIVE STARS?

Y'er darned tootin', kids.

Take away the fancy Amazon gift wrap with its shiny veneer and the Good Housekeeping seal of approval (you’re right, from the folks in the seniors' homes of course), and you have… WHAT?

A story of a broken old man who's had an excruciatingly hard life.

And YES - in the Real World people's hard lives CAN break them.

COMPLETELY.

TOTALLY.

UTTERLY.

Their hard lives can:

Wipe the floor with them.

Grind them to dust.

Spit on their ashes!

Oh, but Lucky You - you’re somehow EXEMPT from Hard Fractious Reality?

Such is NOT the case with poor old Eddie, who's just died and finally, thankfully, disappeared from this sorry old world. (You will, too, you know. But, I forgot - you’re Teflon Coated…)

Until his spirit gets a golden chance to redeem itself and get his old, broken life back, MADE BRAND NEW this time - in Heaven.

He's made some BAD mistakes. But NOW he has a chance to be forgiven for them, through some SEARING INSIGHTS into his past.

AND.... to be reunited with the love of his life!

So that's the real story. And if you only know it via Put Downs, READ IT anyway.

It’ll elevate your consciousness, and give it a glimpse of BREATHTAKING NEW VISTAS.

And it’ll make your HEART SING! (Have you forgotten when your heart could do that?)

YES - and it’s STILL worth a solid five stars.

[Lisa of Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie just reached his 83rd birthday. Eddie is a maintenance worker at Ruby's Pier, but today is not like every other day. This is the last day of Eddie's life. In a freak accident at the amusement park, one of the carts comes unhinged, and Eddie rushes in to save a little girl below. Eddie meets five people who have impacted his life. Each of these people talks about how they impacted Eddie's life and leave him with a lesson.

Eddie thinks he is just a nobody: that he isn't famous, he had no significant possessions, he didn't have hundreds attending his funeral, but he does have a profound impact on many people. This was a quick read and quite short and very much like a mash-up of The Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. This book was interesting and sweet; however, I think that it was a little too short. Covering so much material in such a short time left me wanting to simmer on my emotions a little bit more before being introduced to a new story.

Overall, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a quality book worthy of at least one read.

2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal

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[Charlotte May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread Feb 2019

No matter how many times I read this book, its effect on me remains the same. Heart breaking and heart warming in equal measure.

"Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves."

****************************************

Original review

This book led Mitch Albom to become one of my favourite authors.
It's such a wonderful idea, that when you die you are approached by 5 people you may or may not know who had some kind of impact in your life.
The example used is Eddie, an old man who has lived in the same town his entire life, working as a handyman on the local pier/fairground, before his abrupt death.
An original premise in itself, I loved following the different people Eddie spoke to and finding out their connection to him.
At times heartbreaking and saddening, this story touched me and I strongly recommend it to basically anyone who likes something a bit different but is looking for a relatively quick read.

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the great things about checking out audiobooks from the public library is that I can take a chance on something I normally wouldn't buy, and I end up loving it. And then, of course, there are the times I take a chance on something I wouldn't normally like and end up really hating it as predicted. See if you can guess which is the case here by the end of this post.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is about Eddie, an amusement park maintenance guy who dies and goes to heaven. Spoiler alert, I guess, though you could probably figure that out from the title. From there he meets five people whose lives touched his and learns why he was such a unique and special little snowflake while on Earth. The book's main shortcoming is that I only get to enjoy seeing something kill Eddie on one occasion. And that was over within the first few pages.

Seriously, this thing is so ham-fisted in its moralizing, so infused with cliches, so sentimental, and so naked in its attempts to manipulate emotions that I only finished it because it was blessedly short. The worst part about this last point is that the audiobook brings up violins --VIOLINS!-- in the background at the most supposedly sentimental parts. Which is to say, constantly.

Oh, and Albom apparently never heard of the "show, don't tell" rule when it comes to establishing character and showing reactions. I guess everyone in Heaven describes their mental processes in flagrant detail. There's also the issue of proclamations that sound wise at first, but crumble under any amount of thought. For example, there's a line to the effect of "Sometimes, when you sacrifice something you don't lose it. You just give it to someone else." Now, I haven't a dictionary in front of me to help me through this moral morass, but I fail to see the difference off the top of my head.

At any rate, I certainly wouldn't recommend this. If you really want to read a good book about the afterlife, pick up Dante's The Divine Comedy, read the first few pages, then throw it down in frustration and decide that there's no good middle ground.

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

My face tightens into a mean spirited frown, I grind my teeth, my head starts to burn, I clench my fists, I begin to tremble; there is a tightness in my stomach. I rip the telephone off the wall and throw it out my nine-story window onto the street; I let out a barbaric, guttural, king-of-the-jungle, ape-like scream. I feel my pulse beating in my neck, a blood vessel snaps in the back of my head. I flip over my couch, CRASH! I kick a hole in the middle of my T.V. I like that my shin is cut, bleeding, and burning. I toss off my clothes, throwing my left shoe through the shattered window. I stomp my bare ass out of my apartment. I do not lock the door, I have no sense of time, I am not coming back. I know I am hideous looking, but I do not care; I’m naked and full of hate. Fuck the goddamn elevator, I’m taking the stairs. On the fourth floor a woman shrieks and covers her child’s eyes. I keep trucking. I am a man on a mission. I make my way out the building’s front door, a cool breeze almost makes me feel less murderous. Out of hate for such a thought I bite my tongue, making it bleed. It doesn’t bleed enough. I begin to run down the street as fast as I can, screaming at the top of my lungs for the homeless man to stab me. He doesn’t. The lake, the lake, I will jump in the lake and fight a swan! I run to the lake and dive in, scraping my head and arms. The lake is not deep; I stand up. I am covered in mud and Chordata feces. I decide to drown myself. Head deep, slipping away, I am pulled up. It is a police officer. This book was on the NY Times best seller list for 95 straight weeks and I have failed.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It had a great voice, interesting characters and good messages. I liked how each of the 5 people were connected in different ways, some surprise. The style grabs you. I thought it was a good intro to learn more about how this author writes. Spiritual without getting too religious. Witty and charismatic on some levels. Endearing to see how you watch other people live, as well as guess what happens when you die. I will definitely read more from the author.

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

As people, we all have our own idea what heaven is like, and I quite like the author's take on it. The book follows Eddie, who dies on his 83rd birthday while trying to save a young girls' life at the amusement park he works. His journey takes him through his life in the form of five people that had an impact in his life, through all major crossroads in his life that he did not even think was important at the time and why his life followed the route it did. In the end Eddie finds peace through this journey and finds out what the meaning of his life was and goes to his own part of heaven where he is always happy. A nice and quick read.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never had any desire to read this book (or Tuesdays with Morrie for that matter), but a girl in my LSAT class gave it to me to read, so I felt like I had to read it.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is an incredibly quick read. It has small pages with big font and the content is not at all challenging. You could easily read this book in a weekend. That said, I don't know if you would want to. While the book was mildly entertaining and held my interest (I kept wanting to know who Eddie would meet next), I found it to be incredibly preachy and corny. Furthermore, the moral at the end was not all that creative or enlightening (we are all connected...big woop!).

So to the man on the subway who interrupted my reading to tell me that this was an amazing book and I would think of it for years to come all I can say is: sorry buddy, but this review is that last time I will think about The Five People You Meet in Heaven, unless it is to tell people that it is overrated.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strangely, obliquely, like The Alchemist because this inspires strong emotions - most people will either like it alot and find inspiration and meaning, or loathe it entirely and dismiss it as drivel.

Similar in tone and emotion with his novel Tuesdays with Morrie. I think that the greatest achievement of this story is the dreamlike, subconscious mood and setting the author creates. He can get a bit syrupy, but not too bad to make this contextually a problem.

Albom raises some interesting, thought provoking questions and leaves some unanswered, which makes for a better read, especially considering the subject.

As usual, I find myself on neither extreme, neither loving or hating it - finding some worth but also dismissing the buckets of smarmy cotton candy.

[Liz Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

How in the history of time was this book on the Bestseller list for over ninety weeks?

[Jonathan Ashleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get why old religious women might like this book, but it wasn't for me.

[Swati Tanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.”

Have there been any situations where you have no idea why a certain result occurred throughout your life? Reading this book can definitely help you answer these kinda questions.  This book deals with the life story of Eddie, an 83-year-old who dies and goes to heaven. It also shows how many threads are used to weave the quilt of life.

There is such meaning in this book that will leave everyone wondering how his or her personal heaven will be. I was delighted by the author's progression through the five characters while including real-life occurrences. The tone of the writing is distinct. It's not hefty, but it's also not light. You won't tear buckets, and you won't be unaffected by the characters' suffering. The plot is non-linear, and it jumps back and forth depending on who Eddie encounters in heaven. The opening sequence starts at the end, announcing Eddie's death, and then jumps forward in time to the beginning of the day, with Eddie's birthday celebrations in the present tense. Each section depicts how his life changed from year to year. It also has a sequel called "The next person you meet in heaven", looking forward to reading that soon.

It will affect the way you think about life after death and the meaning of lives on this planet. Every action you take and every interaction you have has an effect on others.

My takeaway is that we should be intentional in our interactions with people in order to improve the world.
 
You might like to wander through a few artistic journals — they’re full of sparks and surprises.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is just the most awful book I have ever read. I hate this book!

[Taufiq Yves · Rating 4 out of 5]

The curious naming of the first chapter as "The End" seems peculiar at first, but upon reflection, isn't an ending also a new beginning?

83 year-old Eddie dies in an amusement park accident while trying to save a girl. Upon awakening, he finds himself in Heaven, only to discover that it's not an idyllic Eden but an overlapping re-enactment of life on Earth. Five people, whom Eddie had either remembered, neglected, or forgotten, take turns appearing, leading him to search for his lost time and question the mysteries of life.

The Blue Man: The Meaning of Life
We are all interconnected; you can't separate one life from another, just like the wind and a breeze are closely connected. The world is a vast net, and your every action may be intertwined with others, even if you don't realize it. Something others consider ordinary might seem completely different to you; the same thing can look entirely different from different angles. But within this, everyone plays their part, which reduces 'injustice' in the world. So don't complain about the world's unfairness over small things.

The Captain: Self-Sacrifice
Sacrifice is part of life; it's not something to regret but something worth pursuing. I've heard it said, "When God closes a door, he opens a window." So, when we feel like we've lost something, don't dwell on the pain of loss; look around, and you'll find something even more precious.

Ruby: Forgiveness
Hatred is a double-edged sword; when we hurt others, we also hurt ourselves. If someone has hurt or deceived you, that's not a reason to hate them. Sometimes you only see one side of the story, and that small part angers you. You retaliate, but in the end, you only feel a meaningless sense of satisfaction and are left with resentment for wasting your time and energy on something so pointless. The you with good intentions is no more. Perhaps only forgiveness can bring such relief.

Margaret: Love Never Ends
Life ends, but love doesn't. Everyone must experience the pain of losing a loved one. But we should understand that while they are gone, the beautiful memories they left behind will not disappear. With these memories, their departure is not so sad. In the West, after a person dies, their relatives and friends gather together to recall the details of their life; this should be considered the best way to comfort the deceased's family. Although some people are no longer with us, beautiful memories will always remain.

The Little Girl
I can't describe what she taught Eddie with a single word because she both led Eddie astray and brought him to heaven. In heaven, Eddie healed the little girl's wounds and, in doing so, healed his own guilt-ridden heart. His heart was no longer burdened; he felt incredibly light.

The missions of the five people were completed, and Eddie understood the true meaning of his life. At the same time, I, along with him, understood so much more.

3.6 / 5

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joelle Huertas
904 W.A.
Book Review On The Five People You Meet In Heaven

The Five People You Meet In Heaven
By Mitch Albom
208pp Passaic, New Jersey
ISBN-13: 9781401308582
Hyperion $10.80

This book was so amazing that it remained on the New York Best Seller List for 95 weeks. If the book wasn’t that marvelous why would it have remained there? Mitch Albom’s book The Five People You Meet In Heaven is an extraordinary book. You might think it’s a religious book because the title itself, but it isn’t. It is a captivating book that deals with fait, death, and how everything you do affects someone else. I found myself comparing little choices or decisions I made to the ones Eddie, the main character made. I’m not into books about heaven or death but I found myself loving every minute of it. I found myself gasping, crying, and laughing with the characters because of the way Mitch Albom portrays Eddie is so moving. If you want a good fiction book, this is a MUST read!
Eddie is a character who is alone in life, no family, no friends, just his job at the amusement park as janitor. It breaks your heart how alone he is. It’s so poignant the way it is written that it makes you want to befriend the aged lonely man.
The way the book starts is like the saying the end is only a new beginning. The beginning is the tragic, horrifying death of Eddie, and the death, or end, is only the beginning to his afterlife and the entry to heaven. The book puts such new perspectives on life to you and gives you knowledge of how to live life to the fullest.
So many quotes can apply to your life, or help you out. For example Ruby, one of the five people Eddie meets in heaven, says to Eddie “Holding anger is a poison...It eats you from inside...We think that by hating someone we hurt them...But hatred is a curved blade...and the harm we do to others...we also do to ourselves...” I personally love that quote because it help me let go of things because I was filled with anger. I learned to let go, appreciate what you have and to have faith. The book is like having a mentor or role model who teaches you how to deal.
While reading the book you find yourself astound on how every little thing one does can alter someone’s life. Take Eddie for example. He is playing ball in the street, when the blue man is in a car. Eddie drops the ball, and chases it into the street where the blue man suddenly has a heart attack due to the scare he is facing of hitting this little boy in the street.
Eddie goes through so much in the book. With deaths of every one he loves, to his own death in the very first chapter. He has to learn to accept death, fait, letting go, there are no random acts in life, and that love always wins! The way he learns is so amazing because he is so realistic, he’s a kind, old, and he would sacrifice himself for others. The way Albom shows this it makes you feel like you know him, to me I felt as if he was my grandfather.
Essentially this book is a must read whether you believe in heaven or not. I guarantee you will be moved by this book. There is even a movie too! One thing you will wonder after you finish reading this book is who will be your five people you meet in heaven?

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I read it once to myself and then out loud to my husband immediately after. Yes, it’s that good, you can read it twice all the way through two days in a row.

This is mind altering, really thought provoking. I wouldn’t classify this as religious AT ALL. Makes one stop to really think about what you’re doing in life and what life after death is like for not only you, but the people you touch.

Highly recommend.

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOLIER ALERT!!! DO NOT READ ANY FARTHER IF YOU HAVENT READ YET!!! What an incredible book this was. This was about a man who dies. He dies trying to save a little girl at the amusement park he worked as a maintenance man. After he dies, he meets 5 people who actually show him his life had meaning. Eddie, didn’t believe he was worth anything. He thought his life meant nothing. He first meets a man he accidently helped die after the man almost kills him with a car. The second one he meets is his captain in the army. He helps him understand what actually happened while he was fighting in the war. Captain shot eddie’s knee to keep him from entering a burning building that they set after they escaped from their captors. Eddie entered the burning building because he thought he saw a little kid in there. The third person is the woman who the amusement park was named after. She wanted Eddie to see the good in what Eddie did. She also helped him forgive his father after seeing the real man he was. The fourth person he meets is his wife. He loved her and only her. After she died of cancer, he never loved again. She showed him how much that really meant to her. The fifth person was the little girl who actually was in the burning building during the war. So he wasn’t losing his mind. This was a surprise ending. And you also found out he saved the little girl at the amusement park. And his life did have meaning. Because of how well he did his job, always making sure the rides were safe. Looking out for the kids, his life really did have value. One by one, these mostly unexpected characters remind him that we all live in a vast web of interconnection with other lives; that all our stories overlap; that acts of sacrifice seemingly small or fruitless do affect others; and that loyalty and love matter to a degree we can never fathom. This book brought tears to my eyes. It is definitely one of the good ones

[أروى · Rating 4 out of 5]

منذ مدة طويييلة لم أقرأ شيئا لامس أعماقي كهذا الكتاب، يجعلني أطرق وأفكر ، أنظر للبعيد الماضي وأتسائل عن القريب المقبل..


الكتاب يتحدث عن رجل مات في حادث أثناء تأديته لعمله في مدينة الملاهي ، بعد ذلك ينتقل هذا الرجل "إدي" إلى الجنة ليقابل هناك 5 أشخاص تقاطعوا معه بطريقة أو بأخرى في حياته..كل منهم كان ينتظره ليحكي له قصة كان لها تأثير على حياته وعلى تقرير مصيره في الدنيا، كانوا يساعدونه على فهم وتفسير كثير من الأمور التي لم يكن لها منطق واضح وقتها...


القصة مثيرة وترابط الأحداث متقن يظهر كم هي مصائر الناس متقاطعة ومترتبة على بعضها ، حتى لو لم نكن نظن ذلك...


جعلني هذا الكتاب أفكر كثيراً في حياتي، في الناس اللذين مروا بي ومررت بهم، في تأثيرهم على حياتي ، في التحول الذي طرأ على مساري بسبب شخص لم يكن يعني أن يكون له أي تأثير..!


كم من الناس أود سؤالهم لم فعلوا ذلك؟ كم من التفسيرات أحتاجها لأزيل كثيراً من الغضب أو الحزن أو الخيبة ؟ كم من التغييرات التي أحدثها مروري بشخص ما على حياته، ومسار أحداثها؟


كيف تلعب الأقدار دورها في رسم خرائط علاقات الناس وأعمارهم؟


..


..


الحياة..الشباب..الحب..التقدم في العمر..الحزن..الغضب..الفرح..الأنا....كل ذلك كان حاضراً بقوة وأنا أقرأ أعياد ميلاد إدي المتعاقبة وأكشف معه أسرار الأشخاص الخمسة في الجنة..!

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all my normal fare, but it was a last thing at night read. I am a sceptic, so again this would not be a book that would attract me; it’s not that I like the idea of the cessation of existence at death, but I think that’s what happens. So how come I read this? Occasionally I buy books at auction because they can be very cheap; this came with assorted others, so ended up on the shelves.
It’s very brief and could easily be read in one sitting and is about a fairground worker called Eddie. It isn’t much of a spoiler to say that Eddie dies at the beginning of the book. He then meets five people all linked to his life in some way who help him make sense of it all.
Albom is an interesting character; I knew little about him prior to this, apart from the fact he has spent years grumbling about the Harry Potter books and films because he felt they made children stop reading other children’s classics. And here’s me thinking Harry Potter was just another English middle class, public school story! He has a column in the Detroit Free Press where he rants a bit about modern life (he also crosses picket lines, but that is a different story!)
Back to the book; the reviews are mixed and it appears to be loved and hated (possibly by Harry Potter fans!) in equal measure. I can understand why; there is a lot of sentimentality and cliché (all endings are also beginnings; holding anger is a poison) and Albom has a habit of explaining thought processes and ideas in great detail which can irritate. There’s not a great deal to say about it; some people will love it and will find it comforting (most people want to believe everything will be ok in the end and we will see our loved ones again) and others will find it sentimental and irritating. Atheists probably shouldn’t read books about heaven!
Anyway I’ve also heard it said that heaven is whatever you conceive it to be. Therefore here is mine. Heaven is a library with all the books ever published. Everyone subscribing to this heaven has their own personal space. Mine would have an open fire, be lined with books (of course), have a good armchair and there would be excellent food available at all times. There would be communal spaces to talk about books, watch film or TV if you wished and first class coffee. There would be a few other tweaks, but that is the essence.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talks about a dead man,Eddie, who goes to heaven to learn what heaven is not about and what heaven should mean.
He will meet five important people in heaven (who may or may not be someone he knows personally during his lifetime) giving him a chance to look back and see how his life actually was as opposed to how he perceived his life when he was alive. *Some important themes that are dealt with:
Sacrifices that were unknowingly made; grudges, anger, hatred, regrets ruining lives; unseen blessings; single-mindedness ruining relationships; child neglect and domestic abuse; romance; war; relationships that make a person. *Misconceptions regarding this book:
It is a serious book dealing with war, deaths, broken relationships and complicated family relationships. Not just a mere philosophical book.
It is definitely a sad read, and not a self help book to deal with personal issues and how to come out of it.
But I guarantee you, you will not cry buckets but help you analyse your relationships and think about the important people in your life in a different way. *Why you should pick up this book:
It brings up issues that we usually don't consider important and think they don't make much impact on our lives when they actually do.
Complicated matters in relationships that are dealt with in the book with such depthness and understanding is really appreciable.

This is not a book meant for only adults.
I would like to recommend this book to everyone young and old.
I am sure this book is one of those life changing reads.

(One 🌟 less as I cannot help feeling interrupted in between because of some of the haphazard sequences. And the characters need to be elaborated a bit more to really know them.)

I am excited to read the sequel too! (But not anytime soon)😪

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buzzword A Thon
Golden Girls Read A Thon: Read a book under 200 pages

This is my 5th time reading this book. I can't explain why I love this book so much. I usually hate, Hate, HATE cheesy heartwarming stories like this.

And yet The Five People You Meet In Heaven just touches me on an emotional level.

Eddie is a grizzled old war veteran and widower, has spent the last 50 years working a job he hates at an amusement park and just feeling like his life has no meaning. Then on his 83rd birthday Eddie dies trying to save a little girl. When he awakens in the afterlife he learns that his earthly life will be explained to him by 5 people who were important to his life.

I wonder who my 5 people would be. I wonder how my life has been affected by people I don't even know. I think what I like about this book is the thought that even if we don't know it, our lives matter to other people. There are no meaningless lives.

READ THIS BOOK!

Its one of my all time favorites!

[Phrynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay but not as good as either The First Phone Call from Heaven or The Time Keeper. It was a pleasant enough story but it failed to really engross me in the various happenings.
Partly I think I found it an extremely weird idea of what Heaven might be like. The five people seemed a strange collection to me and I could understand if Eddie felt a bit miffed by who he got! I must admit I started thinking who I might want for my five people .........
Putting any criticism aside I read the book straight through and enjoyed it enough not to put it down for other activities!

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.”

A maintenance man called Eddie dies and is sent to heaven, where he encounters five people - some known to him and some not - who each teach him a lesson.

If heaven truly exists, I sure hope it’s exactly like this! What sounds better than meeting up with loved ones who have gone before and have them explain to you the meaning of your life?

Religion and whether or not you believe in heaven or the afterlife is obviously a very personal thing and therefore I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book to everyone. The book wasn’t overly religious nor was it preachy either, and I do think non-religious people could still enjoy the story, but that’s up to each reader to decide!

I do believe in God and I do believe in the afterlife - and I feel like that’s a difficult thing to openly admit on here, but I feel like it’s necessary to explain why I loved this book. It was a total comfort blanket for me - my beliefs are a way of coping with my dad’s death.

This is really a very touching story about the impact we have on those around us. The style and writing is simplistic, but it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and once again I was grateful to read a weepy book like this by the pool with sunglasses to hide my tears.

In conclusion, I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone, but if it sounds like something you’d enjoy or if you’re dealing with the death of a loved one, then give it a chance! 4 stars.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended only for theists of any flavour

From the back cover summary:

“When Eddie dies, trying to save a child from a terrible accident, he wakes up in heaven. Heaven, he discovers is a place where your life on Earth is finally explained to you. It is explained by five people, friends or strangers, who somehow affected your life – and who changed its path forever.”

As a confirmed atheist, my first thought, of course, is why should an omniscient, omnibenevolent and omnipotent god, subject his loving creations to such pain during their lifetime? But, that aside, even if I accepted the notion of a god and a heaven, I found THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN to be too simplistic, too pat, too cute and too saccharine by half. Such advice as it offered was entirely obvious to anyone who gives a moment’s consideration to life and its vagaries and none of its supposedly “pithy” commentary or observations constituted anything that might improve my time on this planet.

Not recommended to anyone other than those mentally enslaved by notions of god and religion.

Paul Weiss

[Dann · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's it. I'm not going to amusement parks ever again.

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Mitch Albom book to date! The descriptions of the characters are incredibly detailed! I would read/share these with my students to help them be better descriptive writers. A book that makes you think!

[Neha Shehrawat · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did and why you no longer need to feel it.“

The concept, the story, the lessons, and the idea of heaven- what was there not to like? After Khaled Hosseini and Toni Morrison, if there is an author I can read in one sitting, it is Mitch Albom.

The story starts with the last hour of the lead character ‘Eddie’ on earth. And ends with him understanding the life he left behind. As the title suggests, Eddie meets five people up in heaven, and all five of them had an impact on the life he lived. Each one of them carries their own story and a lesson for him.

“That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another.”

That's the beauty of this work of fiction, the entrapment of the lives of 6 different people as if they are all one. The thing I most love about Mitch Albom is his narrating style; there was not even a single dull or slow moment while reading his work. You and your imagination flow as the story moves forward.

I will surely recommend this to everyone. Please read this one; it's a must.

[Roos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku yang bagus terutama bagi yang suka memaknai dan menghargai Hidup, membuat kita untuk selalu bersyukur kepada Sang Pencipta.

Pelajaran 1:
Tidak ada kehidupan yang sia-sia. Satu-satunya waktu yang kita sia-siakan adalah waktu yang kita habiskan dengan mengira kita hanya sendirian.

Pelajaran 2:
Pengorbanan bagian dari kehidupan, bukan untuk disesali jika mengorbankan sesuatu yang berharga, karena kita tidak sungguh-sungguh kehilangan itu, Kita hanya meneruskannya pada orang lain.

Pelajaran 3:
MAAF. Karena menyimpan rasa marah adalah racun. Kita berpikir kebencian merupakan senjata untuk menyerang orang yang telah menyakiti kita. Tapi kebencian adalah pedang bermata dua, luka yang kita buat dengan pedang bermata dua, luka yang kita buat dengan pedang itu, kita lakukan juga pada diri kita sendiri. Jadi belajarlah me-MAAF-kan terutama me-MAAF-kan diri kita sendiri.

Pelajaran 4:
Cinta seperti Hujan, bisa menyuburkan dari atas, menghujani pasangan dengan keceriaan. Tapi kadang-kadang dalam panasnya kehidupan, cinta seolah kering dipermukaan dan harus tergantung pada akarnya yang tertanam dalam untuk membuatnya tetap hidup. Cinta yang hilang tetap cinta, bentuknya saja yang berbeda yaitu berupa Kenangan, kehidupan boleh berakhir tapi cinta tidak.

Pelajaran 5:
" Tidxk xdx kehidupxn yxng six-six. Sxtu-sxtunyx wxktu yxng kitx six-sixkxn xdxlxh wxktu yxng kitx hxbiskxn dengxn mengirx kitx hxnyx sendirixn".

Kita mungkin dapat membaca dan mengerti paragraf diatas dengan mudah meskipun huruf "A" diganti dengan huruf "X", tapi terasa bedakan?

Nah dari itu kita bisa ambil kesimpulan seberapa kecilnya peran kita dan bisa digantikan , tetaplah kita membuat suatu perbedaan yang berarti bagi dunia. Maka mulai sekarang belajar BERSYUKUR terhadap apapun yang terjadi terhadap kita.

Oke, Selamat membaca Teman-Teman!