The Five People You Meet in Heaven

published	April 7th 2006 by Hyperion
first published	2003
binding	Paperback
isbn	1401308589 (isbn13: 9781401308582)
pages	208
description	Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 8...more [close] Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs. Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. --Patrick O'Kelley [close]
date added	11-17-06 edit book

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AJ rated it:

(review of isbn 0786868716)

07/27/07

recommends it for: drippy, sentimental pieces of shit who love lifetime tv movies

what providence: i just remembered this book after I read some holier-than-though pretentious bullshit Mitch Albom wrote about Harry Potter. Mr. Albom-Winfrey seems to think the mass marketing of Harry Potter has ruined the theoretical lives of such figures as Winnie the Pooh, Clifford, Curious George, etc., despite that his own shitty books have been thrust upon the world under the same kind of marketing blitz.

As if I weren't annoyed enough at his article, I was subsequently reminded of th...more

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11 comments

Fretty rated it:

10/10/07

bookshelves: novel

Read in October, 2005

recommends it for: everyone

"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 o...more "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....less

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Fira rated it:

07/16/07

“Orang-orang asing adalah keluarga yang masih belum kaukenal…. Tidak ada kehidupan yang sia-sia. Satu-satunya waktu yang sia-sia adalah ketika kita menghabiskan waktu dengan mengira bahwa kita hanya sendirian.”

Keseluruhan novel ini sangat layak untuk diambil sebagai bahan reramuan mengolah hidup dan kehidupan. Tentang kerja dan profesi, ada catatan penting tentang harga dari sebuah profesi, terutama pada aspek nilai penting pekerjaan kita bagi orang lain. Apakah kita cukup sekadar meli...more “Orang-orang asing adalah keluarga yang masih belum kaukenal…. Tidak ada kehidupan yang sia-sia. Satu-satunya waktu yang sia-sia adalah ketika kita menghabiskan waktu dengan mengira bahwa kita hanya sendirian.”

Keseluruhan novel ini sangat layak untuk diambil sebagai bahan reramuan mengolah hidup dan kehidupan. Tentang kerja dan profesi, ada catatan penting tentang harga dari sebuah profesi, terutama pada aspek nilai penting pekerjaan kita bagi orang lain. Apakah kita cukup sekadar melihat pekerjaan dari besarnya upah atau status?—tidakkah akan sangat menyenangkan sekiranya kita bisa memiliki profesi yang bisa memberi bahagia untuk orang lain, untuk memberi makna bagi orang lain? Tentang nasib, adakah kita cukup mengerti apa dan bagaimana kita di dalam keseluruhannya? Tidakkah kita hanya sekadar tahu dari sudut pandang dan pengetahuan kita semata, dan bukan dalam jaringan hidup yang saling mempengaruhi dan kait-mengkait? Soal pilihan-pilihan, apakah kita benar-benar memilih dengan benar, untuk kemudian menyesali pilihan itu—atau kita tidak memilih dan kemudian menyesalinya. kenapa kita tidak membiarkan semuanya berjalan apapun adanya dan kita menjalaninya dengan bahagia?

Adakah yang lebih berharga melebihi cinta? Novel ini secara keseluruhan adalah kisah tentang cinta, bersama pahit dan getirnya, manis dan indahnya. Cinta antara lelaki dan perempuan, anak dan orang tua, kawan dan sahabat, lingkungan dan kenangan, dan lain sebagainya. Tentu saja, bagian terindah dari kisah cinta itu adalah perjalanan cinta sepasang anak manusia. Orang sering mengatakan mereka “menemukan” cinta, seakan-akan cinta sejenis benda yang tersembunyi di balik bongkahan-bongkahan batu. Tapi cinta mempunyai berbagai bentuk, dan tidak pernah sama bagi setiap pria atau wanita. Yang ditemukan orang sebenarnya cinta tertentu. Dan Eddie menemukan cinta tertentu dalam diri Marguerite, cinta yang didasari rasa syukur, cinta yang mendalam walaupun tidak menggebu-gebu, cinta yang ia tahu lebih dari segalanya, tidak bisa digantikan oleh apa pun. Alangkah bahagianya, sekiranya kita adalah Eddie, ketika Marguerite, istrinya, dengan lembut berkata, “Aku tahu… bahwa kau sangat mencintaiku.”

Buku ini terutama layak dibaca oleh para dewasa dan mereka yang ingin menjalani hidup dengan lebih dewasa, lebih arif dan bijaksana. Layak juga untuk orang tua yang hendak menelaah kembali hubungan mereka dengan anak-anaknya, atau calon anak-anaknya, dan untuk anak yang ingin mengupas kembali hubungan mereka dengan orang tuanya. Layak juga buat mereka yang tengah mencari dan/atau kehilangan cinta…....less

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Lizzy <3 rated it:

(review of isbn 0786868716)

08/18/07

bookshelves: bookswithamazingendings, favoritebooksever

This book is very imaginative I'll give the author that much at least. I don't know if I liked the story so much as the way it was written. Don't get me wrong, the story was very creative and it made you think, but he wrote so poetically it was hard for the words not to sink into your soul. The story was about a old crippled man named Eddie. Eddie worked at an amusement park called Ruby Pier and he was the head maintenance worker. The book starts on the day of his death. There was this little gi...more This book is very imaginative I'll give the author that much at least. I don't know if I liked the story so much as the way it was written. Don't get me wrong, the story was very creative and it made you think, but he wrote so poetically it was hard for the words not to sink into your soul. The story was about a old crippled man named Eddie. Eddie worked at an amusement park called Ruby Pier and he was the head maintenance worker. The book starts on the day of his death. There was this little girl in the amusement park and her mom had left her alone so she could go on the rides with only her boyfriend and not her daughter. There was this ride at Ruby Pier called Freddy's Free Fall and it is one of those rides that you're at the top of a really tall pole and it just let's the cart drop and it's really fast until something catches it and you slow down right at the very end. So anyway, as Eddie is doing his rounds Freddy's Free Fall breaks and the cable is starting to snap (but nobody knows this yet) and there are people at the top and Eddie goes and tells his co-worker to get the people out of the cart and then to let the cart drop. But then as his coworker has gotten everyone out of the cart and preparing to let it drop Eddie realizes that it's the cable and if they let the cart drop, the cable will snap and it will fall off its tracks into the crowd of people that had formed below. Eddie tries to yell to his coworker but he doesn't hear him and so Eddie yells to the crowd to get back. The people listen...all except for the little girl. So as his coworker lets the cart down Eddie runs to save her but as soon as the cart falls on him, he feels two little hands in his. He doesn't know if he saves her. Then he has to go to heaven and meet five people that will explain to him about his life. I think this book was very inspiring. I was surprised at the ending and I thought that is was very good. I just really enjoyed reading Mitch Albom's work mainly I think because of the poetry. It was written in a very captivating style. I think that my favorite phrase that the author used was to describing Eddie. "...this was who he was and who he would always be, a man with sand in his shoes in a world of mechanical laughter and grilled frankfurters." Mechanical laughter and grilled frankfurters. This book should be read by anyone and everyone and although it is not very religious, it really made me think about life and life after death. VERY GOOD READ!...less

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6 comments

Mirna rated it:

11/28/07

bookshelves: inspiring

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: yg ingin mendapatkan inspirasi mengenai kehidupan

Sebenanrnya buku ini tidak pernah aku baca sendiri. Buku ini merupakan buku yang di-share oleh Mba Ita dalam acara sharing buku di Tim Merah (di kantorku ada 3 tim -Merah, Jingga, Kuning-).

Buku ini bercerita mengenai bayangan seseorang mengenai kehidupan setelah mati. Menurut bayangannya, roh orang yang telah mati akan disambut oleh 5 orang yang -langsung atau tidak langsung, dikenal atau tidak- memiliki hubungan dengan kehidupannya.

Dikisahkan sang paman baru saja meninggal. Sang paman b...more Sebenanrnya buku ini tidak pernah aku baca sendiri. Buku ini merupakan buku yang di-share oleh Mba Ita dalam acara sharing buku di Tim Merah (di kantorku ada 3 tim -Merah, Jingga, Kuning-).

Buku ini bercerita mengenai bayangan seseorang mengenai kehidupan setelah mati. Menurut bayangannya, roh orang yang telah mati akan disambut oleh 5 orang yang -langsung atau tidak langsung, dikenal atau tidak- memiliki hubungan dengan kehidupannya.

Dikisahkan sang paman baru saja meninggal. Sang paman bekerja sebagai mekanik di sebuah taman hiburan. Ia meninggal ketika sebuah komidi putar yang sedang bergerak mengalami masalah. Seorang anak perempuan yang sedang naik belu sempat diselamatkan ketika akhirnya terjatuh dari komidi putar. Dengan segera, sang paman menangkap anak tersebut. Anak tersebut jatuh tertindih tepat di atas badannya. Seketika itu juga sang paman meninggal.

Mulai di sinilah digambar sang paman memasuki alam fana dan ia lalu menemui 1 demi 1 orang yang berkaitan dengan hidupnya tersebut. Ia bertemu dengan (note : maklumlah, karena ingatan penulis review yg pendek, lupa urutannya deh)Manusia Biru (yang secara tidak langsung meninggal ketika bertemu dengan sang paman waktu masih kecil), Jenderal sang paman semasa perang, seorang anak kecil, dan...lupa yg 2 lagi siapa. Hihihi... setiap bertemu dengan 1 orang, ia selalu sibuk menanyakan bagaimana anak kecil di komidi putar yg ditangkapnya itu? Selamat/tidak? Tetapi tidak ada yg menjawabnya. Setelah orang kelima ditemuinya, barulah ia mendapatkan jawabannya.

Inspirasi yang aku dapat : bahwa kita, langsung/tidak, disadari/tidak, mau/tidak, mempengaruhi dan dipengaruhi oleh orang lain. Bisa saja bahkan kita menjadi turut andil dalam kehidupan/kematian orang lain tanpa kita sadari. Setelah acara ini, beberapa dari kami mengkhayal : "Kira-kira siapa 5 orang yang akan kami temui nanti ya?"

Oya, mau tau tidak anak kecil di komidi putar itu selamat/tidak? Ternyata anak tersebut selamat. Dan kita juga membayangkan, kiranya nanti saat anak kecil tersebut meninggal dunia, mungkin sang paman adalah salah seorang (dari 5) yang akan ditemuinya kelak....less

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Frailty rated it:

08/06/08

Read in August, 2008

"It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."

"He lowered his chin and held his arms out like a glider, and every few steps he would jump, the way children do, hoping running will turn to flying. It might have seemed ridiculous to anyone watching, this white-haired maintenance worker, all alone, making like an airplane. But the running boy is inside every man, no matter how old he gets."

...more

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Zinta rated it:

(review of isbn 0786868716)

11/04/07

bookshelves: fiction

Read in February, 2006

I had read "Tuesdays with Morrie" some years ago, and liked it so much that I bought several copies as gifts. This time, I had decided to bypass Albom's newest, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." My reasons? The book was getting so much hype, and, well, something about that process, perhaps my personal bias, but I go into avoidance when I smell "sheep mentality." Unfair, no doubt, and no doubt with such a bias I do miss a good book now and then. But this time I h...more

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lynne rated it:

(review of isbn 0786868716)

07/20/07

bookshelves: 2007

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: those in need of reminders that we are all connected

Very much in the same vein as Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom once again attempts to impart some life lessons, this time in the form of speculative fiction in terms of what actually happens when you die.

Bordering on but never quite crossing over into the preachy, this book puts forth Mr Albom's premise that after you die, you go to heaven, where the first objective is to essentially make meaning of your life. You get to meet five people who discuss how your paths crossed, and how you impa...more

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John rated it:

(review of isbn 0786868716)

03/25/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: Sentimental readers

I read this entire thing in one long day of airplane trips, and I'm a pretty slow reader. That should say all it needs to about its accessibility.

It's really not about supernaturalism, so much as it's about using an afterlife as a mirror to reflect on life and make sense out of the best and worst things that we've done and that have been done to us. Albom espouses a view that there is an order to things, but that we can't recognize it through human perception - but that it's still there, and...more

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Iliana rated it:

07/11/08

Read in April, 2008

This book is such a gorgeous tale of life after death and Mitch Albom makes you hope what he envisioned is how it all plays out after life. The way in which it's written makes it a very quick and easy read; however, there was something about Mitch Albom's style of writing that didn't particularly appeal to me personally, but that's not to say it's still not a great book. There are so many passages throughout his book that I highlighted because they are truly little morsels of genius. Even though...more

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Teresa rated it:

08/04/08

Read in July, 2008

Following Eddie through his death is like wandering beside him through his search for understanding. His death is not the cliffhanger but the impetus for his journey. The story is his process of coming to terms with his life, his relationships, his choices.

In addition to moving Eddie forward through the steps of heaven, Mr. Albom uses flashbacks to his birthdays in life to inform the reader of Eddie’s history. These flashbacks, like most flashbacks as a literary tool, are difficult to comp...more

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RJ rated it:

(review of isbn 0786868716)

02/22/08

Read in December, 2004

Normally, I'm not drawn to works of fiction, but after reading Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie," and after reading all of the very positive reviews about TFPYMIH, I thought I would give this a read. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made about a book in years.

I read the book in one afternoon for two reasons - it is a very short read, but, most importantly, it was too compelling and gripping to put down. Albom has written a brilliant interpretation about what ha...more

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Femmy rated it:

07/27/07

bookshelves: fiction-and-literature

Read in January, 2005

Buku ini berkisah tentang Eddie, seorang pria tua yang merasa terperangkap menjalani hidup yang dianggapnya tidak terlalu berharga. Pekerjaannya "cuma" memperbaiki wahana di taman hiburan semacam dufan. Pada hari ulang tahunnya yang ke-83, dia meninggal ketika mencoba menyelamatkan seorang gadis kecil dari salah satu wahana yang rusak. Nah, setelah itu dia terbangun di surga, dan dia bertemu dengan lima orang yang membantunya memahami arti kehidupannya di dunia, plus memberinya lima pe...more

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Dawn rated it:

03/30/08

Read in March, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Ariana rated it:

10/30/07

Read in September, 2007

I had first decided to read this book because it was recommended to me by many people. I did not particularly enjoy it, partially I think because I couldn't really get into it and also I had high expectations that it did not meet up to. The book is about Eddie, who is 83 years old and has worked at this amusement park for many years. His life comes to an end one day when he tries to save a little girl from one of the rides because the cable had broken and the car was falling. Instead of fallin...more

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Sammy rated it:

(review of isbn 0786868716)

06/13/07

bookshelves: the-best

Read in January, 2005

This book is not one of those, "Let's look at all the bad things you have done and how can you change it so everyone's life is better and you can be happy" books. It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol aren't very good comparisons to this book. The only thing similar is that there are parts when the characters look back on their life.

But rather than showing Eddie how he could have made things differently or what life would have been like without him there, Eddie ...more

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Sara rated it:

07/17/08

bookshelves: adult-fiction

Read in July, 2008

I liked this book or a number of reasons. I liked the concept of how when Eddie dies, five people from his life are waiting for him, to explain his life to him and how it affected others (and, consequently, was also affected by others). The writing, while short and simple, complemented the book's tone and drew me in. I also enjoyed the story as a whole, as it kept me wondering what would be revealed next about Eddie's life and who he would meet. I was very involved and interested in the stor...more

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Tamra rated it:

04/11/08

Read in April, 2004

recommends it for: people who like light, fluffy, lame books

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