The five people you meet in heaven
It's a great book, and a very quick read. Ideal for discussion because it tkes less than 2 hours to read!
On the surface, Eddie seems like the average guy. He fought in the war, got married, made some friends and spent most of his life repairing and maintaining the rides and Ruby's Pier, a small amusement park right on the water.
The book begins with a countdown to Eddie's tragic, accidental death. He doesn't know he's going to die, so we see a simple day in the life of a seemingly simple man who has let one day bleed into the next since the horrors he witnessed at war and the death of his beloved wife, Marguerite.
Then, the unthinkable happens at Eddie's park, a freefall ride car starts hanging and appears as if it is going to fall, right onto the head of a little girl! In Eddie's last moments, he lunges toward the girl, with the ride car falling fast, and the last thing he remembers are two tiny hands in his.
The next thing Eddie knows, he's in heaven, but it's not in HIS heaven, but the heaven of the 'blue man', a man who was once part of the freak show act at the pier when Eddie was a little boy. The Blue Man explains to Eddie that he will meet five people who will help him to understand the meaning if his life, which seemed to meaningless and insignificant to Eddie.
To tell who the five people were would give away too much of the book's meaning, and the delightful anticipation while reading it, but I will say this, Eddie meets five people, some he knows, and some he doesn't know, and they show him how seemingly insignificant moments of his life, even in his darkest days, have had profound meaning and influence on the lives of others. Albom teaches Eddie, and all of us that 'no man is an island' in this uplifting, magical tale.
This book is a rich story, but a very quick and engaging read, easily broken up into sections, for those with little time. It's definitely a worthwhile read.
Albom's vision of heaven is just one way of looking at it, but what a delightful way of looking at it it is. The most any of us can hope for is that at the end of our lives, they have had some meaning, some influence, and there is some order to the chaos of even the most seemingly senseless acts and tragedies. Albom gives us this hope, along with a refreshing and uplifting tale about love, family, loyalty and life itself.
On the surface, Eddie seems like the average guy. He fought in the war, got married, made some friends and spent most of his life repairing and maintaining the rides and Ruby's Pier, a small amusement park right on the water.
The book begins with a countdown to Eddie's tragic, accidental death. He doesn't know he's going to die, so we see a simple day in the life of a seemingly simple man who has let one day bleed into the next since the horrors he witnessed at war and the death of his beloved wife, Marguerite.
Then, the unthinkable happens at Eddie's park, a freefall ride car starts hanging and appears as if it is going to fall, right onto the head of a little girl! In Eddie's last moments, he lunges toward the girl, with the ride car falling fast, and the last thing he remembers are two tiny hands in his.
The next thing Eddie knows, he's in heaven, but it's not in HIS heaven, but the heaven of the 'blue man', a man who was once part of the freak show act at the pier when Eddie was a little boy. The Blue Man explains to Eddie that he will meet five people who will help him to understand the meaning if his life, which seemed to meaningless and insignificant to Eddie.
To tell who the five people were would give away too much of the book's meaning, and the delightful anticipation while reading it, but I will say this, Eddie meets five people, some he knows, and some he doesn't know, and they show him how seemingly insignificant moments of his life, even in his darkest days, have had profound meaning and influence on the lives of others. Albom teaches Eddie, and all of us that 'no man is an island' in this uplifting, magical tale.
This book is a rich story, but a very quick and engaging read, easily broken up into sections, for those with little time. It's definitely a worthwhile read.
Albom's vision of heaven is just one way of looking at it, but what a delightful way of looking at it it is. The most any of us can hope for is that at the end of our lives, they have had some meaning, some influence, and there is some order to the chaos of even the most seemingly senseless acts and tragedies. Albom gives us this hope, along with a refreshing and uplifting tale about love, family, loyalty and life itself.
