Hello! My name is Chie. I am likely to be the girl you'll see whose eyes would bulge out of their sockets at the sight of a book store and be seized by waves of epileptic shock whenever there is a book bargain. I'll probably be the one pushing you out of my way to get through the book bargain bins and tediously combing through the pile. (I forget my manners when it comes to books). I am tone deaf and have two left feet. But I would endure the embarrassment of a performance in exchange for books (terms and conditions apply). I have created this blog in order to find kindred souls. Those who would gladly share the same passion for books and reading because although reading is solitary task most of the time, it's no fun having no one to ramble to after..
Synopsis: Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tried to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer.
In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"
Review: The reason which propelled me to read this book was its title, which hooked me and I wanted to know more. The book answers the question we all ask at some point in our life, "What will happen after death?" But do not think of it as a religious book indicating philosophy of a particular religion or scholar. It is just author's interpretation of afterlife and he explains it through a story in the most simplistic words possible. The book is just over 200 pages long, so it can be read easily in one sitting.
It is about Eddie, who works at an amusement park and the story starts from his 83rd birthday, the day when he dies whilst saving a girl from a fallen cart. I won't spoil the ending for you so you can enjoy the book, buy it and find out more. The gist of the book is that "Throughout your life, you come across many people, some of whom you know, somehow you don't, but all of them change the course of your life in some way or the other. You may or may not notice when you are alive but through the journey in heaven, you find out how and when the path of your life changed due to interaction with someone significant or insignificant individual in your life. " As I started this book, in spite of being able to predict what will happen next, I wanted to know who those five people Eddie meets in heaven are and how they changes his life at some point or the other, and at what levels his life got affected by them.
This is the theory of life and afterlife put forward by the author through the main character of this book. The only thing that bothered me was the way he tells the story, like an old man trying to teach morals to his grand children through "once upon a time" stories. Maybe the author could have out his thoughts in a non-fiction categorising the book under self-developmental/self-help/ spiritual book" to make it a mature reading. But in spite of his preaching style, you will not find it dull or boring. You may or may not agree with the writer's beliefs and how he perceives life hereafter but you will definitely like how the story unfolds smoothly from one chapter to another and keeps you engaged til the end. The book is suitable for children and adults because of its simple yet interesting style. So give it a read and let me know how did you find it.
Synopsis: Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tried to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer.
In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"
Review: The reason which propelled me to read this book was its title, which hooked me and I wanted to know more. The book answers the question we all ask at some point in our life, "What will happen after death?" But do not think of it as a religious book indicating philosophy of a particular religion or scholar. It is just author's interpretation of afterlife and he explains it through a story in the most simplistic words possible. The book is just over 200 pages long, so it can be read easily in one sitting.
It is about Eddie, who works at an amusement park and the story starts from his 83rd birthday, the day when he dies whilst saving a girl from a fallen cart. I won't spoil the ending for you so you can enjoy the book, buy it and find out more. The gist of the book is that "Throughout your life, you come across many people, some of whom you know, somehow you don't, but all of them change the course of your life in some way or the other. You may or may not notice when you are alive but through the journey in heaven, you find out how and when the path of your life changed due to interaction with someone significant or insignificant individual in your life. " As I started this book, in spite of being able to predict what will happen next, I wanted to know who those five people Eddie meets in heaven are and how they changes his life at some point or the other, and at what levels his life got affected by them.
This is the theory of life and afterlife put forward by the author through the main character of this book. The only thing that bothered me was the way he tells the story, like an old man trying to teach morals to his grand children through "once upon a time" stories. Maybe the author could have out his thoughts in a non-fiction categorising the book under self-developmental/self-help/ spiritual book" to make it a mature reading. But in spite of his preaching style, you will not find it dull or boring. You may or may not agree with the writer's beliefs and how he perceives life hereafter but you will definitely like how the story unfolds smoothly from one chapter to another and keeps you engaged til the end. The book is suitable for children and adults because of its simple yet interesting style. So give it a read and let me know how did you find it.
