Release Date: November 12/2013
Adquired: Print copy provided by publisher
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Indigo/Book Depository
The First Phone Call from Heaven tells the story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. An allegory about the power of belief--and a page-turner that will touch your soul--Albom's masterful storytelling has never been so moving and unexpected.
Readers of The Five People You Meet in Heaven will recognize the warmth and emotion so redolent of Albom's writing, and those who haven't yet enjoyed the power of his storytelling, will thrill at the discovery of one of the best-loved writers of our time.
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In all honesty, this wasn't my favourite Mitch Albom book. There's always that thrill, of finding out that one of your most cherished authors has put out a new book. You open it to that first page, and almost will your entire being to love it, no matter what. But I couldn't with The First Phone Call from Heaven, it just didn't hit me as hard as his previous books. There is absolutely no denying, however, that this book was filled with inspirational moments-that's a Mitch Albom promise, he WILL make you cry, and parts of The First Phone Call from Heaven did get to my soft spots.What would you do if your next phone call was from a deceased love one? What would you say? What would you want THEM to say? It was such a fascinating synopsis, and so true to the types of narratives only Mitch Albom could pull off. For me, the first 5 pages were the most powerful. Three people receiving phone calls from loved ones who have long since passed. It stopped my heart, the possibility of it, even in fiction. As the book progressed, however, I found myself drifting farther away from such a fantastical notion. Halfway through The First Phone Call from Heaven, I grew bored with the phenomenon, and craved more character development instead.
Mitch Albom has a knack for giving you just the most vulnerable parts of his characters-you know them, but you don't really know them. In this book, I wanted to KNOW them. I grew particularly fond of the faint relationship between Chief of Police, Jack Sellers, and a recipient of a "heavenly call", Tess Rafferty. At some point while reading, I wanted the entire story to just be about them-I wanted to see their bond deepen, I wanted to know their entire histories. But alas, that is not the way of an Albom story line. No, it's the major life lesson waiting for you at the end of the book, the hard-hitter. For the first time while reading one of his books, I just didn't want to get to that part. I kind of figured, early on, where the story was heading, and wanted to just hang out in the middle for a while, get to know everyone. It may have been the simple fact that he doesn't usually give us THIS many characters to read about-I got caught up in wanting to know so much more, that maybe I missed the point of the book.
There were definitely those moments though, where my heart swelled up to twice it's size, and I couldn't stop the single tear that inevitably finds it's way out of my eyes when I read one of his books. His writing is so poignant, and is always, in someway, relatable to your own life, and the vulnerabilities you've developed; the pains you didn't know you were holding on to. The First Phone Call from Heaven was no different from Mitch's other books in that sense. If you're looking for perspective, this book is chock full of it. It may not have been my favourite, but it may very well become yours.
Recommended for Fans of: The Shack, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day, Inspirational Fiction, religious aspects in fiction.
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Mitch Albom has quite the extensive bio, CLICK HERE to read all about his journey!
Contact Links
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Thank-you to Trish from TLC Book Tours for hosting this tour, and to Harper Collins for sending me a print copy to review!
I enjoyed reading your review. I have this book on order and can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteHi Pat! I really hope you enjoy The First Phone Call From Heaven! Thank you for your kind words. I'll be sure to check out your review once it's gone live =).
Delete"His writing is so poignant, and is always, in someway, relatable to your own life, and the vulnerabilities you've developed; the pains you didn't know you were holding on to." THIS!!! I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour!