The Midnight Library

Paperback

ISBN:
978-1-78689-273-7
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4 stars (99 reviews)

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. …

1 edition

Loved this as Invisible Cities

No rating

I love these kind of books that explore how one thing can be multiple things - like cities in Invisible Cities or time in Einstein's Dream. In this case, it's one life and all the alternative universes that might spin off it. Altogether, an enjoyable read though maybe not as poignant as Invisible Cities or Einstein's Dreams.

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This is a relatively fast read. There's a lot you can skim.

It's getting a 3-star review because I like the concept. However, in its execution this book wasn't for me. I'm not sure who it's for, to be honest. I could go into why, but I'm not sure that really helps anybody because the why's feel personal and not generic.

I will say every positive review I've read of this book implies I should already know who Matt Haig is, and I have aboslutely no clue who he is, even after googling. That's probably the most generic issue I have - that the book seems to be sold on his name recognitition to a good degree and I don't recognize his name.

So, again, it's an okay book. I wouldn't recommend it because I don't know who it's for, probably people who already like Matt Haig and would read …

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

(4.5 stars...minus .5 star for wrapping things up too neatly...)...but really loved the premise that regret will hold you back (and the sci-fi/fantasy angle was kinda cool too!). My better half lives by the code of “we make the best decisions we can at any given time and any subsequent second guessing is not productive”. I’ve always admired that in her. This book embodies that philosophy.

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

This was.. fine? Cute, I guess? I have a lot of complicated thoughts about this book, but it all evens out to a solid "It was fine."

From a technical standpoint, the writing was solid. The prose was appropriate and I found the setting to be incredibly charming. I loved how the author wove in callbacks to setting and people that made me smile when we got to see people and places across lives. The pacing felt a bit rushed, and character dialogue never felt natural (Nora lived untold lives, but she still stumbled through conversations? She's constantly dropping '...well I did that in another life...' as if that's a normal thing to say?) I think some of the characters were supposed to be written in a way that made them loveable but flawed, but often I just didn't like them. Mrs Elm in The Library felt condescending and unhelpful. …

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I love the underlying message of this book and am very glad I now have a book I can point to as an illustration of that idea, but ultimately I feel the book is a little shallow, so I just can't quite justify a 5 star rating. I still highly recommend it, and hope someday I can debate with someone about what I see as it's weaknesses.

Review of 'The Midnight Library' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The first chapter of this book was really quite depressing. The following chapters livened it up a bit, but the book in general was a little bit upsetting. Right before the end, my opinion almost completely changed. It's actually quite uplifting, and I would imagine that it might make someone think twice about suicide, assuming they didn't get too depressed at the start.

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