The Midnight Library: A GMA Book Club Pick
By Matt Haig
- Release Date: 2020-09-29
- Genre: Fiction & Literature
Description
The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon
Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year
"A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits."—The Washington Post
The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and The Comfort Book.
Don’t miss Matt Haig’s latest instant New York Times besteller, The Life Impossible, available now
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. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Reviews
Amazing!
5By User5753;8I finished this in one day! I couldn’t put it down! I actually kinda regret finishing it so fast lolEmotional and Life Changing
5By skicmqjnfeTruly a book of poetry - and it teaches a very valuable lesson in life. If you are anyone who is even a little bit lost, this book will guide you through the journey you are in eith right now.10/10 writing - thank you MATT!
5By mmanjangThe book in one of the early chapters states something that sets the tone perfectly: "Between life and death there is a library. And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be different if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?" The first half of the book follows Nora (main character) through different versions of her life, and what struck me most is that no matter the circumstances, she is still the same person. It drives home this idea that who you are at your core doesn't really change. There's even a line near the end that sums it up about how love, laughter, fear, and pain are universal currencies across every life you could live. Around the halfway mark, Nora meets Hugo, the book introduces the concept of quantum physics and parallel lives and I personally appreciated this scientific explanation to what was going on and also helps the book from feeling like fantasy novel.Adiamond
5By ADiamond59I could not put this fascinating book down. Wonderful and heartwarming.YOLO (or do you?)
3By SavGDubConsidered DNF because the first half was slow and—not quite predictable—almost unsurprising. However, the book itself is rather like the library it frequents: rich with metaphor, emotion, opportunity, and nuggets of wisdom. It is an exploration of life—the only one we have—and what it means to treasure it.Deep thoughtful
5By nicolesyogaLoved itWhat I already knew but needed to be reminded of
5By Kim KimmAbsolutely enthralled by this book.And there I was…
5By JuanbeomI am not much of a reviewer but I wanted to put something down for such a lovely read. Reading this book, as cliché as it may sound, sparked some change in the way I see life. My life. This book definitely made me realize that I truly do not know what I am doing with my life, but that it is okay not to know. Anyway, I don’t know where I was going with this, but I recommend you read this book. Find the time to sit and enjoy the beautifully painful and relatable and hopeful story it tells.Midnight Library
5By dalba12Such a good read. Mid way through it got so good I couldn’t put it down. First book club book and this was five stars. Never knew where Nora was going or what she was doing next!Life Changing
5By LAwomenMatt is an amazing author. This book will change your life - it changed mine 💕Midnight library
4By queezygyroEasy readA quick meaningful read
4By MikeyPodreally enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, which was exactly what I needed. There were some powerful moments and several passages I highlighted along the way. At times, I wished the message had been delivered with a bit more subtlety; it might have landed more deeply if it hadn’t worked quite so hard to make its point. Still, I found it engaging and hard to put down. It gave me some meaningful perspective on regret and the importance of letting it go.Makes me feel like I’m not along in depression.
4By FreedasiyIn Matt’s books are always an important lessons to be remembered. He has always been the author that made me feel that he really understands depression and that’s a comfort.Easy read with a unique premise, but ultimately forgettable.
3By filmguyryanAt times the chapters felt redundant. The existential angle wasn’t fully realized. I was only moderately rooting for the main character. The story was okay. That’s about all I can say for it. It is an easy read and worth flipping the pages, but in the end it’ll be lost on the bookshelf and you won’t think much about it again.Cool idea (see A Christmas Carol) but…
2By cybrquackReads more like a YA imo. And maybe like a first novel. At 182 pages it basically explores one layer of what could be a very complex and fascinating ride. To be what it wishes it was he’d have to take the (Christmas carol) concept and really blow it up. Nothing new here but a change of venue.Enchanting
5By gailllsueeeIn the beginning I didn’t quite get the concept. By the end I I was beyond enchanted.Creative and thought-provoking
4By Sabrina AlfinHow do we live a life? And what might happen if we took a different path? These are the questions The Midnight Library attempts to answer. Engaging, humorous, and often uplifting, this is a magical story with great characters.The Midnight Library
5By jejejwkejrbvyvehwA tale for the ages - have no regrets!Charming and delightful celebration of life
5By Economan1This book will lift anyone’s mood.
