The Midnight Library: A Novel Paperback – International Edition, September 29, 2020

Excellent read. Beautifully written, the truth certainly captivates. This book certainly surmises the metaphysical realm in its excellent story telling. A well worth read for anyone whose curious about what's out there

Not a particularly happy book, but I enjoyed reading it. Some of the concepts were innovative and interesting. I would recommend it for a light read.The writing was smooth.

The Midnight Library ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Trigger warning: suicide.Have you ever wondered how life would turn out if you made a different choice? A choice as simple as going to Publix instead of your usual Kroger, or more extreme such as staying married versus divorcing. Imagine how one small decision could drastically alter your life. Do you believe in a parallel universe? Because I do, and that’s what makes this book so magical.The gist of the story is that Nora overdoses, wakes up in a library, and begins living out alternate lives. Most notably: an Olympic swimmer, a world famous rockstar, and a glaciologist. If she’s uncomfortable/unhappy with a life, she transitions back to the library and chooses a new life.I don’t want to spoil the rest. The overarching theme is to live your life. Don’t stew over the what-ifs. Don’t envy a life that isn’t yours. Commit to living the life you’re given. Naturally, we ponder the what-ifs, the regrets, the could-have-beens. This book really sends the message to stop comparing, wishing, yearning and to start living.I don’t think I have the words to articulate just how lovely this book is. You’ll just have to read [email protected]

“Eqidistance. That’s how she felt most of her life. Caught in the middle. Struggling, flailing, trying to survive while not knowing which way to go. Which path to commit to without regret.”~ Matt HaigNora Seeds is depressed, unhappy with life, and frozen with regrets over her poor choices and wrong decisions. She's convinced taking her own life is the only way out of a life she has gotten so wrong.When Nora wakes up, she finds herself in the Midnight Library, a place between life and death where every book is an alternate story of Nora's life. Each story is a life Nora would have had if she had made a different choice, at a crucial time, for her path in life.Nora has a chance at another life and it's hers for the choosing. Will she make the right choice and find a life where she can finally experience happiness and a life worth living?This is the second of the two April '22 selections for the community book club I belong to and I was excited to dig into a book with such a creative premise that was already on my TBR. I enjoyed being a silent passenger along for the ride in Nora’s journey, where the pages turn quickly and the ending attempts to make sense.Although the five-month gap between reading and reviewing this book wasn't intentional, I've had plenty of time to digest how I felt about the way this story played out. Originally I just struggled connecting with both Nora and the offered ending, but eventually more issues surfaced.This author knows depression and suicide and, in fact, uses both as catalysts in this book, yet they have a superficial part in the story. The author's writing begins to feel preachy, from my viewpoint, about the choices Nora should make in her life. If she chooses this life with this decision she won't have depression and she'll live her best life? All Nora has to do now is make the right choice and she'll feel better about her life. That sounds a bit wonky to me when mental health is at the heart of the Nora's issues.Please don't get me wrong, although I don't love it, I do like this story, the Magical Realism and the Time Travel, but I do have mixed feelings about it. This story is mostly sad, Nora is horribly confused, and how is this okay? Some things don't feel right about this story and I can't love it based on how it makes my heart feel.I apologize if I'm offending those readers who love this book, which is not my intent. The same book, different readers, result in differing opinions, it's a fact. There are literally hundreds of thousands of reviews of this book to source and read. Mine is just one of very few outlier reviews.

I enjoyed the premise and I was interested in the main character. I suspected it would end in a predictable scenario but along the way I hoped it would continue on the course it was at a particular stage. Yet that remained a possibility even when it didn't. I liked the writing and will be reading the second most popular book by this author, The Midnight Library being the most highly regarded by far.I wasn't familiar with Matt Haig and decided to read this book having searched around for something highly rated that sounded interesting. By the time I had completed the book I would have bet it was written by a woman. I did not refresh my memory of the author and unlike a physical book you have to go out of your way to see the cover and author's name when reading on a kindle. So apparently Matt is not a pen name used by a woman. So much for that notion.

The Midnight Library is well written. The premise is interesting. At some point, it becomes very predictable, which is not satisfying.

Me encantó!!! Muy fácil de leer. En 8 días lo terminé. Es una buena historia. Va por pequeños capítulos. Es inglés británico. Muy lindo y bastante recomendable.

Gostei bastante e me vi na protagonista. Não sou diagnosticada com depressão, mas sei que tenho muita ansiedade e depois de muitas mortes em minha família, o mundo se tornou ainda mais sem sentido para mim e fico me perguntando se minha vida não seria melhor se eu tivesse feito outras escolhas. Gostei de ver ela vivendo diversas vidas. Diferente dela, no entanto, agora estou terminando minha faculdade e estou pensando no que fazer da vida, porque sinto que errei feio na faculdade, estou há 10 anos e foram 10 anos sem muitos avanços em minha vida, sinto que se tivesse escolhido outra faculdade mais fácil para mim, teria terminado bem mais rápido. Mas é isso, e agora estou com pavor de escolher o caminho errado de novo, e também com pavor de, assim como na faculdade, não ter coragem de desistir e acabar em algo que não me deixa feliz de novo. Mas é isso, me vi na personagem porque tenho essa de ficar me imaginando em mil cenários diferentes, mas acabo achando que em todos serei infeliz. Mas ótima leitura, o final não foi surpreendente, mas foi de aquecer o coração.

Świetna opowieść

Bought as a gift but it unfortunately arrived damaged, so the seller said I could keep it and get a replacement for the gift.I didn't plan on reading it, but i felt like i should so i read it and couldn't put it down, it made me smile, it triggered memories, some good , some bad, made me cry my eyes out (I also lost my baby (cat) not very long ago), so that part absolutely broke me, I miss her every day, it hurts my heart so much, and I have never felt OK since she went to heaven, that part broke my heart, I was in tears, especially the page that is blank except for " I miss my cat I'm tired", I felt that with all of my heart and soul, I have said these exact words, tired with pain, grief, heartbreak, life. I too lived a life (2years ago) with cancer, I too lived the life where I was in a car accident and fractured my ribs, my happy place is also a library, and my "Mrs elms ", would be Mr Giles (a librarian on buffy the vampire slayer, that tv show got me through bullies at home, bullies at school and got me through cancer, it gives me strength, when i was a kid i would pretend giles was my dad, i thought he was an amazing father figure, i loved how kind he was to buffy, so giles is a comfort to me), the leads name is Nora, mine rhymes with hers, father much the same as nora's, and my favourite poet is robert frost, i also love animals too and would love to have the funds to open a rescue centre, i worked as a carer for elderly people, i too always made time to sit with them, nobody should feel alone, my dream was to learn piano and to be the author of a published book, I let fear and other people get in my head my whole life, and it stopped me living, truly living, it was crazy reading this, I felt like the author went into my head and wrote about me, this book couldn't have arrived into my life at a better time, by the time I finished it, I felt so incredibly inspired, I decided I'm going to live, really live, I'm going to learn piano ( I have one in my house an electric piano ( its my soulmates piano ), I've never tried to play it, but Ive always wanted to learn, I've had an amazing idea for a few novel's that I have notes written down for, but now I feel inspired, I'm going to write the novel's, and then I can say I did it, regardless of the outcome, I can say I did that. Thankyou a thousand times to this amazing author, your book, your words, your creativity has given me that motivation. Thankyou! You're a true genius, this book, this story is truly amazing, I read ALOT of books, but this one is different, I recommend that everybody read this at least once in their life, (if you, like me have depression and anxiety make sure you take breaks ,maybe a day off reading inbetween chapters as it's an emotional roller coaster, but absolutely worth it in the end. :) 11/10 amazing!

Lovely book, I love it