Welcome to my stop on the First Phone Call From Heaven blog tour hosted by TLC Book Tours! Today I have my review of the book to share with you!
The First Phone Call From Heaven
Author: Mitch Albom
Genre: Contemporary/Mystery/Inspirational
Release Date: November 12, 2013
Publisher: Harper
Description:
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.
The First Phone Call From Heaven is a fantastic novel that mixes mystery, faith, and suspense in a compelling and thought provoking story. It follows several different characters over the period of sixteen weeks or so. The characters all have two things in common: they are residents of the small town of Coldwater, Michigan; and they all have been receiving phone calls from deceased loved ones in heaven. The story is one that stretches the reader's imagination, beliefs, and faith while adding in a gripping mystery with lots of twists. In the end, the mystery is solved and everything is revealed - or is it? The author leaves the characters - as well as the readers - to their own thoughts and beliefs. I don't want to give away any spoilers about the plot, but the idea of getting to speak to a deceased loved one from heaven again definitely piqued my interest. It's a fascinating concept and one that demands debate. The characters in the novel are well written and realistic - each has flaws, weaknesses, and doubts along with their strengths. They were very accessible and easy to identify with throughout the book. I loved how the author wrote the story - it's told in chapters that represent weeks. The first chapter covers the day that the phone calls from heaven occurred, while each chapter (for the most part) covers the following weeks after that cataclysmic event. Within the chapters, we get to see fragments of several different characters lives and how they react and are impacted by these phone calls. Each chapter deals with all of the characters in their own stories, which entwine to show the bigger picture by the end of the book. The writing style was compelling and flowed effortlessly. I found myself immediately engaged with the book and I know I'll be thinking about the questions and ideas it posed for a long time after finishing it. Highly recommended for fans of all types of fiction or for someone looking for a thought provoking and highly interesting read!
Mitchell David Albom is an author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold over 35 million copies worldwide; have been published in forty-one territories and in forty-two languages around the world; and have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed television movies.
Author Links:
You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times 
