304 pages
English language
Published Dec. 12, 2020 by Penguin Publishing Group.
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 …
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.
Cool concept. The story was kind of predictable though, and there was no effort to reconcile the concept of Nora being dropped into these lives, with what happened to the "other Nora" she replaced. Felt like a self-help book in novel format. A bit disappointed.
You should have no regrets about life after this one. Affirming yet tough and true.
A bit of a warning, if you've ever been depressed, this book can make you touch very difficult feelings. But it's worth the struggle.
Astonishingly beautiful, life-affirming, and fun book, with a protagonist more charming than she realizes. Once you get past the first few short chapters of her countdown to suicide, including discovering her cat died.
I got stuck on those for 2 months, returning the book to the library, then borrowing it again, twice. Maybe rang to close to home. But this week I made myself power through them, and after that I couldn't put the book down before finishing it. Other than to pet my cats, of course.
Those first chapters are well-written and immediately engaging. Just be aware of the suicide, dead cat, and depression issues as potential triggers and/or blockers.
