The Midnight Library: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel (The Midnight World)
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?
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Community Reviews
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Midnight Library* by Matt Haig offers an imaginative exploration of choices, regrets, and self-worth, resonating with those intereste...
This one was not for me at this time. I liked the concept, but felt like it became repetitive until the easily predicted ending. To be fair, there is a lot of potential for philosophical thinking if you want to reflect and go deep. I was not in that headspace when reading it, thus it almost became a DNF. If you want to think deeply and philosophically, you will enjoy it much more than I did with my current frame of mind.
This book seems to be a self-improvement book or “self-help” book poorly disguised as fiction.
This book just wasn’t for me. When I read a book with an underlying lesson to be learned, I need it to be underlying. This book however was very obvious in its message, and for me, that took away from the story. However, I found no interest in the story or the characters. I thought the premise sounded good, but this book, unfortunately, didn’t work for me.
This book just wasn’t for me. When I read a book with an underlying lesson to be learned, I need it to be underlying. This book however was very obvious in its message, and for me, that took away from the story. However, I found no interest in the story or the characters. I thought the premise sounded good, but this book, unfortunately, didn’t work for me.
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
288 pages
What’s it about?
When Nora Seed decides she no longer wants to live anymore she finds herself suddenly thrust into "The Midnight Library”. The Midnight Library is a place where she hovers between life and death. Here she can choose alternative lives to address her many regrets. But what life (or death) will Nora ultimately choose?
What did it make me think about?
This story certainly made the point that all our choices (small and large) create our path in life.
Should I read it?
This book was much like the most comfortable pair of shoes you own- just so easy to slip into. My assumption is that this book will be a favorite too many- and offensive too few. I liked the book and enjoyed taking a break from so many books lately that are trying to convince me of a viewpoint. I would recommend this one- especially if you are ready for a break from heavy reads.
Quote
“ ‘Between life and death there is a library’ she said. ‘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?’ “
If you liked this try-
Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
The Storied Life of A.J. Fiery by Gabrielle Zevon
The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
288 pages
What’s it about?
When Nora Seed decides she no longer wants to live anymore she finds herself suddenly thrust into "The Midnight Library”. The Midnight Library is a place where she hovers between life and death. Here she can choose alternative lives to address her many regrets. But what life (or death) will Nora ultimately choose?
What did it make me think about?
This story certainly made the point that all our choices (small and large) create our path in life.
Should I read it?
This book was much like the most comfortable pair of shoes you own- just so easy to slip into. My assumption is that this book will be a favorite too many- and offensive too few. I liked the book and enjoyed taking a break from so many books lately that are trying to convince me of a viewpoint. I would recommend this one- especially if you are ready for a break from heavy reads.
Quote
“ ‘Between life and death there is a library’ she said. ‘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?’ “
If you liked this try-
Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
The Storied Life of A.J. Fiery by Gabrielle Zevon
The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Though a work of fiction, this story has a truth that deeply resonated with me and read like a philosophical memoir with a magical twist. It's clever, unique, and fast paced which made for an easy and enjoyable read despite some of the heavy content.
"The only way to learn is to live."
"You don't have to understand life. You just have to live it."
“It is easy to mourn the lives we aren't living. Easy to wish we'd developed other talents, said yes to different offers. Easy to wish we'd worked harder, loved better, handled our finances more astutely, been more popular, stayed in the band, gone to Australia, said yes to the coffee or done more bloody yoga.
It takes no effort to miss the friends we didn't make and the work we didn't do and the people we didn't marry and the children we didn't have. It is not difficult to see yourself through the lens of other people, and to wish you were all the different kaleidoscopic versions of you they wanted you to be. It is easy to regret, and keep regretting, ad infinitum, until our time runs out.
But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It's the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people's worst enemy.
We can't tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on."
Though a work of fiction, this story has a truth that deeply resonated with me and read like a philosophical memoir with a magical twist. It's clever, unique, and fast paced which made for an easy and enjoyable read despite some of the heavy content.
"The only way to learn is to live."
"You don't have to understand life. You just have to live it."
“It is easy to mourn the lives we aren't living. Easy to wish we'd developed other talents, said yes to different offers. Easy to wish we'd worked harder, loved better, handled our finances more astutely, been more popular, stayed in the band, gone to Australia, said yes to the coffee or done more bloody yoga.
It takes no effort to miss the friends we didn't make and the work we didn't do and the people we didn't marry and the children we didn't have. It is not difficult to see yourself through the lens of other people, and to wish you were all the different kaleidoscopic versions of you they wanted you to be. It is easy to regret, and keep regretting, ad infinitum, until our time runs out.
But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It's the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people's worst enemy.
We can't tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on."
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