The Midnight Library The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

    • 4.3 • 10.3K Ratings
    • $11.99
    • $11.99

Publisher 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.


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.

GENRE
Fiction & Literature
RELEASED
2020
September 29
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
304
Pages
PUBLISHER
Penguin Publishing Group
SELLER
PENGUIN GROUP USA, INC.
SIZE
1.9
MB

Customer Reviews

pookiereads ,

Perfect.

8/10 read. Loved the constant change in storylines and overall message.

camillian24 ,

Surface level understanding of mental health with misogynistic messaging

At first, I was enjoying the book. But it very quickly completely lost me. What wasn’t lost on me was how many times Nora’s age, marital status, and lack of children came up every few pages. Definitely was pushing the idea that older women/women in general have no purpose if they aren’t wed and/or with children. This was proven by how suddenly Nora’s favorite life was the one where she WAS married and with children - I wish I could say I was surprised.

The book itself half way through was completely grasping at straws. All of a sudden, we find out that there are other people all over the world who have their own personal versions of a Midnight Library. We find out Nora can interact with them and that they are called “sliders.” This is mentioned once and never brought up again. A really useless plot point that did nothing to further the story at all.

The real icing on the cake was the end, which showed a complete lack of understanding into mental health recovery and building back familial relations. Nora wakes up, is taken to the hospital and behold! She is completely okay mentally, just picks up all her old hobbies, her and her brother are friends again just with the snap of a finger. I don’t think the author dug deep at all in the conversation surrounding mental health and particularly mental health among women (which I also am not surprised by because the author is not a woman).

What I see is a missed opportunity for a larger, more meaningful conversation about these topics (mental health and mental health among women).

malakb15 ,

So good!

Been wanting to read this book for a while now. After finally deciding to read it, I can confidently say you won’t be disappointed. It is a beautifully written piece that shines light on how to live and accept. Can’t recommend it enough!

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More Books by Matt Haig

How to Stop Time How to Stop Time
2018
The Humans The Humans
2013
Reasons to Stay Alive Reasons to Stay Alive
2016
The Comfort Book The Comfort Book
2021
The Radleys The Radleys
2010
Notes on a Nervous Planet Notes on a Nervous Planet
2019

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