The 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 … 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.
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“if you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. aim to be you. aim to look and act and think like you. aim to be the truest version of you. embrace that you-ness. endorse it. love it. work hard at it. and don’t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. most gossip is envy in disguise.”
this book couldn’t have come into my life at a better time. as i was listening to it, i definitely felt like it was teaching me the lessons that i needed to hear in those moments. this book is like a novelization of self-help concepts like self-love, learning to let go (of the past, of mistakes), and finding pleasure in your life, even during the not-so-nice times.
i found the main character, nora, to be very relatable too. she was flawed and vulnerable, and her struggles boiled down were very universal; regret of choices made/not made, uncertainty about one’s purpose, insecurity about other’s expectations, etc.
and let’s not forget the writing! haig’s prose is just beautiful. i dare you to open this book to any page and not find a wonderful quote. go ahead. i’m waiting.
would rec to anyone who would enjoy a philosophical fantasy that explores the meaning of life, finding happiness, accepting one’s self, and other topics that have plagued humans for about as long as we’ve existed.
I just don’t get why people rave about this book.
If a review would do this book justice, I would write one. But words cannot describe what this book did to me. It takes everything you know and understand about life and upends it until you no longer know what to believe. This is a whirlwind of fantasy yet not-fantasy, truth and untruths, wishes and dreams. If you want a seriously good book that will sweep you away, pick up The Midnight Library.
I just finished this wonderful book, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. A cross between It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol and Waiting for Godot, this modern story explores the question most of us have had – What if I had chosen a different route in life?
Nora Seed has many regrets and is at low point in her life. The midnight library is her chance to experience where other choices would have taken her – to see if those choices would have turned out how she expected, to see if any of them would make her happier. She learns about herself and the up and down cycles in life as she lets go of some of her biggest regrets. For a book that starts out quite dark, it leaves readers with hope and a reason to reflect on their own lives.
An intriguing book with an original premise, The Midnight Library not only kept me turning the pages, but also got me thinking about the many possibilities I’d love to explore in my own life, had I made different choices. A story about life, death, and parallel universes, this book is both fun and thought provoking.
This story really pulled me in. The regrets of the main character are understandable and gut wrenching. Trying to please everyone and unable to please even yourself is something that many people struggle with. The way this book handles that idea and mental health is very interesting and unique. I liked the idea of the multiverse and many lives. Loved how it all come together and was so straightforward and thought provoking. A lot can be learned from this story.
I didn’t like the use of all the *f* words. I understand that is common for many, but not for me and it made me move my rating from 4 to 3. The start of the book I was leaning more toward a 5.
It was thought-provoking, philosophical, and a little different.
Somewhere between life and death is a place of choice. A place to decide whether the regrets that dwell deep in the heart are worth trying to correct….to see if life could be different .. better. For Nora, her regrets are many, and life is not worth living. Who would miss her? Who would care?
Nora is tired, makes a decision to end that tiredness, and ends up at the Midnight Library. The library is her place of alternate and infinite lives and will stay in place as long as she is between life and death. Faced with her Book of Regrets, she has to choose…find a life within these infinite choices and live .. or let it go and pass on.
What a beautifully written book. I love books that have a way of immersing me into the story…so much so that I lose track of time. I may be done with this story but I definitely haven’t stopped thinking about it.
I’m sure many of us have regrets we wish we could go back and change. If we did…would that change the course of everything as we currently see it? Would it change the important things that have come from it? It’s about choices…decisions and irreversible movements.
After reading this, it certainly made me think about my past. While there are certain aspects of my life I regret, I realize I wouldn’t go back and change it. There is so much that has come from my path (both good and bad) which I would lose if that path was tampered with. I would rather have gone through what I did, than to tempt fate and risk losing what I have now.
What an absolutely amazing read. Definitely recommend this one.
The whole idea is that regrets can weigh you down. Do not dwell on the “what ifs” and “if onlys”. Enjoy the life you have and live each day to the fullest. Matt Haig is a terrific writer. He does not preach. Instead, he brings you to the realization that choices, once made, have consequences, good or bad. Weigh your options and then choose the best road to take. No regrets.
Nora Seed believes she has nothing left to live for and decides to end her life. What she doesn’t expect is to have her path put her on a different path one where she can choose the type of life she may want, but will she find what she is looking for?
This was different then what I usually read, I have to say it was pretty good. I liked the idea of getting a second chance or two at what if’s. I thought this was well written and takes a heavy subject and has Nora exploring possibilities all the while remembering her life the way it was. Definitely made you think.
Engaging throughout, this is an easy-to-read, life-affirming, feel-good book about embracing all that life offers you.
Don’t be put off by the beginning, where protagonist Nora Seed feels like her life has no meaning and all she is good at is letting other people down. And PLEASE DON’T stop reading when she contemplates ending her life. (Suicide attempt warning.) Instead, suspend your disbelief and enjoy Nora’s exploration of the The Midnight Library, where she gets to peruse some of the lives she MIGHT have lived.
Author Matt Haig offers all of us the chance to watch, vicariously, as Nora does what so many of us think about doing everyday — answer some of life’s most intriguing questions. What if I had stuck with that sport I was good at as a youngster? What if I’d not given up on my passion for music? What if I had married someone else? How would my life be different if I’d made even the smallest decision differently.
This novel turns out to be original, ingenious, full of surprises and pure fun! And unless you are a completely callous human – you will end this book feeling better about your own life and choices. Don’t miss it!
This is not a book I would have chosen to read, except that my daughter brought it with her when she came for Passover and then my youngest son read it when she was done. Both recommended it, and now I recommend it to whoever is reading this review.
We all have regrets and wish we could have do overs to things in our past that we wish we had made a different choice. But if we did, then like the butterfly effect, it would change our lives and those around us. That is the idea in Sci Fi, why you should never go back to the past. And that is what this book is about. Taking ideas from science (physics, quantum mechanics), pop culture (multi-universe), philosophy and some movies and Tv programs, what could have been just a messy mishmash, instead is a skillfully and well written weaving of all these ideas.
Nora Seed, could have been an Olympic swimmer, a rock star, song writer, scientist, but many bad choices have lead her to realizing at the age of thirty that she wasted her life and had no one to share it with. The final straw was being fired from her job and her cat dying. So she overdoses on her anti-depressants and finds herself in The Midnight Library with one of her favorite people in her past, the school librarian, who was always very kind to her. The library, which reminds me of Death’s Library in Supernatural, houses all the possible lives she could have had and she is offered the chance of finding a life that she truly wants to live. She visits many of these lives, seeing people that she has known, and meeting new ones, but their lives have changed because of choices that she made. She meets another near dead person, who calls what they do “sliding” ( I remember a tv show called Sliders, where the cast “slide” between parallel universes). It is quite an interesting and entertaining book. And of course there is the mental reference to It’s A Wonderful Life.
It’s a Wonderful Life meets the 21st century.
Matt Haig creates a wonderful world of possibilities in the Midnight Library where a young women Nora is able to choose other lives and explore the paths not taken .The author contends when we only focus on the book of Regrets those possibilities narrow.We are only limited
By our lack of imagination ,in life’s journey.The writer tells us maybe that’s what all lives were, though. Maybe even the most seemingly perfectly intense or worthwhile lives ultimately felt the same. Acres of disappointment and monotony and hurts and rivalries but with flashes of wonder and beauty.Maybe that was the only meaning that mattered . To be in the world ,witnessing itself !As we embark on the road of life we are reminded in all its moments of suffering and joy to treasure the time we have
I loved this book. It harnessed the idea of the power of manifestation and choice in our life and also reminded me that there is so much more to life and death. Well written, highly entertaining and unforgettable.
I had fun imagining all the possible paths my own life could have taken. It has Buddhist philosophy intertwined with quantum theory. It made me smile
I loved this book SO much! It was everything and more, wrapped up in a teeny tiny package! This was a quick read & listen for me because, of course, I had to do both!
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The exploration Haig takes readers on is unlike any I’ve read before; all of those comparing this book to a modern-day “It’s A Wonderful Life” retelling with a sci-fi twist would be right on point. The very idea of being at the end of your life, by choice (TW: suicide), and then given a chance to revisit a life’s worth of regrets and play out an endless amount of possible what-if scenarios (think along the lines of the multiverse) was absolutely mind-blowing. The way Haig tackles the tough topics within, barely scratching the surface, is like a breath of fresh air. To think about any choice, big or small, you have made or could ever make, and its impact on your life, in the long run, brings about a deep and impactful internal discussion. Or at least it did, with me.
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I enjoyed Nora Seed’s journey and immensely adored the ending and the message between the lines. Nothing I say could genuinely bring this book justice. You need to read it for yourself. I’d recommend this book to literally everyone. This is easily a top read of 2021 for me!
It’s always wonderful to read a book which you enjoy and leaves you pondering over your own life. The Midnight Library did just that for me. Great read, loved the plot and Matt Haig’s approach, and by the end it made me review some of my own life’s decisions and how I should be thinking about them now.
This book was very engaging! The idea of exploring parallel lives was both haunting and addicting. What would you do if you were offered a chance to step into another path of your many life options? Well written and a great story!
I loved this book. It came at a time in my life where I really needed the message.
Throughout, there were lines that spoke directly to my heart, getting my mind working and helping me heal. If you’re going through a time in your life where something horrible has happened to you or you’ve made choices you regret, this is the book for you. Perspective is an amazing thing.