The Midnight Library: The Multi-million Copy Bestseller

This book can be life changing if you read it with depth. Talks about meaning of life and a very interesting way.

Between life and death there is a library... Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices...'. Well, that's what any good story or good book does to the readers. I connect with the premise instantly. A girl on the brink of ending her life full of misery and regret finds a solution in Midnight Library. It enables her like magic realism to undo every regret by going back to life and getting back to root life again like Time travel. By the time I finished the one third of the book, it made me feel that under the garb of fantasy fiction, I was carried away by run on the mill self help book, a genre I simply shied away! But as I keep on reading, there are many interesting lines to underline or note down as take away here. But then there are moments where the entire narrative feels like done and dusted to my reading journey! Matt Haig picked something from everyday life and painted the gallery of the human condition with sympathy in its light and dark shades. There are moments where I feel connected to its protagonist Nora Seed and her Book of Regrets. Music, literature, philosophy (loads of Henry David Thoreau 'Walden'), Geography and Cat, everything intertwined in a casual languid manner of narration that drifts and floats the readers like those Murakami books. However narration slightly lagging halfway and lapses into the trite and obvious where death of one or other character is almost recurring trait! I read some rave reviews about the book but ended up having mixed feelings for the book, though don't feel it's a wasted attempt!

It's a very very beautiful book about life, choices, regrets. We have one life but that one life is made of a million decisions and every decision is a choice that shapes your future outcomes. So what if you get a chance to relive your choices and regrets - the way you want it? What will happen then? Except for a lil rushed and abrupt ending epilogue/climax - I loved the whole book!!! Must read. I read the whole book within 48 hours. Very beautiful and gripping.

This was my first book that i read and it was so good i wisj i could read it again and again. Definitely a must buy

I would like to thank amazon for amazingly delivering the book so kudos to them. "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig presents an intriguing premise through its protagonist, Nora Seed, who finds herself in a library between life and death. This library allows her to explore different lives she could have lived had she made different choices. While the concept is fascinating and taps into the popular idea of the multiverse, the execution feels somewhat predictable and lacks depth. Nora Seed’s journey across various lives echoes the common trope of "what if" scenarios, where she jumps from one version of her life to another. The narrative explores themes of regret, choice, and possibility, but the exploration of the multiverse is superficial. The idea that Nora can remember the lives she experiences, though it takes time, adds an interesting layer to the story, but the scope of the multiverse itself remains underdeveloped. For instance, when Nora meets another character in Svalbard who can also shift between lives, it raises intriguing possibilities that are ultimately left unexplored. It feels as though the premise of the book is almost entirely based on a quote from Sylvia Plath’s "The Bell Jar": "I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked... and as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet." This quote encapsulates the paralysis of choice and the inevitable loss that comes with indecision—central themes in "The Midnight Library." However, where Plath’s metaphor is rich and evocative, Haig’s exploration feels less nuanced. Throughout the book, Nora quotes philosophers like Kant and mostly Thoreau, but these references are often superficial. Though she may cite their ideas, the book doesn’t delve deeply into them. The philosophical musings seem to serve more as a backdrop to the central message of "carpe diem" rather than being fully explored or integrated into the narrative. This stands in contrast to the seamless blend of philosophy and storytelling found in the works of Haruki Murakami, where philosophical themes feel organic and deeply intertwined with the plot. Overall, "The Midnight Library" is an enjoyable but ultimately forgettable read. It’s a book that touches on big ideas but never fully engages with them, leaving the reader wanting more depth and exploration. For me, it’s a one-time read that I would rate 3 stars 🌟

Honestly its a 3.8/5 reed for me Not an outstanding read but definitely a good heartfelt read The beginning is interesting, but as it gets to the mid, it becomes a bit monotonous. ( but you'll keep going to find what would happen towards the end ) Overall the story is good and is trying it's best to touch one's heart; which it does at some parts. And as it progresses to the end, it indeed becomes very heartwarming and emotional. If you are looking for this kind of vibe, go ahead with this book.

This book left me in quiet wonder about what it truly takes to live a life, rather than just understand the meaning of it. The Midnight Library is a beautifully written time-travel story with a hard-hitting, deeply human message at its core. It makes you pause and ask uncomfortable questions: No matter how many regrets we try to leave behind, would changing them really change our happiness? Every choice we make opens up a hundred different possibilities, each capable of altering the course of our lives in ways we can’t predict. What stayed with me most is the reminder that every single day gives us opportunities to redefine how we live. Not by chasing a perfect life, but by accepting the imperfect one we already have. Thought-provoking, emotional, and quietly powerful—this book doesn’t just tell a story, it lingers with you long after the last page.

Griping Story and a very nice perspective to tackle the difficult situations

Livro extraordinário e de uma imaginação incrível! Um excelente presente para de Natal ou de aniversário para alguém inteligente Recomendo!

I find myself lately reading what I think are very good books. From the pleasant to the thought provoking to the fun to the serious and enlightening to the masterful to the beautiful to the despairing and tragic. This I tell you is a read that yet again I cannot properly articulate into language on the fundamental essence of its themes and context. To put simply, it is quite something that I totally did not expect in many ways, although I expected in some. But as I read and discovered, it is truly remarkable. So here is what I will write with my utmost ability in describing something so accessibly written and simply said, yet so profound and significant. What comes to mind when I recall back as I turned from page to page is a question - “What Does It Mean To Be Human?”. It is apparent to me that I am yet again, reminded that what seems to be the things we want aren’t necessarily so and the things we truly need or want have been many a times right in front of us I suppose. When I look up at the stars at night, I am acutely aware how insignificant and meaningless we all are individually. How abysmal most of our efforts are in trying to live up to Human made concepts of what is considered to be an appropriate life and how one should behave. What I have learned from this is that there is no appropriate way, there is of course being a decent human being and how we can treat each other better. But there is NO absolute way of living. There is just living and figuring it out as we go along. The Midnight Library would definitely be one of my cherished books for this time around, as it solicits perspectives, drives hard the extremes of what is possible, and forces one to contemplate infinity and the singularity of all things. For some reason, I feel hope because I feel I have a better understanding of what being present in your current situation entails. This perhaps is cliche and cringy to say, but it’s the truth. I believe we all know this, but we tend to need reminders every now and then. After all, our perfection as individuals and on the whole; Humanity, is that our perfection lies within the imperfections, the Chaos of Life. I conclude my personal review with this; with another idea or perhaps a stipulation: everyone has their own direction of life and their own codes of philosophy to live by, yet the as we slowly step towards the vast and endless unknown, it is the potential of the indeterminate future that allows us to discover new things, try different things, and grow and break and grow and break again. I believe that is what we call progress. If you cannot tell from my bias, this book is definitely worth the time to read and consider and contemplate. I am in a situation right now where I am hesitant on certain moves and of future prospects, but this has provided some much needed clarity. Not bad Haig. You indeed did your job.

Eu simplesmente amei o livro!!! O inglês é bem fácil de ser compreendido e a história é bem fluída. Eu gostei da personagem principal e também em vários momentos me vi no lugar dela. Chorei em algumas partes porquê o autor consegue transmitir os medos dela de maneira que chega a doer, o que tornou a experiência de leitura muito única. Foi meu primeiro livro deste autor e espero ler outros.

Great book. Bought the hardcover edition. The dust jacket is plastic-like but not glossy. The paper is good.

I really enjoyed this book. Good characters and the story is pretty cool. I liked how it ended. The main character could be frustrating at times but in the end she was great.