For One More Day

'Every family is a ghost story ...' As a child, Charley Benetto was  told by his father, 'You can be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy, but you  can't be both.' So he chooses his father, only to see him disappear  when Charley is on the verge of adolescence. Decades later, Charley is  a broken man. His life has been destroyed by alcohol and regret. He  loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits rock bottom after  discovering he won't be invited to his only daughter's wedding. And he  decides to take his own life. Charley makes a midnight ride to his  small hometown: his final journey. But as he staggers into his old  house, he makes an astonishing discovery. His mother - who died eight  years earlier - is there, and welcomes Charley home as if nothing had  ever happened...

Mitch Albom is the bestselling author of the inspirational bestsellers, Tuesdays With Morrie and Five People You Meet In Heaven. Here, he provides us with another modern fable of family ties, the chance to rebuild a parental relationship, and to exercise and to seek forgiveness. Did you identify with any of the characters here? Did the book's view of family relationships resonate with you? Did you come away from the book with a different view of family relationships than before? We'd love to hear from you on these, or any other aspects of the book that you found interesting...
 
  If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?
 

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Comments

[adele winston]

This book is as American as home cooking and baseball bleachers, both of which it contains in goodly measure. The volume is beautifully produced. Though a paperback, it feels expensive, with a pretty, understated drawing on the cover and paper of a quality that gives a tactile pleasure.
Having lived for some years in Central Pennsylvania - albeit in the eighties, some years later than the main events in this story - I recognize Mitch Albom’s characters as old friends. The father desperate for his son to achieve success as a baseball player. The mother desperate for her children to be the first members of the family to go to college, sufficiently desperate to scrub other people’s floors to pay for tuition.
The story is simple and good-hearted. Reading it in bed, I found it had the same quality as a comfort blanket. The hero - eventually, he is a hero - is Charles “Chick” Benetto. His mother is always there for him; she puts little notes in his pocket to give him support, even on his first day of school when, unsurprisingly, he can’t yet read. His father leaves the family - his wife, Chick, and Chick’s younger sister - and his attractive mother has to cope alone in an age when divorcees are shunned, especially those perceived as a threat by less attractive, anxious wives. His mother is a good woman. She works as a nurse; significantly, in the fifties, she addresses the black woman she employs as “Miss Thelma”. His father is not a good guy, which becomes increasingly evident as the story unfolds. There are mistakes made, there are regrets, and there is, eventually, healing.
If you need a gift for your Mom or indeed her Mom (or Mr Rogers) for Thanksgiving, this is it. And you don’t have to be Jewish or Italian to adore it; but it couldn’t hurt.

[Michael Scanlon]

I started the book last night and didn't put it down until it fell out of my hands at about 3am, at which point i was about half way through. It's a charming story told in a straightforward, uncomplicated way. While reading it I couldn't help thinking of John Fante's book, Wait Until Spring, Bandini, probably because of the glimpses of childhood but also the style; short chapters that move the story quickly and effortlessly from one place to another. Unlike Bandini though, Chick doesn't have a vicious streak, not in the same way. When we see the younger Chick being nasty, mainly in a childish way towards his mother, it's because he's in an embarrassing situation, or because his young mind can't fully understand the situation he's facing. I'm thinking of the 'Mummy' fancy dress costume and the scene where he is pressured into siding with his father over whether the dinner is cooked properly (I've been in that same situation and it gives me no pleasure saying it played out in exactly the same way). I like the themes that Albom has presented in the first half of the book, in particular when he puts forward the idea that we chase the love that seems to turn its back on us and ignore the love that's standing right in front of us - arms open. One other thing that really struck me was the ease with which the ghost of Chick's mother inhabits the "here and now" of the story. I haven't even questioned how or why she is there yet, I've just accepted it in the same way that Chick does. I'm looking forward to finding out where the story goes from here.

[S Jackson]

I definitely think this book is on the same emotional and sentimental wave as The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Albom does seem to have a certain penchant for this style of writing) but I found this a lot more personal. It will make you think of loved ones and if you have ever, ever thought to yourself "I wish I had..." when thinking of time spent with those closest to you then I think you will be intrigued by the concept of this book - even more so if you enjoy being steeped in the nostalgia of our childhood, as this book is bound to evoke certain memories.

For me though, as with The Five People You Meet in Heaven this was just a little overly sentimental and I could not really relax with it. It just didn't seem to be able to draw me into the story and make me feel anything for the characters, I always seem to be missing the beat with Albom's books, maybe they are just not for me.

[J Atkinson]

I absolutely loved this book and read it in three hours. Yes it is as sentimental as 5 people you meet in heaven but that is the charm of the book. It certainly made me think about the people I have in my life at the moment and those who aren't. It tells of the unknown sacrifices that most Mothers make for their children and is in part a ghost story. Would highly recommend this as a quick read.

[C Grouchey]

'For One More Day' is the story of a man who gets the chance to go back and look at the mistakes he made throughout his life : for one day he is able to share with his mother (who died 8 years previously) her side of the story - and having lost my mother I really related to this book.

For one day he is allowed to make up for lost time with his mother and look at events in his life from her point of view. The book also reveals to Charley the family secrets that he knew nothing about as a child.

An excellent and emotional read.

[Neil Fulwood]

For One More Day is a swift, unpretentious read. And for me that was part of the problem. I appreciate that Albom's literary style is intented to be conversational - ie. much of the book is Chick Benetto verbally relating the story to a third party (who is not identified till the end) - but there's only one sequence that has any real literary gravitas. Towards the end of the novel, Chick is playing in a novelty baseball game, a travesty of his former career, while - miles away - his mother falls victim to a massive heart attack. In a fluid, brilliantly constructed sentence half a page long, Albom freezes in time exactly what Chick is experiencing - the ball "floating" towards him, the sound of bat impacting on ball, the upraised glove of the keeper - then delivers the emotional kicker: this is the same moment that his mother passes away. It's a masterful piece of writing - but there's nothing else in the novel that matches it. For so much of its short length, For One More Day is folksy, sentimental (sometimes maudlin), and is far too self-evident in the way it tries to manipulate the reader's emotions. Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True squares up to family dyfunctionalism, death and the broken reflection of the American dream with so much more style, substance, dark wit and incisive intelligence.

[Adele Winston]

Isn't it a little unfair to accuse the book of lacking dark wit and incisive intelligence? Rather like criticising milk for not having bubbles like champagne. Albom has no intention of squaring up to family dysfunctionalism, has he? Kevin Costner must be battling to make this into a movie.

[Caroline Watts]

When I received ‘For One More Day’ I must admit I was a little sceptical as to whether I was going to enjoy this book, the ghost element being the main reason for this. However I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised, and Michael Scanlon, I too never questioned the ghost element of his mother (and I’m pleased to stay this didn’t change in the second half!) The story was different and fast-moving; yet a gentle easy read that had my attention from the beginning. It made you think over your own life, both present and past relationships and if you were given one more day what would I do.

I haven’t yet read any other books by Mitch Albom are they just as good?

[Denise Powell]

I've read Mitch Albom's other two novels, and I think this one would be my favourite. The depictions of Chick's childhood and his desperation to please his distant and demanding father are very sad, especially when you realise that this carries on for the rest of his life. I also found the way his life fell apart after his baseball career was cut short very poignant, particularly the cringingly sad "old timers" game he takes part in to please his father, having crept away from his mother's birthday celebrations to do so.

I thought the voices Chick kept hearing through the phone and at the door while he was with his mother were a nice touch - even if they were lifted from Life on Mars ;-).

Overall I think the short length of the book (I read it in afternoon) saves it from being too maudlin.

[Neil Fulwood]

Adele - my comments about dark wit and incisive intelligence were meant to point up the areas where Wally Lamb succeeds as a writer and Mitch Albom struggles. Lamb's book seemed a good point of comparison.
I would question whether Albom "doesn't have any intention of squaring up to family dyfunctionalism". Divorce, the social backlash against a divorced but attractive woman, a son caught between a manipulative father and a well meaning but ultimately possessive mother, the death of a family member, the breakdown of the son's marriage, his ostracism from his daughter's wedding, a suicide attempt ... Albom ticks a fair few boxes in the dysfunctionalism category.
For One More Day reminds me a lot of Nick Hornby's Long Way Down - both have suicidal protagonists, both ostensibly set themselves up to deal with big themes, but both use a folksy, good-natured tone which is often at odds with the subject matter.
Agree with you that Costner's probably putting the eye-drops in right now to rehearse the character ...

[Liz Mann]

I have adored Mitch Albom's books since I first read Five People You Meet In Heaven (it's one of my all time favourite books) and after reading Five People.... I just had to read Tuesdays With Morrie. Another great book but not as good as Five People.... I usually wait for books to be published in paperback as I have arthritis in my wrists and hands so holding a hardback book is very uncomfortable. BUT as soon as I knew For One More Day was available I had to buy it, there's no way I could have waited for the paperback version! I loved this book as much as Five People,the way Mitch writes about his characters is magical. I feel I know them. I can picture exactly how they look, feel, think. His characters really are brought to life by this super-talented writer. If you've never read any of his work I would start with either Five People or For One More Day as I think these are ever so slightly better than Tuesdays With Morrie.

[Michael Scanlon]

I think that understatement, used well, can be far more powerful than having something rammed down your throat. I think this applies to One More Day. Neil Fulwood has said that the book lacks enough literary gravitas, I disagree. Neil highlights the seniors baseball game juxtaposed with Chick’s mother’s heart attack as the only writing of real merit but surely it’s the understated way that the reader is led to this moment that give it its impact, and if that’s the case then everything that has come before that scene is well crafted and controlled and so deserves equal credit. I agree that it is a fine moment in the book but I disagree that it’s the only fine moment. I don’t agree that it’s sentimental. The way the ghost of Chick’s mother is presented is completely unsentimental in fact I would argue that there are several episodes where she is presented as dispassionate, deliberately so, which then leads us to some revelation about the younger Chick and gives us more of an idea how he came to be in the position he is. As for trying to manipulate the reader’s emotions, well, isn’t that what writers do?

[Neil Fulwood]

Michael - my comment was that "for much of its short length For One More Day is sentimental". I wasn't applying that criticism to the baseball scene.
Regarding understatement, it's a difficult thing to achieve in writing; Willy Vlautin's The Motel Life, for instance, sets itself up as an exercise in understatement but emerges as just plain bland.
When I talk about literary gravitas, I don't just mean quality of writing, but an author's capacity truly to square up to their subject matter. Although not quite as awash with moralistic feel-good proselytizing as, say, Paulo Coelho, I'm still of the opinion that Albom doesn't fully engage with the material.
Regarding your comment that manipulating emotions is what writers do, I would strongly disagree. The job of any artist is to engage the emotions, not manipulate them. There's a world of difference.

[Caroline Watts]

Thank you Liz for the advice that if For One More Day is the first of Mitch Alboms books which to read next. I will be on the look out for Five People You Meet in Heaven as if it is comparable I am sure that I will enjoy it. I felt I knew the characters in this particular book and always feel that this enables me to enjoy a book far more.

I completely agree with you Michael, I too feel that understatement is far more of a powerful tool to a writer and leaves the reader with more of a lasting impact. I feel For One More day achieves this excellently and is far from bland. I feel that whilst the baseball scene is well written it is far from being the only highlight of the book and feel it is a little unfair to describe it as being so.

I am wondering why sentimentality is a criticism when applied to this book. Varying degrees of sentimentality causes different books to fall into different genres and different audiences and therefore it is personal taste as to what overly sentimental is. I do however feel that this book is far from being too sentimental. Chick and his fathers’ relationship for example is far from sentimental, as is the reason behind his father leaving the home.

[Michael Scanlon]

Neil - I can’t agree with you that Albom doesn’t fully engage in the material. Maybe if the book was a study of divorce or alcoholism or suicide you’d have a point but these are peripheral to the story of the relationship between Chick and his mother. I think what Albom has done very well is take the reader on a journey of discovery with Chick that not only leads him to some shocking revelations about his parents but, perhaps more importantly, forces him to take a look inside himself and face up to some uncomfortable home truths. In that respect it reminds me of a road movie, ironic really, as it starts off with a car crash. As with all great road movies/journeys the greatest discoveries come from within. But I’m straying from the point I’m trying to make here which is that the focus of the story is the mother/son relationship and I think Albom handles this very convincingly.
If I was to make a criticism of the book it would be the way the appearances of the father are handled in the context of what we find out later. I don’t want great signposts saying ‘THIS ISN’T ALL IT SEEMS’ but the character of the mother is far more intriguing than the father and I think the story would have benefited from investing some of that intrigue in the father.
I also think it’s a bit naïve to say artists don’t manipulate emotions. It’s an artist’s work that engages an audience but it’s the artist who strives to get the desired response. That could mean a painter choosing blue rather than red paint, a musician choosing a minor chord over a major chord or a writer crafting the best possible metaphor he can to describe a feeling of loss…that’s what I meant by manipulation.

[Adele Winston]

Have any of you also tried Anne Tyler's "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant"?

[Neil Fulwood]

Michael – you’ve made some interesting points, and I’ll admit that the focal point of For One More Day is the relationship between mother and son. However, the theme of suicide, and the route by which Chick has arrived at this decision, are the means by which Albom effects the beyond-the-grave reunion between his protagonists, therefore these themes are, albeit not central, still very significant. And having flipped through the novel again last night, I’m still not convinced that Albom has the literary capabilities to handle this kind of material.
I found myself going back to Iain Banks’s Espediar Street, a novel I’ve read a couple of times before. There are definite parallels. Banks’s protagonist begins the novel on the verge of suicide. Contemporarily-set scenes are juxtaposed with memories/regrets/reflections on the past. The ‘hero’ undergoes an internal journey (most of the scenes set in the past are basically a confrontation of the self). And yet Banks achieves so much more than Albom. To begin with he’s a far superior writer.
I appreciate that I’m probably the only person participating in the discussion who isn’t enamoured with the novel, but I honestly believe that Albom is, at best, an average writer. Whichever aspect of For One More Day the reader finds most appealing, there remain plenty of other books out there, better written, which achieve more.
Regarding an artist’s emotional responsibility, perhaps I didn’t make my point clear. It is the job of an artist, any artist, to strive for the emotional truth of their subject. Sure, they’ll select one particular colour, one particular chord, one particular word over another, but this should be done in order to find that emotional truth. The poignant, beautifully understated closing scene of Banks’s Espediar Street achieves this. By comparison Albom, in having juxtaposed chapters entitled ‘time my mother stuck up for me’ and ‘times I did not stick up for my mother’, is blatantly instructing the reader how to think and feel. It’s the old ‘show not tell’ rule. Albom spends too much time telling his readers, not showing them.

[A.P]

I wonder whether the book comes into the category of "ages and stages" of the reader.
Unlike Neil I found the chapter headings interesting and did not feel led. It made me question my relationship I have with my increasingly frail mum amd mum in law and the relationship my teenage son and I have.
I enjoyed thinking about what I would do with one more day with any of them.So in that sense I was shown how to question what I might do with my future relationships.
The book is not great literature but I found it a great read. The two can coexist surely?

[Michael Scanlon]

You seem to be making too much of the fact that the book isn’t something else entirely. A thing is what it is. I agree that it’s not groundbreaking fiction and the themes have been explored elsewhere, often better, but I think the story is an absorbing tale told very well. It’s not Dostoyevsky, it’s not even Roddy Doyle and when reading it and forming an opinion on it I’m not expecting it to be. I’m trying to accept it for what it is. The comparisons you make with other writers are valid and worth mentioning but ultimately you should judge the book for what it is. I understand that comparing the book with other works is useful and necessary in making a judgement on it merits and failings but the final word has to be based on the work we are discussing and not on how much we enjoyed other books compared with this one, that’s lazy criticism. I thought it was a charming book, you did not. Let’s agree to disagree on that.

[Michael Scanlon]

Adele, my wife has read several of Anne Tyler's books but I haven't read any. Why do you mention 'Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant'? Are you saying I should read it?

[Neil Fulwood]

The danger in judging a thing for what it is, is a loss of context. You say, Michael, that comparative criticism is "lazy". Hmmmm, I'm not sure about that. Comparative criticism actually lends focus, clarity, structure and objectivity to critical appraisal. Without it we'd take a novel by, say, Shaun Hutson or Guy N Smith and say "well, it's a horror novel, it's got lashings of gore and ticks all the required exploitative boxes, so on that basis it works", when there are plenty of finely crafted works in that genre with real literary merit.
Ultimately, For One More Day is a twee book by a fairly average writer, the critical encomium it has received entirely out of proportion to its 'achievements'. If I have cited so many other writers, it is simply to provide direction towards other writers who treat similar themes and are more readable, thought-provoking and multi-faceted than Albom.
Please don't take my continued posts as a disparagement of your opinions, and I agree we should agree to differ; but I've found it interesting, over the past few days, intelligently to debate the novel. Thanks.

[amw]

Having just finished the book and read through all the above posts, I have to say that I found the book lacked impact, both in terms of the themes tackled and the style of writing.
I read 'Tuesdays with Morrie' (which no-one seems to refer to?) which I found much more moving in its down to earth treatment of the subject of facing up to impending death. Here we are looking at death from a different angle, or the possibility of 'turning the clock back' and having a second chance, and I felt that there was room to take this theme further.
Nonetheless, an enjoyable read in an unpretentious style, sandwiched between 'The Tenderness of Wolves' and 'The Inhertance of Loss' - maybe this is why I feel it lacks some literary 'thwack'

[Adele Winston]

Michael - references to American families of a while back, non-Manhattan based, reminded me of Anne Tyler's book, though it is many years since I read it. Give it a try, perhaps?

[Helen P Siddall]

I hadn't read any of Mitch Albom's books before 'for one more day' and I really enjoyed it. Charley Benetto is a fool and a 'has been' but the way he's been portrayed by Albom is quite realistic. I think I've seen some characters like him! At any rate, this book is different from anything I've read before. It's funny, pathetic, sad yet credible. Anybody who says they wouldn't appreciate the chance to do things differently with hindsight is a liar! It's this slant which makes 'for one day more' so enjoyable. Both mom and dad have an enormous influence on Charley's life but it's the ghost of mom who gives him courage and allows him to make peace with himself. I loved the twist at the end when it turns out that it's his daughter who is the raconteur. It's a delightful read as far as I'm concerned.

[Kathy Clark]

I have to admit that I didn't like this book at all. I suppose that initially I was put off by the Americanisms. Within the first chapter there were at least half a dozen words and phrases that I just didn't understand. I feel that some American writers are very lazy when it comes to using good English, and ensuring that their books appeal to an international audience. I got the gist of the story, but I started the book in a very irritated mood, and I suppose it didn't really shift from there. Unlike a lot of people here, I don't think that the book was well crafted or even a good read. Again, it comes down to personal choice, but I don't enjoy books that are sad and bumbling, so the odds were very much stacked against me enjoying it! In fact I remember thinking early on that I wished Chick had succeeded in killing himself; then I could go and read something more interesting! I also felt that much of the story about his relationship with his mother and father was so painfully obvious that they could have lifted it from a 'beginners guide to psychology' textbook. So, all in all, not a book that I enjoyed, and not an author that I would choose to read again.

[S Jackson]

Neil, I agree with your comment that Mitch Albom is a fairly average writer. This is also my opinion and his books fail to engage or stir me. Thankfully we do not all like the same authors or else the book world would find itself very stagnant, very soon.

[cheryl pasquier]

I've just finished reading this and I enjoyed it, taking it for what (I thought) it was - an unpretentious, "feel-good" story that makes you think about your own life in a number of ways. Obviously, the question of what would I do or say if I could have just one more day with a lost loved-one. But also the "ways my mom stood up for me" and "ways I didn't stand up for my mom" series of anecdotes that I'm sure strike a chord with all mums and/or sons and daughters everywhere (which basically covers everyone !!) I like the way the reader learns more and more about the background to the incidents at the same time as Chick - the story of the ziti never being right because it wasn't like his other wife, for example. The baseball game/mother's heart attack was mentioned as a particularly "literary" moment, but I also thought the little scene at the end, with the Italian wife, was well-crafted. She sits there, looking at two photos side by side, one of her son at college and the other of Chick as a baseball pro. Surely we're supposed to draw the parallels - if Chick hadn't followed his dad's dream, he could have been the son on the left, graduating from college. At times, the story also reminded me of the film "Sixth Sense", and I caught myself looking at the main protagonist and trying to work out if he was going to turn out to be dead or not, just like Bruce Willis !!!

[Neil Fulwood]

Helen - reading your comment about the 'twist' ending (the narrator revealed as Chick's daughter), it suddenly occurred to me: this is a glaringly false note. It doesn't add up. The very first line of the novel reads:
' "Let me guess. You want to know why I tried to kill myself" - Chick Benetto's first words to me.'
But if the narrator is his daughter (telling the story, as established from the outset, "in his voice", then she's a grown woman at this point and although she's not been part of Chick's life recently, he's by no means been an absent father. In fact, several passages describe interaction between father and daughter. Therefore "Let me guess, you want to know why I tried to kill myself" can't have been his first words to her.

[Elaine Dingsdale]

I’m sure many of us can relate to the underlying theme-what we would say and do if we had another chance to commune with a departed family member. A theoretically simple concept, but one which I think was handled well. The juxtaposition of “what she did/what I didn’t do” illustrated Chick’s love and guilt beautifully. Although very short, from the first page we get engrossed in the family history and hardships. Perhaps nothing too exciting or unusual in the family circumstances, but it’s very sense of ordinariness gives it a strength which carries it through to the conclusion.
The novel reads as a fable-gently reminding us to appreciate those in life who are dear to us, and it perhaps should be read simply on that level. As Neil said, there are more thought provoking and profound examples of this genre. However, I feel that this succeeds on a basic level-it has no pretension of being a philosophical/metaphysical debate, but it nonetheless conveys it’s positive message in an effective way.An enjoyable and moving read.

[Livia Scarcella]

I think you all took the words right out of my mouth!! I agree that it's a sentimental story - and I think the characters are written well. Don't know if I can say that it "reeled me in". To me, it wasn't one of those "couldn't put it down" books.
I haven't read anything else by Mitch Albom. I may get around to reading them at some stage, but they're not really at the top of my reading wishlist. :)
Cheryl, it's funny you say that you had some "Sixth Sense" moments - I actually thought of the same thing! How funny?
And Adele, I love your comment about Kevin Costner "battling to make this into a movie" - sounds like something right up his alley!! :)
Anyway...it was an alright story - not really ground-breaking stuff, but worth a read.

[Anne C]

I'd read both Five People and Tuesdays With Morrie and to be honest, had hated them. Tuesdays With Morrie I found especially over sentimental and a little twee.
Therefore, I was interested to see what For One More Day would be like.
I much preferred this story, although I am still not a fan of Mitch Albom. It's a good premise, but too near Sixth Sense for me. Yes, it's a nice little story and yes, it makes you think about relationships you have with family, but it's not really my type of book.
Saying that, I know people who love Albom's books and consider them some of their all time favourites.
Maybe if the reader has recently been bereaved then the simplicity of the books could be a help to them.
I'm pleased I read it as it is definitely an improvement on his other offerings, but I am glad that I only gave up a day to read it and not a week.

[Shirl Hopkinson]

When I read the blurb on this I was entirely sure about it, but now that I've read it I would recommend it. It makes you question whether there is life after death and what happens if there is and we are in between. As I was reading the story I guessed that he was in fact still alive and was in fact "in limbo" or unconscious as you could call it. It also brings to mind the question as to whether he really was "in limbo" or was he just having a flashback over his life up to that point.

[J.J]

I loved Mitch Albom "Five People You meet in Heaven.It had so many wonderful things to say and things you could Identify with.The one I loved the most is that It is not only the people that do the great things that are important on this earth but the ordinary people who do great things day after day to keep us all safe,alive and cared for. For One More Day I really liked as well. As someone who lost both parents at a young age,I could really feel the angish of wanting one more conversation to ask all the questions I had then trying to understand the answers of why things were done in the way they were.The understanding of childhood and adulthood are so different.I now work with people that I try and help look at both sides within their family before it is to late,and regrets have to be lived with.I loved the life after death theme,as personaly I believe that I will see my Mom and Dad again.I believe that this helps me to cope with the reality death will come knocking one day.I have also passed that on to my own children as my Mom did to me.Death is something that should be talked about and shared within families and we should all be allowed to grieve in our own way. What if I`m wrong you all shout, what if there is no afterlife well hopefully I won`t know and my children will have something to comfort them at times of great sorrow.

[Gavin Bell]

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book from the blurb, but I gave it a go and found it very enjoyable.

I'd disagree with some of the other posters here and say that Albom is a pretty good writer; it's not actually that easy to write something so easy to read. The style and subject matter of a dysfunctional family (much as I hate to use a term that's been done to death) set against an American dream backdrop made me remember reading Death of a Salesman at school, so that can't be bad.

I thought it was a good read, and rang true enough for me to Google Chick Benetto to see if he was in fact a real person (he's not).

[Zoey Totty]

This is the first book of Mitch Albom's that I have read so far. I felt that the book was written in a simple, straightforward fashion. However, I actually found the book a very easy read (doesnt make you think too much) and bearing in mind the subject matter that cant be a good thing surely?

I would expect a story line of this nature to make me think about my relationship with my mum (especially as we're not particularly close) but it just didnt. I cant really explain why!

I would recommend this as a read to people but not if they were looking for something deep as I really don't think it gives that.

Overall, a pleasant read and I would give it a 3 out of 5 rating.

[Karen Sykes]

My first thoughts when this book came up were that it was going to be a struggle to read. It took a while for me to get to it, but I did keep track of what everyone else thought about it before I got the chance to read it myself. As I read the comments - especially the comments between Neil, Michael and Adele I began to look forward to getting my hands on my copy. Having now read it for myself I found that I neither loved it nor hated it.

The ending where it is revealed that his daughter is the person to whom he told his story just did not feel right and that did spoil what was a quick and otherwise pleasant read. I never wondered who was doing the listening and retelling at any point in the story, that just did not seem to matter. If there had to be a reveal at the end I think it would have worked better for me if Chick had been telling all to his Italian half brother or one of his children rather than his own daughter.

I did find the reference to Anne Tyler interesting since I have really enjoyed many of her books. I have not read the particular title mentioned so I think I will search it out and see how it compares. I would read Mitch Albom again if something of his came my way but 'for one more day' did not leave me desperate to read more of his work.

[Gavin Bell]

I'd agree that the twist at the end was unsatisfactory and pretty unneccessary. I had assumed that the author was simply taking on the persona of a real person this story had been told to.

[Heather Johnson]

I thought this book was great. It made me feel really good at the end, and was a book I would read again and again.
I have read many other books by the same author and although this wasn't the best, it was way up there.

[Elaine Dingsdale]

Agree with Karen that the inclusion of his daughter, as the person to whom he was narrating his tale somehow diluted the overall impact of the message.In some respects it could have been a useful device to illustrate the differences between him and his daughter, as opposed to him and his parents. However, it didn't really work (if this was his intention?),instead causing the ending to be almost an anti climax.

[MW]

The back page of the book has a photo of a boy in a mummy costume - presumably Chick. But the dedication is to Mitch Albom's mom - "the mommy of the mummy." Is the mummy costume a story from his own life? How many other stories about Chick were actually Mitch Albom's real-life stories?