Mitch Albom

The story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? As news of these strange calls spreads, outsiders flock to Coldwater to be part of it. At the same time, a disgraced pilot named Sully Harding returns to Coldwater from prison to discover his hometown gripped by "miracle fever"." Even his young son carries a toy phone, hoping to hear from his mother in heaven. As the calls increase, and proof of an afterlife begins to surface, the town, and the world, transforms. Only Sully, convinced there is nothing beyond this sad life, digs into the phenomenon, determined to disprove it for his child and his own broken heart. Moving seamlessly between the invention of the telephone in 1876 and a world obsessed with the next level of communication, the author takes readers on a breathtaking ride of frenzied hope. -- From book jacket.

The first phone call from heaven

Caroline

Rating: 3.5 
  "The end is not the end" 
The first phone call from heaven is the first book I have read by author Mitch Albom. For me the book was more of a psycho mystery book. The book was very high on suspense and mystery which was enough to keep me hooked on till the very end. The book had to many characters to follow and keep tab on. Some parts of the book were also dragged.

The first phone call from heaven tells the story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax?

According to me, The first phone call from heaven can be summarised into 4 categories: 
1: The receivers/believers: These are people who were getting the calls from a dead loved one claiming they are calling from heaven. Believers were the people who flocked to coldwater, Lake Michigan believing in god and miracles and hoping they would also receive a call for heaven someday and that heaven existed.

2: The Manipulator: Here we see people like Amy Penn, Jeff Jacoby the major of coldwater, the samsung phone company, the news agency and all those who used this miracle as a way to make some sort of profits be it a better job, money or for their selfish needs.

3: The Protesters: In this category we see people who opposed this whole event and called it a major conspiracy and who needed some sort of proof to believe it was real.

And then there was 

4: Sully Hardings who goes all out to prove whether this was a hoax or was it really a miracle from heaven and also because he wanted to protect his seven year old son who waited for a call from his dead mother Giselle and who thought that all this is just unfair to his son.

The first phone call from heaven also gives the reader a quick history lesson on Alexandra Graham Bell and the invention of the Telephone and the first call ever made. 

Overall a good read, not a great one though.

ayessa

Didn't like the first 200 pages but I loved how it ended! It's a 4.5 stars.

Philip Young

This book was OK. I listened to the audio book during a road trip. It kept me entertained, but it is not Mitch Albom's best.

Shrouk Shafie

"The end is not the end." Beautiful as usual.

"What if the end is not the end?" From the beloved author of the number-one New York Times bestsellers Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven comes his most thrilling and magical novel yet—a page-turning mystery and a meditation on the power of human connection. One morning in the small town of Coldwater, Michigan, the phones start ringing. The voices say they are calling from heaven. Is it the greatest miracle ever? Or some cruel hoax? As news of these strange calls spreads, outsiders flock to Coldwater to be a part of it. At the same time, a disgraced pilot named Sully Harding returns to Coldwater from prison to discover his hometown gripped by "miracle fever." Even his young son carries a toy phone, hoping to hear from his mother in heaven. As the calls increase, and proof of an afterlife begins to surface, the town—and the world—transforms. Only Sully, convinced there is nothing beyond this sad life, digs into the phenomenon, determined to disprove it for his child and his own broken heart. Moving seamlessly between the invention of the telephone in 1876 and a world obsessed with the next level of communication, Mitch Albom takes readers on a breathtaking ride of frenzied hope. The First Phone Call from Heaven is Mitch Albom at his best—a virtuosic story of love, history, and belief.

A Novel

The First Phone Call from Heaven

Sarahi Flores

I really enjoyed this book. 
Sully, the main character, hates that the fact everyone is actually believing that some people are receiving calls from their loved ones who have passed away. My heart goes out tho his son. Because his son truly believes the calls and expects to be called from his mother, who has passed away. This book touched my heart, no doubt. I know other readers will enjoy this.

Madhuri Sridhara

3.5- The thing about Mitch Albom is he makes miracles seem like ordinary events that could happen anytime to anyone. But he doesn't make you feel foolish for it.

The gift of heaven on earth. It will become the biggest story in the world . . . When the residents of a small town on Lake Michigan start receiving phone calls from the afterlife, they all become the subject of widespread attention. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. This is a story about the power of belief -- and a page-turner that will touch your soul. The internationally bestselling and inspirational author of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, returns with his most moving, surprising and compelling novel yet. The perfect introduction, or re-introduction, to the masterful storytelling of one of the best-loved writers of our time.

Stefanie Sugia

"Miracles happen quietly every day - in an operating room, on a stormy see, in the sudden appearance of a roadside stranger. They are rarely tallied. No one keeps score.
But now and then, a miracle is declared to the world.
And when that happens, things change."
It was an ordinary day in Coldwater when the phones in several places ring; but in fact, a phone call would made the certain lives of people become extraordinary. Tess Rafferty, Jack Sellers, and Katherine Yellin are some of those people. They almost couldn't believe the fact that a call came from the people they love - who had already passed away. Tess Rafferty received a call from her mother, Jack Sellers got a call from his deceased son, and Katherine Yellin was called by her dead sister. And this story will also change the fate of small town like Coldwater.

Twenty-three days after the first phone call, Katherine Yellin finally decided to declare the miracle she received in the Harvest of Hope congregation - because she believe she should proclaim the good news to all mankind. It was almost unbelievable for the rest of the congregation to believe her when she said she got a phone call from her dead sister every Friday. But Katherine Yellin's proclamation was supported by Elias Rowe, who also received a call from heaven.
"You might think a person who brings proof of heaven would be embraced. But even in the presence of a miracle, the human heart will say, Why not me?"
"Wake up! he wanted to say. The living can't speak to the dead! If they could, don't you think I would? Wouldn't I trade my next hundred breaths for one more word from my wife? It's not possible. There is no God who does such things. There is no miracle in Coldwater. It's a trick of some kind, a con, a deceit, a massive hoax!"
....

Read the complete review here:
http://www.thebookielooker.com/2014/0...

The gift of heaven on earth. It will become the biggest story in the world . . . When the residents of a small town on Lake Michigan start receiving phone calls from the afterlife, they all become the subject of widespread attention. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. This is a story about the power of belief - and a page-turner that will touch your soul. The internationally bestselling and inspirational author of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, returns with his most moving, surprising and compelling novel yet. The perfect introduction, or re-introduction, to the masterful storytelling of one of the best-loved writers of our time.

sara louise

“but even in the presence of a miracle, the human heart will say, Why not me?”

recommended reading for anyone who enjoys matt haig and likes reading about faith, humanity, grief and hope.

The first phone call from heaven

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