i first found out about mitch albom through all the good reviews about his previous book, Five People You Meet in Heaven, which i would not hesitate to recommend to all you guys.

well, luckily i was passing by the popular bookshop, cuz they had a 20% discount for selected titles, including this one! actually i didn't have much money to spend, but i just knew i had to buy it. i had to, i had to, i just had to!

hahaha, so on to the actual review. the story is about Charley Benetto, told in his narrative. charley was a broken man. since the day he lost his mother, he gradually lost everything else, until one day, he decided to end his life. for his last day on earth, he went back to Pepperville Beach, his hometown.

and there, he got a chance to meet a person whom he missed the most. he got a chance to spend one more day with her. if you got a chance to spend one more day with a person you lost, what would you do?

so the story unfolds through charley's retelling of that day, and his recollections about himself and his family as he was growing up. don't worry, i won't spoil it for you. all i can say is that even though it was set in the 50s era (and then it moved on until the 70s or so), i could totally relate to charley and his feelings.

and of course, i loved the characterization of the main character. he is not a hero, nor is he trying to be one. he's just a normal boy who always strived to please the person he looked up to, even if that meant hurting the person who loved him the most. he made mistakes, and he regretted them. he tried to follow his dreams, even though with little consideration of anything else. charley benetto is real, and very believeable.

i loved the characterization of charley's mother even more. posey benetto was not only a mother, she was a fighter. she is the type of figure who would do anything in the world for her children, even if it means sacrificing all of her. she would forgive whatever wrong they do to her. she fought for her children. she fought for herself, against all the prejudice the world had dropped on her. and she made sure all of those pressure against her would not harm her children, ever.

reading the book taught me a lesson of what could possibly be the greatest love of all (on earth, that is), the love of a mother to a child. how sincere and pure it is, and how lucky you are to experience that sort of affection.

then i began to wonder, what kind of mother would i be? lately i've been watching all the young parents that i often see on the streets, how happy and how stressed they are. but no matter what, i see that those parents--they do love their kids, even though they all have different ways of showing it. now, i know the world's not a perfect place and it's not always like that, and that is precisely why you should always be thankful because you have such great parents, who would give the world for you.

honestly, i myself haven't been a very good daughter. before i came here, i often took everything for granted, most likely my family. but when i live away from them, i realize what a big gap they left me. at home, whatever i needed, they would provide--if they think it's really what i need. they would take me wherever i need to go, be it book fairs, english competitions, shopping, etc, etc. now i have to go everywhere by myself.

not that i'm complaining. i try my best to be independent. and i know they support me all the way, if not, i wouldn't be here right now.

ahhh, we digressed.

anyway, all of you, if you got the time, READ THE BOOK!! it's a pretty short story, but it's worth every penny. i think you could finish it in one whole day--supposedly you don't stop to weep every now and then. this book is LOADED with emotions, and if you have any you will definitely drop at least a tear or two.

and i hope, when you finish the book, you will come to appreciate your parents more, and be thankful that you have them. they may not be perfect, but i'm sure they love you with all their hearts and always give you their best. and i hope that we will all, someday, become good and loving mommies and daddies ourselves!

Labels: books