For One More Day [Hardcover]

Mitch Albom (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 26, 2006

This is the story of Charley, a child of divorce who is always forced to choose between his mother and his father. He grows into a man and starts a family of his own. But one fateful weekend, he leaves his mother to secretly be with his father - and she dies while he is gone. This haunts him for years. It unravels his own young family. It leads him to depression and drunkenness. One night, he decides to take his life. But somewhere between this world and the next, he encounters his mother again, in their hometown, and gets to spend one last day with her - the day he missed and always wished he'd had. He asks the questions many of us yearn to ask, the questions we never ask while our parents are alive. By the end of this magical day, Charley discovers how little he really knew about his mother, the secret of how her love saved their family, and how deeply he wants the second chance to save his own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this second novel from Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven author Albom, grief-stricken Charles "Chick" Benetto goes into an alcoholic tailspin when his always-attentive mother, Pauline, dies. Framed as an "as told to" story, Chick quickly narrates her funeral; his drink-fueled loss of savings, job ("sales") and family; and his descent into loneliness and isolation. After a suicide attempt, Chick encounters Pauline's ghost. Together, the two revisit Pauline's travails raising her children alone after his father abandons them: she braves the town's disapproval of her divorce and works at a beauty parlor, taking an extra job to put money aside for the children's education. Pauline cringes at the heartache Chick inflicted as a demanding child, obnoxious teen and brusque, oblivious adult chasing the will-o'-the-wisp of a baseball career. Through their story, Albom foregrounds family sanctity, maternal self-sacrifice and the destructive power of personal ambition and male self-involvement. He wields pathos as if it were a Louisville Slugger—shoveling dirt into Pauline's grave, Chick hears her spirit cry out, " 'Oh, Charley. How could you?' "—but Albom often strikes a nerve on his way to the heart. (Sept. 26)
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Review

Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary Cecilia Ahern Mitch Albom, in this new book, once again demonstrates why he is one of my favourite writers ... FOR ONE MORE DAY will make you smile. It will make you wistful. It will make you blink back tears of nostalgia James McBride, author of THE COLOR OF WATER Another very touching page-turner STAR magazine A warm and tender tale IRISH EVENING HERALD --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401303277
• ISBN-13: 978-1401303273
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (544 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mitch Albom is an author, playwright, and screenwriter who has written seven books, including the international bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time. His first novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, as were For One More Day, his second novel, and Have a Little Faith, his most recent work of nonfiction. All four books were made into acclaimed TV films. Albom also works as a columnist and a broadcaster and has founded seven charities in Detroit and Haiti, where he operates an orphanage/mission. He lives with his wife, Janine, in Michigan.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#90 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#90 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

246 of 254 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars To Live In Hearts We Leave Behind Is Not To Die October 8, 2006

By Antoinette Klein TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Mitch Albom pays homage to all mothers with this novel that beautifully shows the enduring power of a mother's love, a love so strong it can transcend even death. The moral of the story is not particularly original and not even handled in a unique way. But, grab the hankies and prepare to spend several hours reminiscing along with Chick Benetto about the things you wish you had done better with your own mother. Chick Benetto has hit rock bottom---divorced, alcoholic, has-been baseball player, and now comes the ultimate slap-in-the-face---his beloved daughter does not invite him to her wedding. After being shut out of the biggest day in his only child's life, Chick sees no point in continuing his miserable life and attempts suicide. But for his suicide he is drawn once again to Pepperville Beach, to the modest home where he grew up with his mom, dad, and sister. That is, until his dad deserted the family and life changed dramatically. The surprise for Chick is that his mom is still in the house. Intellectually, he knows she died ten years ago but here she is---cooking his food, sharing stories, giving advice.

The reader learns about all the times Chick's mom stood up for him and all the times he let her down. The writing is smooth and poignant, the memories both joyful and sad. If you have lost your own parents, the words will be doubly sad. But Chick has been given a very special gift: he learns that when someone is in your heart, they're never truly gone and they can come back to you, even at unlikely times. Chick has the unheard of luxury of being able to spend just one more day with his mother, having the chance to ask questions about things that have bothered him, finding out at last why his father left, and much more. How does it happen? Is this just another ghost story or a religious experience for non-believers? I think I shed the most tears when I realized at novel's end who was telling the story.

I think sentimental readers will find this one enjoyable and uplifting. So take it for what it is, a nostalgic trip back to childhood, that period of time that never lets you go, even when you're so wrecked it's hard to believe you ever were a child.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Love your mother October 10, 2006

By Emil Dickens

Format:Hardcover

By far, "Five People" is my favorite Mitch Albom book, but this book is worth a read. The other negative reviewers are missing the point, I think. Yes, the main character is a deflated, defeated, shell of a man, but that is precisely the point. The man is no hero....but again that is the crux of the story....how many of us are heroes? How many of us would like to reflect on our lives and maybe try and see things more clearly, try to better understand the choices we made, and the choices the people closest to us made? To understand the sacrifices people make for love?

Read the book, and then call your mother....if possible....if not, make peace in your heart..this book will help you do that.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for Healing After Loss May 16, 2007

By Michael J. Armijo

Format:Hardcover

The first line I underlined when I started this book was: EVERY FAMILY IS A GHOST STORY. THE DEAD SIT AT OUR TABLES LONG AFTER THEY HAVE GONE.

The last line(s) I underlined at the end of the book were:

SHARING TALES OF THOSE WE'VE LOST IS HOW WE KEEP FROM REALLY LOSING THEM. ONE DAY SPENT WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING.

And so...based on these lines...you can get a feel for how any one person will relate if they've ever lost a loved one. I, personally, liked his TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE book much better--but this is worthy of reading just to find the precious lines within. ;)