The Ten Best Days of My Life [Mass Market Paperback]

Adena Halpern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2008

Twenty-nine-year-old Alexandra Dorenfield suddenly finds herself in heaven after an unfortunate encounter with a MINI Cooper. The seventh—and highest—level of heaven to be exact. Her dog, Peaches, is with her; she is reunited with her beloved grandparents; she has the wardrobe of a movie star; and she lives in the house of her dreams next door to a handsome guy. This is heaven!

But there’s a catch. Alex must prove she led a fulfilling existence by writing an essay on the ten best days of her life—or she will be demoted to a lower level of heaven, where the clothes are last year’s styles, the men aren’t quite as handsome, and, worst of all, Peaches and her family won’t be nearby. Witty and inspiring, this divine debut novel dares to ask a material girl—and the rest of us—what makes life precious.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The hereafter is happier than ever in Halpern's debut novel. After Alex Dorenfield and her dog, Peaches, get smashed by a car, they wind up in heaven, where bubbly 29-year-old Alex is floored by how hip the digs are—especially Seventh Heaven, where Alex's dreams (of, for instance, designer clothes, an awesome house and eating without gaining weight) come true. The icing on the cake is her reunion with a few deceased family members and meeting a dreamy prospective soul mate. Only problem? She must pass an entrance exam to stay in Seventh Heaven and not be demoted to the fourth level, where she would have to live in a condo, wear last year's clothes and lose Peaches (all dogs stay in Seventh Heaven). So Alex gets to work on an essay to prove she led a worthwhile and fulfilling life. This simple little story is syrupy sweet throughout; readers into the heavenly have another bonbon to savor. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“She has serious wit up her sleeve.”
—Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Plume (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452289408
• ISBN-13: 978-0452289406
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,062,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing but bubble gum, April 12, 2010

By 

TL "Lomies" (NY, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ten Best Days of My Life (Mass Market Paperback)

Ok, let me help bring this book out of its overall 5-star rating. Here I was thinking, based on the reviews, that it would be a light-hearted read touching upon the simple joys in life that we shouldn't overlook while we're still alive. That would have made a pretty good book, I think. Nothing like that here unfortunately.

It's almost 300 pages of spoiled rich princess brat (Alex) endlessly whining about every little thing and being a general pain in everyone's behind. Overall, this is a tale of a fairly sheltered individual who never had any real struggle in her life, and never did anything of note for anyone else. I mean, almost all of her 10 best days were about other people doing things for her. The whole concept that a completely self-absorbed person like herself could be admitted to the highest order of eternal pleasure is just plain disgusting. Not once in the whole book did the author move me into believing that Alex had any kind of integrity and true good-will in her heart.

Besides that, the author's style of writing is laughably amateur. Every dialogue between the characters seemed completely unnatural and scripted ... Dawson's Creek and the OC portrayed more believable situations. The main character was disgusting, her parents were revolting (snooty, even more self-absorbed, and only concerned that their daughter find a rich husband), and the love interest was a caricature at best - seemed to be added only to embellish even more how the author could not write a realistic scenario to save her life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars loved it, June 25, 2008

By 

Ave Fairfield (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ten Best Days of My Life (Mass Market Paperback)

The title of this book caught my eye, and I purchased it several days later. I read it in 2 days and wished she'd written 10 more books for me to read! Like talking to a girlfriend I laughed and even surprised myself by crying at the end. It was so uplifting and I just hope she's right! Get this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OMG, this is a fabulous read! Love this book!, July 9, 2008

By 

Lissa "My childrens Momma" (Seattle area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ten Best Days of My Life (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished this book and it was wonderful. Not only does it have a nice sweet story to it, but it also really makes you think about your own life and the contributions that you have made and the people that truly matter to you. It was also very comforting to think about death in the way of the author's perspective. I am passing this book on to one of my closest friends and I would also recommend this as a nice, easy read to anyone.