Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

I wish the author hadn't have gone there...

Customer Rating:

When I first started reading this book, the stories were dark, but interesting. However, once I got to the 2nd half of the book ('the other side') it was too predictable and I wish the author would have made an attempt to make the avenues of "heaven" and "hell" less biblical and more of a storytelling. I couldn't even get through the 2nd part once we met "L" as I lost interest. Maybe I should have finished it to see what happened next, but I was quite disappointed.

Boring, trite, predictable, unoriginal

Customer Rating:

Where do I start? The startlingly bad writing, the appallingly, abysmal story line? The underdeveloped stereotypical characters? This book is so bad it made my eyes bleed. Maybe hell is reading this book and should have been a part of the devil's torture on those characters that went "down there". THis book reminds me of something a high school student would come up with in their creative writing class. The book just uses unoriginal oversimplified descriptions of heaven and hell, angels and the devil ("you can call me Lou") PA-lease! I think Norah Bernard went to a continuing ed class or community adult ed class in creative writing and got way too much false encouragement that she actually has any talent as a writer. Honey, pick a new hobby like gardening and join the rotary club. It's just disgustingly awful. The sin is I paid for it. Please forgive me.

Book club disappointment	Customer Rating:
4 out of 4 people in my book club agreed that this book was very poorly written. The plot was thin, obvious, and repetitive. Honestly, when the writer resorts to using three questions marks to end a sentence to convey meaning, you know they are compensating for a lack of skill with words.

A thought on life and what happens next. A great read!

Customer Rating:

I bought this book based on other reviews, and of course, because of the story, and I was not disappointed. For a while, in the middle of the book, I thought that the book was starting to take a religious angle. While I have no issues with religious books per se, they are not the books I enjoy reading. However, after reading on, I realized that this book was more than just a religious tale. The author chooses to give us a snap shot of the life, and death of eight very different individuals, all dealing with the trivialities of life. While some of these indivividuals are good and caring people, others are pure evil. Ultimately, all have an appointment with death. In the second part of the book, the author tells us what happens to these eight individuals. This is where I thought, at first, that the book was taking a religious spin. However, as I read on, I realized that the author had decided to use a premise that included a God and a Devil, but moving forward, explored the concept of good and evil, and how we might be given a choice to rectify some of the wrongs we have done during our earthly life. I found this concept highly encouraging and comforting, even if it remains a story in a book, I felt good knowing that after death, we might still be given some choices to be good, as opposed to simply get judged. In the third part, the author really illustrates this concept of choice, and the consequences that might come with these choices. What I found interesting in this last part that the individuals were given choices, but had to take the time to consider the motives behing their choice. The other used this last part very cleverly to bring an end to the tales of these eight individuals. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book. It was truly thought provoking, and has been in my mind for a few days after I finished it, which to me is the sign of a good book. Enjoy!

Perfect for stage or screen!

Customer Rating:

As with the morality plays of yore this novel challenges us to confront forces of good and evil, of light and darkness, of calm and chaos. With startling insight, captivating wit and enduring compassion the author populates her tale with a range of characters - all so recognizable in our own lives - from those born on the wrong side of the tracks to the silver-spoon-in-the-mouth anointed. We meet both the self-righteously pious and the devoutly ecumenical ... and not to be missed is the lightly-concealed commentary on arguably the most egregious political machinations of our time. The questions Ms. Bernard poses to her readers require lifelong contemplation: Where would each of us find ourselves standing in line? Who would seek us out? What choice would be put to us? Is redemption available even to those who have sinned the most? Whether God-fearing or otherwise, the reader will find this novel resonates with both his highest ideals and his worst nightmares.