“Never underestimate the big importance of small things.”
From many beautifully crafted thoughts and quotes to chose through out this 288 pages long read, I have carried this one in my mind and heart the longest!
This book is Ode to life and it’s travails. The most beautiful and inspirational chapter happens on page 277, “A Thing I have Learned, Written By A Nobody Who Has Been Everybody.”
Profound and mesmerizing journey to be on!

In the space between life and death, Nora slips in and out of the parallel universe versions of her life. The book is a reflection of the choices we've made in life, and whether our regrets are truly regrets, or if things happen just as they should have. Charming and sweet at times, the book is fairly predictable but worth your time.

I was struck by the diverse opinions expressed in the reviews here. After reading it myself, I reflect that the book made me think about my own life, for me its rare that a book would have such an impact. So I'm grateful to have read it.

Interesting idea but rather superficially explored. Never was interested enough in the main character to really care about her. And went from lives related to her past into basically any life is possible. I also disagree with the simplistic concept that, of course, your current life, no matter how bad it may be in actuality or in your mind, is the best life for you if you just appreciate it properly.

This is the book that would come to mind when asked which book had made a memorable impression on me. A unique plot with thoughts that made me stop reading to reflect on and worth writing down. How many of us own a Book of Regrets that we carry around and that takes so much of our physical and mental energy? Come to think of that for a minute - why do we keep it in our souls, sometimes dwelling on certain chapters feeling sorry for ourselves? I learned a lot from this book and I enjoyed reading it and that makes it fabulous.

This book started out interesting, but then became sort of repetitive and predictable. I was ready to be done about halfway through. Nuggets of little life lessons (albeit predictable as well) gave it a melancholy and sweet ending.

Nora's life seems out of control. She's situationally depressed and has just lost both of her jobs. Her parents are both dead, her brother won't speak to her, her best and only friend lives far away and seems to have ghosted her, and her cat, Volt, has just been found dead, so Nora decides that she doesn't want to live anymore. Instead of waking up in the hospital after she overdoses on antidepressants, Nora finds herself in someplace called The Midnight Library, and the former librarian from her school is the librarian there. She tells Nora that she can pick any book off of the shelf and live the life in that book that is based on decisions she regretted in the past. Nora doesn't believe it, but when she pulls one of the books, she finds herself in a time from the past.

The Midnight Library is an exploration of decisions, regrets, and the lives we make for ourselves. The character of Nora represents the "every man" in all of us. As the story progresses, Nora learns about herself and others until she makes an informed decision about her life. Overall, this is a good story with a very strong theme that comes across as a little preachy, but ultimately makes me think about my own life and choices.

The Midnight Library is about Nora's messy life, choices not taken and in no way memorable. Have no idea how it got on the best sellers lists?

This was a beautifully written book. The story was at times heart breaking and uplifting, and the writing was positively cinematic.

A great premise - there is a library of alternative lives to try out in the wisp of space between life and death. And a good beginning that grabbed me. But ultimately the premise and beginning were failed by a sappy and saccharine execution and an author that hammered his reader with self-help platitudes.