The Time Keeper

Mitch Albom is definitely in my top 3 all-time favorite authors. I haven’t read a book yet that I didn’t like. This one again had me crying by the end. It will make you think long and hard about all the time you’ve spent and can’t get back. Time is a precious gift that everyone is given, and once it’s gone, that’s it. There is no more. Do what you want with it. Just don’t waste it.

Enjoyable and easy read!

This book allows you to appreciate how precious our time is here on earth! It's so easy to get busy and let little things creep up and into our lives, taking our attention away from those most dear. It's only when they are gone that we see how wonderful our time was, or maybe missed moments. Our days our numbered, cherish every moment.

Another great story. I always enjoy these books

Albom's latest fable, "The Time Keeper," features interesting characters and taut, lyrical writing. In both style and substance, the novel parallels the work of Paulo Coelho. However, the story is like being immersed in a fairy tale with no witches or ogres. Time itself is the antagonist, but not a very potent one. Story: The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time. Spiritual/metaphysical content: Low. The book contains simple snippets of insight destined to become "quotable quotes" about the nature of Time. For instance, as man begins to count days, then hours, then minutes, "the counting consumes him, and the wonder of the world he has been given is lost." My take: Mitch Albom's latest spiritual fable examines Time: how it began, who set it in motion and why, and how the repercussions play out upon the rest of humanity. The slim volume tries to answer the questions, "What is the meaning of time," and "Why does God limit it?" However, the answers are simplistic and don't add much insight to the body of metaphysical fiction that addresses the human experience of time. In fact, "Ferney" by James Long presents a brief history of time, so to speak, that does a much better job of analyzing this difficult subject. However, Albom does throw in some unexpected turns and solid character development, a flare for illustrating human connections, and a pleasant writing style. One passage reflects the tone of the story: "If one were recording history, one might write that at the moment man invented the world's first clock, his wife was alone, softly crying, while he was consumed by the count." The novel strives to be both poetic and prophetic, but it's more popcorn snack than spiritual feast. "The Time Keeper" is a fast and interesting read, but there's not much here for the seasoned spiritual seeker.

Wonderful read that made me think of time in its true form and how precious it is. Amazing read. A must read.

When everyone is born, we are given all of the time we will ever need to accomplish our goals, find our true loves, and create the lives that will make us happiest. Unfortunately, measuring time in units of seconds, hours, minutes, and days do nothing but add stress to our lives and make us forget that we are never losing any “time,” it is all there; it just depends on how we use it. Similar to his novels The Five People You Meet in Heaven and For One More Day, Mitch Albom delves into areas of the human psyche we overlook everyday and challenges the reader to look past the bustle of everyday life and notice how much the little things matter. Dor, a man who is alive during the creation of the Tower of Babel, has an interest in measuring, which inadvertently leads him to creating the measurement of time. Similar to the way Eve defies the Garden of Eden by eating the apple, Dor defies God by taking away the gift of living by the day and making humans measure their lives with Dor’s time instruments (i.e. sundials and clock). Because of this, Dor finds himself punished for eternity by being forced to listen to all the complaints people have about not having “enough time” and other phrases that incorporate the limited amount of time they believe they have. To rectify his creation, Dor is told to change the lives of two individuals, one who wants more time and one who wants time to stop. The journey he goes on, as well as the two people’s lives he will change, show the way we must realize that time is only a measurement and should not control our actions or the way we choose to live. The characters in Albom’s novel are incredibly relatable and make Albom’s message of focusing on the days we have, not the time we have left, that much more powerful. The way the novel is written is exceptional, in its delivery of the delicate subjects of time and death as well as the way we are reminded to appreciate those who love us, for when they are gone there is no turning back time. The lessons that Albom has Dor teach the two individuals will stick with the reader for a long time, if not for the rest of their lives because each one of us tends to be someone who either wants less time or wants more of it: For those who can relate to believing that the end is near or they want less time, Albom personifies through Dor that yesterdays are endings while tomorrows are beginnings, we cannot end what has not begun. For those who wish they had more time, they must remember that the concept of immortality, although tempting, should not be thought of as an immediate solution because knowing you will never die takes the thrill and joy out of everyday life and would be replaced with a boredom of endless, repetitive days. Albom has outdone himself in The Time Keeper, encouraging the reader through the perspectives of three amazing individuals to stop looking at your watches and clocks long enough to realize that we can all live better lives if we start measuring our lives by the moments, not the seconds.

This book is imaginative and a quick read. It even made me think/ wonder about what we are here for - our purpose, and what do we/ I want to really do with my time. Additionally, some of the moments in the book were very touching and brought tears to my eyes. The bottom line is that Albom accomplished a lot in writing this book. However, none of the characters, including the two main characters in the book, are not fully developed so for me an important ingredient was lacking and I was disappointed. Similarly, this book is relatively short compared to most of the books that I've read. The author developed an idea enough that the reader was entertained for awhile and could understand it and mull it over, but the characters were kind of flimsy and two-dimensional, so something was flat. Like a dinner at a really good restaurant that one looks forward to and the external setting is good, but the food is just OK, rather than super.

It is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. I simply love the author, he never disappoints with his insightful point of view of life. Definitely a must read

Ce livre est un conte à la fois divertissant et profond. Il fait réellement réfléchir sur notre condition humaine dans l'espace temps.Je vous conseille de vous procurer la version audio ( éditée par Hyperion Audio et réalisée par l'acteur Dan Stevens) et d'écouter les CD en suivant avec le livre. C'est un régal car vous vous croyez vraiment dans un film.

best book ever !

As usual, Mitch Albom kept me completely captivated throughout this entire book. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer! I'm not going to say anything about the highly original content, as half the charm of this book is discovering that for yourself. What I will say is that I thought about the lessons in this book for a long time afterwards. My advice is to savour the ideas put into your head by this book for a while before moving onto your next book. Time management is a big issue for me, making time somewhat of an enemy in my life. While this book is NOT a time-management book, it made me feel much more accepting of what time brings to my life, and how to appreciate the time I do have, while I have it.

Pre-Script: Biased opinion from Albom's fan Fifth book of this beautiful writer... Tuesdays with Morrie, Five people you meet in Heaven, For one more day, First phone call from Heaven, Time Keeper... Every time I write about any of his books, I will keep recalling all the books that I have read... Such mesmerizing, perfectly-defining-life books... He is the best self-help author that I know of... Of course, there is Paulo whom I admire to the core. Yet, there is a distinction between these writers. Paulo's books are full of quotes which give you the headlines about life. Mitch Albom's books are the op-ed pages of life. Now, you get it right. Dor tries to measure everything that he can think of. Even time. He observes that the shadow of an object is the same on every day and herein lies the story of measuring time. He loves only two things - his wife Alli and measuring time. But, when his wife dies of a disease, he decides it is time to teach God a lesson and he climbs a very tall tower to reach God. Then, a blessing or a curse depending on whose perspective you take, God allows Dor to live for eternity. Come back to today and Dor has to teach the value of time to two people - One who is craving for more and one who wants to end their time in this world. One of the best things about his books is that they are very small. You can complete them in one sitting. Moreover, the way he writes is plain simple. Nothing more and nothing less. Just enough to describe the situation.