Cover Image: The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library

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Member Reviews

I enjoyed this one but did find it quite cliche and predictable. It had a lot of heart, but the message was as subtle as a fog horn…
Mary’s writing is easy to read and paints a clear message about life and appreciating all you have, but I would have liked it to be more nuanced, as it’s a book for adults. It almost felt YA in its style.

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An classic, this is the most reread book in my collection, I even have the physical book now to lend out.

Full of heart, hope and reflection. Beautifully written and has some much throught behind it.

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I enjoyed this more than Haig's How to Stop Time but I have come to the conclusion that his adult fiction isn't really for me. In this offering Nora Seed, somewhere between life and death, finds herself in the Midnight Library where the infinite versions of her possible lives can be found within its books. Nora finds herslef visiting other possibilities, undoing or redoing key episodes in her life that could have dramatically changed its course and coming to a better understanding of what life is and what it can be.

As ever, it's a beautiful message and Haig's explorations of what life means and what living well can mean in all its designs are incredibly moving, coming from an author who has been so candid about his own struggles with suicidal thoughts. But while his non-fiction is wonderfully tender, sincere and powerful for some reason when this is translated into fiction, it just doesn't work for me. I find the characters a little too simple, even when their struggles are incredibly complex. Their relationships and the plot are strangely thin and just a little neat and trite. There's a lack of surprise in their decisions and in the route the story takes that makes his middle-grade fiction lovely and his adult fiction too simplistic to capitalise on their excellent premises.

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a story of self-discovery and coming-of-age set in an unlikely setting. In this moving novel, the protagonist Nora Seed is struggling to make sense of her past and has been carrying with her deep regrets for the decisions she’s made in life.

The concept of the Midnight Library as a place where one can travel through time to different universes where Nora can find an alternate path from the mistakes she’s made is incredibly powerful and evokes an atmosphere of poignancy and magic. The concept is complemented by Haig’s exquisite prose and careful plotting, as the stakes are constantly heightened with a constant sense of urgency as the danger around Nora and the Midnight Library increase.

Haig’s attention to detail, subtle wit and eye for the power of reflection on one’s own life choices makes The Midnight Library an unforgettable experience that will stay with you long after the final page has been turned. It is an exceptional novel with a timeless and wise message that is sure to inspire readers of all ages.

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This book has my heart. That’s it. That’s the review. Ha, not really because I could go on and on about this one all day. It’s tender and thoughtful and hopeful and SO beautifully written and I loved it.

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This was an unexpected delight. It’s quite funny to come on Goodreads and see my mutuals struggling on how to review it. Although I was caught slightly off guard by the suicide attempt (can you tell I did no research) I thought the concept of the midnight library was original and raw. It’s also beautifully handled the subjects of regret and grief. Would definitely recommend.

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Not for me I’m afraid even though I feel terrible saying it! Just couldn’t get into it so I had to give up in the end

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There has been a lot of hype around this book. For me i think i missrd the hype. I like the premise of the book but couldn't wait for it to end unfortunately

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Another excellent book from Matt Haig and I enjoyed reading it very much. It is about a woman who feels her life is pointless. She is somehow whisked to a library where she is guided to find the books which will give her life a happy ending. It is a marvellous book and I highly recommend it.

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A fast-paced emotional page-turner with an important message at its heart.

It lost a 🌟 because I found it predictable & clichéd

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Before picking up The Midnight Library I was unfamiliar with Matt Haig's fiction. I had previously read Reasons To Stay Alive and adored it, so when I saw the synopsis for The Midnight Library I was keen explore his work further. I will say, for people who do not read content about this subject often or are somewhat removed from the subject of mental health in fiction, I can totally understand why it could be a firm favourite. I think it is accessible and presents complex and dark topics in a digestible way without making readers feel uncomfortable. It's a great uplifting read and I like the overall message.

However, as someone who reads about mental health a lot, I expected a bit more. I wanted the plot to be more intricate, I feel like it had potential but never quite developed past a basic level. I feel like the 'message' was the key focus and as a result, we lost what could have been an epic story. I almost wish this was less of a contemporary read and more of magical realism - I want to know more about the library and the lives unlived. I wish Haig had pushed past his boundaries and gone out of his comfort zone to make this much more experimental - it really could have turned it from mediocre to mindblowing.

That being said, I still found it an enjoyable read. I just found myself wishing for what could have been - which is pretty ironic actually..

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This book just didn’t grab me. I know loads of people love it but it felt too forced and contrived for me.

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Oh gosh, I feel really badly about this but I really didn't enjoy this book at all. That's not to say it was badly written, I just felt that the way the author wrote this book could really have been done in a short story. The whole book felt quite wishywashy and lacking in depth. I got the basic idea of life not making you happy but you making yourself happy. quite quickly, and after that I just found the main character quite annoying. I didn't feel that the author went into enough depth for my liking, but I know that lots of other people have enjoyed this book.

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An enjoyable read very in the vein of Matt's previous book How to Stop Time. He has a very clear voice and loves a multi-storyline/chronological break. It's a hopeful, yet honest look at what it's like to hit the ultimate rock-bottom but how it never really is rock-bottom.

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THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. I loved it sooooooo much! I recommend the audiobook if you can.
This story follows Nora after she attempts to end her life - Nora suffers from depression, is unhappy with her life, her job, her friends, her brother is a distant relation and has nothing left once her beloved cat dies. But the unexpected happens and Nora ends in a library where she can live other lives that she could have had and in the process learns a lot about herself and what she wanted in life.
It is clear from the beginning the direction this book is going to take, however the journey is what made it special.
This book came in my life at the perfect time, I was feeling depressed myself and anxious about my own life, and this book spoke to me!

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As a huge fan of Matt Haig, I was really looking forward to this one. It doesn't disappoint. A sweet tale with such big ideas about choices, existence, regret, and what compels us to be as present as we can be, even in the face of the unthinkable. I read this before it came out (and have just realised I forgot to leave feedback) and it could not have been more relevant to the state of the world. Tt's wonderful to see how this book has impacted readers over the past year. Gorgeous.

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This is my favourite of Matt Haig's books so far.

Such a warm, comforting, thought provoking story. I was so emotionally invested in Nora and so touched by this emotive character study.

I loved it cover to cover and I still think about it now, weeks later. Such a wonderful exploration into mental health, suicide and a real exploration into what makes someone's life worth living.

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This was such a fantastic audiobook, but the first time I tried the print version I didn’t like it at all. I actually started reading a NetGalley copy of this in May 2020, but had to put it down as I wasn’t in the right emotional state to read it. I’m so very glad I tried it again, as it’s turned out to be one of my favourite listens this year.
I could identify with aspects of Nora’s life, I’ve got regrets about my life, who doesn’t? I loved the library and Mrs Elm and following Nora on her journey to see which life she was suited to best. I would love to be able to try out different lives to see what might have happened.
As always with Matt Haig’s books there were life lessons in this book to do with social media, and how it’s sometimes a very lonely place instead of the great connector it’s claims to be. I enjoyed this aspect to his books and at times it reminded me of How To Stop Time.
Carey Mulligan brought the story and characters to life so perfectly, that I once I started listening I didn’t want to stop. I already loved her as a narrator and it was because she was reading this that I bought it.
I definitely recommend this on audio, especially if like me you couldn’t get into the print version, but still want to read it.

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Engaging tale and a life-affirming one, but authorly intentions were far too well-signalled and as a result it was a bit too sweet for me.

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A book about the choices we make, the regrets we have and the life we sometimes wish we could have lived. In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig gives us all a glimpse at what could have been through the life of Nora Seed, and in the process gives us a life-affirming story about embracing what we have! Highly recommended!

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