The Stranger in the Lifeboat: A Novel

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The explosion had come during a dinner party, and the sight of most of us in dress clothes, now soaked and ripped as we huddled inside a raft, was a grim reminder of how little the natural world cares for our plans.” Mitch Albom books are always thought provoking. The story follows the journey of nine people on the rafts battle for survival and the attempts of those on land to uncover what had happened at sea. This is a short novel that's intriguing with so much depth. The book is arranged into three parallel storylines: 1) from one of the survivors. 2) the inspector investigating what happened 3) from the media reporting about the yacht. This is another fantastic read by the fabulous Mitch Albom who's books never disappoint.

A STRANGER IN THE LIFEBOAT is an evocative and intriguing story exploring that sometimes the answer to a call for help is ‘no.’ Sometimes the answer is not what you wanted. Maybe we are asking the wrong questions. Well…..this review is difficult to write! If you’ve read the book, you know! So….here’s my nonreview review! Stranger” is told in three parts; land (narrated by a police officer who, with the help of a passer-by, finds the abandoned lifeboat on shore), sea (the passengers story as told by Benji, a crewman from the sunken ship, through letters to his love) and news (news reports about the boat crash and its infamous passengers). Told this way, the reader gets to know all the details of the before, during and after, of both the event and each passenger. Reincarnation. Your soul's return to this earth to complete the cycle of learning that, hopefully, will eventually release your soul from its earthly chains. Such a compelling idea! I have not read any books by Mitch Albom before but, I was intrigued by the blurb, so I requested it on NetGalley.In the raft, Benji and the passengers — most of whom are not religious from the start, or who have fallen away from faith — are distrustful of the man who calls himself the Lord. Yet the only way they can be saved is if they believe.

A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism.This is not a spoiler, but it is interesting that God is supposed to be in the boat and people are trying to deal with why God won’t save them from the boat. It brings up very interesting questions of faith and why were here. The mysterious character that supposedly found the lifeboat, Rom Rosh, was actually Benji. He had survived and washed up on Montserrat. I thought that character might have been god. Rum Rosh is Hebrew from Psalms, and means "God lifted my head."

Land: This timeline is about a year after the explosion. Inspector LeFleur on the island of Montserrat gets information that an empty raft from the sunken yacht has been found. While investigating this, he finds Benji’s notebook.I'm still scratching my head, trying to decide whether Albom succeeded in pulling the wool over the readers' eyes? Were all the passengers real? Was this in fact a concocted story - a prank, as was suggested at one point? Was Dobby the grand orchestrator of the entire disaster at sea? Or did he leave a bogus manuscript behind for Jarty LaFleur to read, for his own devious motives? I know that these thoughts will chase each other in my mind for weeks to come - and this is the sign of a good book. We may not love or enjoy all of its parts, but the sum of those parts have left us with quite a lot to think about and discuss in Mitch Albom's latest offering. Confession: I try to avoid philosophical or spiritual content because it mostly goes over my head. This one, I read only because of the author.)

Fast-paced and compelling, The Stranger in the Lifeboat is thought-provoking, hope-filled, and inspirational. It makes you ponder your deepest spiritual beliefs…Whether or not you are a spiritual person, Albom ultimately suggests that answers to our prayers may be found where we least expect them.” An ethereal narrative resounding with themes of loss, despair, and redemption. Albom’s many fans will welcome this return to his signature fiction, which is sure to garner new admirers, too. ” In some senses this, and other books from Albom, are probably rather odd to some believers and unbelievers. Within that caveat I found this a convincing story I guess. Was it an enjoyable read - yes. Was it thought provoking - maybe. I would certainly read another by this author in the future and fans of his will be very pleased by this story I think. What would you do if at a time of desperation, you called upon God and he appeared? After a luxury yacht named the Galaxy sank into the ocean, 9 survivors end up on a lifeboat. The survivors include the boat's creator/owner Jason, 4 members of the Galaxy’s staff, and 5 of the wealthy guests. The survivors pull a young man out of the water who claims that he is the Lord and can save them all. The only catch is each of the nine survivors has to believe him.In a Nutshell: Intriguing concept, detached implementation. Add to this a reader with zero philosophical understanding and the result is utter confusion. Adrift n a raft after a deadly ship explosion, nine people struggle to survive at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food and hope. they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him in. "Thank the Lord we found you," a passenger says. "I am the Lord," the man whispers. Adrift in a raft after a deadly ship explosion, ten people struggle for survival at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him in. Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love.