Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

What do readers think of Proof of Heaven by Mary Curran Hackett? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Proof of Heaven by Mary Curran Hackett

Proof of Heaven

A Novel

by Mary Curran Hackett

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Readers' Rating (14):
  • Published:
  • Nov 2011, 336 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

Page 1 of 2
There are currently 14 reader reviews for Proof of Heaven
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

bookaddict11

Excellent First Novel
This book has more heart and depth than any I've read in a long time. I read it very quickly and found it hard to put down. The main characters of Cathleen, Colm, Sean, and Dr. Basu were well developed and I was able to connect with each of them in a different way. This book puts an interesting twist on the age old question of "What is Heaven".... and it dives deeply into the "concept" of Heaven, and how it is different for everyone. I look forward to more books from this author!!!
Power Reviewer
Carol T. (Ankeny, Iowa)

Fast read, Good analogies
While some of Hackett's scenes are contrived and she frequently resorted to telling her readers what they should have gotten from a story or scene when she might have trusted them to "get the point" from what she was showing, the book is a good, fast read, with good analogies - searching and finding, what constitutes a family, the pain and pleasure of unconditional love. An excellent book for book clubs, or just for a few friends to read and discuss.
Power Reviewer
Peggy

A Mother's Love
For me this was not exactly a fast read. I found the story very touching and an illustration of the power of love to protect and sometimes overprotect and live in denial. There is a lot of talk about faith in this book but there is a fairly good balance too with both sides shown, if still in extreme. You have the believers and the non believers so it isn't really preachy.

The author pretty much put her own life and experience into this book in the character of Colm. Children are incredibly strong when they have such illnesses. I found Cathleen overbearing at times especially in her refusal to accept Colm's feelings. I thought that Dr. Basu balanced it out as the outsider though.

This is an excellent book for reader's clubs. There is so much here that can be discussed from faith and what it means to family and how much the past influences the present. I'd say this book is more for older readers and by that I mean at least 16 yrs and up.
Deb Y. (Blanco, TX)

At Odds with the Other Reviewers So Far
I actually enjoyed the book. It was an interesting premise, I enjoyed the characters, and basically liked the whole book. For a first book, I didn't pick it apart - I just read.............and, to me, it was worth reading. Is it a classic? Probably not, but I certainly wouldn't discourage others from taking the time to read it. Lots of Catholicity (if people object to that), but I think MC Hackett writes about what she knows..........My two cents........
MBB

Proof of Heaven
Sorry to say, not one of my favorites. Although I lost interest several times I continued to read! I felt the characters reacted as any parent/family would. The entire book seemed "weak". I felt as if I was left hanging when I finished.
Anna

Unusual
Proof of Heaven was easy to read. The subject matter was a bit sad and the ending confusing. The mother's devotion to her son was realistic because most Mothers would go to any lengths to save their child. I felt the ending left a lot of unanswered questions.
Catharine L. (Petoskey,

Good choice for book clubs
I personally did not like the book. It reminded me of The Shack. The first chapter was great, but after that the characters weren't developed, and the plot was predictable. I felt it was written on a Young Adult level. However, there are lots of discussable issues - Do miracles happen? Does heaven exist? Is religion necessary? I think book clubs would have lots to talk about.
Dianne S. (Green Valley, AZ)

What Happened?
I wasn't sure I liked this book in the beginning because of the amount of religion information shared. It seemed as though the author was preaching. In the middle I began to care about all the characters after they returned from Italy. Then I was lost again at the end. I titled this review "What Happened" cause the ending was so abrupt and weird that I really couldn't tell.
  • Page
  • 1
  • 2

More Information

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Everything We Never Had
    Everything We Never Had
    by Randy Ribay
    Francisco Maghabol has recently arrived in California from the Philippines, eager to earn money to ...
  • Book Jacket: There Are Rivers in the Sky
    There Are Rivers in the Sky
    by Elif Shafak
    Elif Shafak's novel There Are Rivers in the Sky follows three disparate individuals separated by ...
  • Book Jacket: The Missing Thread
    The Missing Thread
    by Daisy Dunn
    The fabric of ancient history is stitched heavily with stories of dramatic politics, conquest, and ...
  • Book Jacket: Model Home
    Model Home
    by Rivers Solomon
    Rivers Solomon's novel Model Home opens with a chilling and mesmerizing line: "Maybe my mother is ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl disappears, leaving a mystery unsolved for fifty years.
Book Jacket
The Story Collector
by Evie Woods
From the international bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop!
Win This Book
Win My Darling Boy

My Darling Boy by John Dufresne

The story of of a man whose son collapses into addiction and vanishes into the chaotic netherworld of southern Florida.

Enter

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.