Product Description

Introduced to Charlie and his younger brother, Sam at the start of this compelling novel, we quickly learn of the terrible tragedy that befalls their family. Then, as the story unfolds, we leap forward in time to find an older, unhappy Charlie, working as caretaker of the cemetery where his sibling is buried.

It is here that Charlie meets Grace, who is laying her father to rest. Their encounter offers Charlie a chance at love, but also forces him to confront the fact that he has allowed the past to haunt him – shaping his relationships, regrets and, ultimately, his chance for redemption. Now, still half-stuck in the world of the dead, he has to decide whether it is finally time to say goodbye, and face the future.

Praise for The Man Who Ate The 747: 'A moving metaphorical love story with laughs . . . A genial fable that gracefully illuminates the extremes to which people will go in the name of passion' US Weekly

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #442364 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The eponymous hero of The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud is a good boy; an American teenager who works hard at school, is good at sport and loves his mum and his little brother Sam. And then one terrible day, tragically, he finds himself responsible for Sam's death. Charlie dies too for a brief moment but is brought back to life by the skill of a paramedic. From that moment on, Charlie makes a sacrificial decision to live his life in the past. Until that is, he meets tough but beautiful yachtswoman Tess and he has to rethink life and death.

Ben Sherwood's novel is an unusual love story set against a background of bereavement and grief. Sherwood is a former TV news producer and journalist so not surprisingly this, his second novel, is perfectly well written, has attractive characters and a compelling story line. Yet, disappointingly, it feels one-dimensional, wholly predictable and ultimately, unsatisfying.

Rights to the film version were sold even before The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud was published and perhaps herein lies the answer. It is easy to visualise on celluloid: a feel-good, light romance with equal measure of tears and smiles, not too demanding. Tess could have been written for Julia Roberts.

Maybe it wasn't written as a film script, but what's missing is what could have made this a great book. After all, the central theme affects us all: what happens after death and, perhaps far more importantly, what happens to the living, left behind to mourn and cope? If you're looking for meaningful insights and serious answers, this is sadly not the place to find them. --Carey Green

Daily Mail Paperbacks review, Friday 21st May 2004
'This is a story of life and death, beautifully written with a gentle simplicity which lends it great emotional power...'

About the Author

Ben Sherwood is a bestselling author and award-winning journalist. His acclaimed novel The Man Who Ate the 747 was published in thirteen languages and is in development as a feature film. For years he worked as a network news producer with NBC and ABC in New York, and Washington DC, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, he now lives with his wife in New York and Los Angeles and is working on a new novel.

Customer Reviews

I loved this book!
When teenager Charlie and his little brother Sam borrow a neighbour's car without her knowledge, the result is a fatal crash and a near death experience for Charlie. Unfortunately his brother wasn't so lucky.
Unable to move forward after Sam's untimely death, Charlie takes a job as caretaker of the cemetary where Sam is buried. He's caught up in the past.
Tess, training for a solo sailing trip around the globe is strong, independant and has always been unable to find true love.
When they meet they feel an over-powering connection. This is a mesmerising story of an unusual romance set against the backdrop of a small New England community.
Issues of grief, remembrance and the afterlife are all explored in this story. Charlie is still tied to his grief and promises made to his brother, Tess is in need of her father's guidance but he's already passed on and is beyond where she can reach him. There's plenty of action too as Tess sails straight into the eye of a storm.
Ben Sherwood's writing is poignant and the tale is told with a magical simplicity. It's a story in which miracles are suddenly possible and the prose tantalises you. I haven't been this swept away by a love story since reading the Bridges of Madison County.
It is a wonderful and moving read.

A LITTLE BOOK OF MIRACLES
This book falls into the catergory of "Romance" - a genre I have always avoided being a bloke who likes Stephen King horrors and James Patterson thrillers, but for some odd reason i was drawn to this book and decided to give it a chance. It sat on my bedside cabinet for about three weeks when I reluctantly picked it up and began to read. Five hours later I closed the book with the biggest smile on my face.

This is an excellent story about love and miracles in a small fishing town and Ben Sherwood has written it with such style and charm and has created characters that you genuinely care about. I know for a fact I will read this book again in the near future after all my family and friends have read it.

Buy it now, male or female, body builder or beautician, buy it and enjoy it and let yourself be drawn into the world of Charlie St Cloud and his journey to enjoy life again, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Life and Death
This novel is one of the most unusual love stories. It really opens your eyes (and fills them with tears too) to the presence of love in our lives not just the feelings of love for a partner but for our siblings also, whether they are present or absent. It's told in a really tender manner, and although it's a short read (like some of the other critics on this page, I read the entire book in one day whilst on holidays), I remembered this book the most!