Didn't make it through this book. It wasn't the concept (I didn't read the Shack, but I don't think either novel has a particularly original idea). Other reviewers have covered my problem with this book, so I will make this short: The book isn't really well-written. With so many other choices out there that are of higher literary merit, a reader would only come to this work for the concept. In that case, a reader is probably seeking illumination for the soul rather than a highly crafted work. ( )

Everyone seems to be comparing The Last Day to The Shack, but I find that to be apples and oranges. The Shack is a story of faith. The Last Day is a love story. It is not a study of the nature of God. Jesus is a character in the story, but the story is not about him. It's about Warren Harlan Pease's last day and return home at the end of his tour of duty in Iraq. It's about his love for the people in his life, their relationships and interactions with one another. It's about his personal relationship with Jesus (not Jesus's relationship with the whole world).

I found Warren to be a very real character. I like him a lot. Everyone was likeable, probably because we were seeing them through Warren's eyes. They were also very human. They are presented with their frailties along with their good points.

The Lat Day is a sad book. It brought tears to my eyes. At the same time, it's a joyful book because it celebrates love and life. It has hope woven throughout with love.

This was one of my favorite books of 2009. ( )

I need to stop reading promo material. It raises expectations that usually are not met. The promo material for this book makes various claims that could only be true if the person reading the book had never read anything else. The story is a derivative pastiche of The Sixth Sense, It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, and the Footprints poem. The only thing that kept me from figuring out the "secret" about our protagonist was the annoying conceit of Jesus running around calling himself Raphael.

Creating further problems is the fact that the book doesn't know which audience it is aiming at. On the one hand it seems to want to reach a wide, secular audience by being "realistic" and "gritty." But when it comes to the details that would provide it, the book shies away, replacing curse words with S---- for example.

There are a few places where the protagonist (I refuse to use his silly name.) seems to have some thoughtful conversations that might delve into deeper ideas, but they are few and far between and undeveloped.

To my mind, this reads like an early draft of something that might be worked into an ok novel, but it needs much more work to rise above its limitations. ( )

The Last Day is a memorable novel about life, death, and war. An interesting look at spending the day with Jesus and loved ones. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a story about grace and compassion. ( )

A well written, interesting story about the day when a soldier dies and meets Jesus and how Jesus helps him wrap up the threads of his relationship so that he feels ok moving on. ( )