The Lovely Bones

Rating:
Summary: I can't get this out of my head
Review: Very few books take up permanent residence in my mind but this one certainly does. For anyone who has ever lost a loved one, this story will provide comfort and solace; you will dearly wish it is true (and maybe it is). Beautifully written, it reads almost like a poem. Some readers are put off by a part that may seem farfetched (I won't give away details) but for Susie it wiped away the ugliness and replaced with it with the beauty she deserves. Don't miss reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: The more than just Lovely Bones
Review: The utterly amazing new novel by Alice Sebold is both ground breaking and emotionally dense. Sebold manages to draw her readers in with a sweet and innocent voice. This novel is horrifyingly begun in the voice of a murder fourteen year old girl, Susie Salmon. Heaven and death are explained in a beautiful and tender way through this young girl. Sebold manages to explore Susie's heaven and the demented mind of her killer George Harvey with equal attention to detail.
Sebold creates an interesting and fascinating novel through her characters. Each person in the novel is more engaging more interesting then the next. Susie describes her own death in heart wrenching detail. She then observes as her sister Lindsay falls in love and loses her virginity all the while hardening herself against any emotion. Through Susie's view from her heaven the reader is involved intimately with each character as he or she is presented on the page. We are drawn through the past and follow the present as we might never do after death.
This novel is emotionally charged and dramatic in its plot. However the plot never draws your attention away from the evolvement you feel for Sebold's wonderfully lifelike characters. This novel will make you want to grad a hold of your nearest family member and not let go. What is life after death like? Who knows? Well maybe Alice Sebold does. And maybe you will too if you take my advice and read The Lovely Bones.

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly Enjoyable
Review: This book was outstanding! It grabs your attention from the first page and keeps you attentive throughout. All of the characters were well developed. I cannot wait to read the authors next book!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and terrible wrapped into one....
Review: The novel The Lovely Bones is crafty, well written, even funny at times, but don't be naive and dive in unknowingly. While the story, told by the dead after being raped and murdered Susie, revolves around a mourning family and an odd serial killer you will have those un-nerving details unfold that will be a bit uncomfortable for some.

I could not put this book down once I began it, and my husband had me read some of it to him, then we would discuss the strange things going on and the way things were coming together. While it is described as a 'coming of age' novel, this is done by proxy through Susie's living sister. I have to admit, parts of this book ripped my heart up, but that is what makes it so amazing. You feel every emotion, fear, happiness, love, sympathy, anger- it is all there without feeling extremely HEAVY. If you read a lot, and can handle a bit of gore, I suspect you will like this book, pass it on, and discuss it for many days to come. The ending really ties things together, I think, in a nice, but not too perfect, way.

If you are in a book club, and your members can handle a bit of darkness packed with awesome writing, do not pass this one up.
If you are a bit of a bibliophile (like me) and love to buy, read, collect and re-read books, this might be a fun one to add to your shelf.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Piece Of Heaven...
Review: Everyone has their own idea of heavn, and Alice Sebold certainly makes this the theme of her book. 14 year old Susie Salmon is murdered coming home from school one day, and chooses to watch the human world she left for many years as they struggled and fell apart, then fought to stay together.

A really interesting part of this book is you feel a connection through a lack of character development...which is pretty rare. When your main character/narrarator is already dead, its interesting to see the other characters moving on, while Susie is only developed as memories and stories. I think Alice Sebold did a wonderful job of incorporating so many characters and connecting them all in this world Susie chooses to observe. A really clever technique was in fact using Susie as the narrarator because she is omniscent and knows everything, yet she is a real person and character that the novel is based around.

Some might question what the point of the novel is upon reading the end, when the story is wrapped up rapidly. I think the purpose of the book isn't to discover who Susie was when she was murdered, but to discover who she and the other characters come to be after her murder, which makes the ending somewhat satisfying. Although a few people might argue the last few chapters of the book are too far-fetched, the whole concept of the book concievably is paranormal in nature so if you consider the story to be too unrealistic, keep in mind that the idea of Heaven could really just be a fantasy. (Not to raise any religious questions or anything...)

I only give this book four stars because one of the things I was looking forward to in the book isn't revealed (If you read it, you'll probably feel the same way but I won't reveal it) and plus I think the ending scene before hte conclusion feels a bit incomplete, however it goes for a happy yet chilling ending which I could appreciate.

Rating:
Summary: Promising, but an ultimate failure
Review: Sebold can write, but can she synthesize a plot, develop characters in a meaningful way, and create a well-rounded tale? No.
The family dynamics illustrated after their daughters death felt like a strained attempt to create characters out of the famous stages of dealing with grief (denial, anger, depression...).
The heaven Sebold describes is incredibly superficial (every wish is granted), unimaginative, and sentimental.
Sebold tries to tackle far too much--too many characters and their emotional states, and she obviously adores nearly all of them, considering by the end, everyone's lives have become disgustingly and predictably ideal.
The book does not come to any resolution, fruition, or conclusion, nor does it have any underlying message that I could glean from its pages.

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: I read this book in less than a day. It is a quick read, but at the same time not a word is wasted. High marks for Alice Sebold in her first novel. The story moves along at a quick pace, and the subject matter is treated with less darkness as one would expect.
At times you may not realize how cleverly Sebold has enabled her narrator, Susie Salmon, to slip from first person to third person omniscient. This is truly a talented writer and I look forward to her next work.
Some readers may be put off by the ending which seems to be missing the great sense of finality and vengence we all seek, but it is more realistic than you realize. The characters are true to life and very solid. You will recognize yourself, you parents, your friends and your loved ones in one or more of the individuals in this tale. Pick it up today, read it, and pass it on tomorrow.

Rating:
Summary: Why do people like this book?
Review: I had read all the glowing reviews of this book in newspapers and magazines, saw the author interviewed on the today's show, read the mostly 5-star reviews other people gave the book on this website, and heard a friend of mine simply rave about it--so I bought it and could not even force myself to finish it. The premise was so creative and it could have been a great story. Yet, the writing was so basic and not flowing. It was painful. I knew as soon as I read the first silly description of Heaven, including a Heaven in-take counselor, that reading this book was a mistake. Why do people like this book??

Rating:
Summary: Haunting and Poignant
Review: This books intrigued me when I read the inside jacket in the book store. After puchasing and starting this book I could not put it down. The most haunting and poignant novel I have read in years. It will linger with you like a comfortable old blanket for a very long time. Have an open mind and enjoy it's levels of complexity.

Rating:
Summary: A touching esoteric story...
Review: Alice Sebold has a gift with language. Her writing is fluid and enchanting. This is no ordinary prosaic story, and as such should be read with a little suspension of disbelief. Once you have fully entered the story, you will not want it to end. Besides, it offers those of us who have lost someone a new perspective on grief--the grief that those who die feel at not having been able to live they life that they had dreamed of. I have recommended this book to several picky readers and have not heard a complaint yet.