Rating: 
Summary: A Satisfying Read
Review: This book draws you in and takes you on an emotional ride--you should definitely have your Kleenex on hand. The novel offers compelling insights into how families deal with grief, but it accomplishes more, it illustrates the complexity of relationships and beauty of life. It stirs up painful emotion while at the same time being uplifting and inspirational. The ending feels a bit rushed and contrived, but all and all "The Lovely Bones" is a very satisfying read. The device of having the narrator speaking from beyond the grave works well, and if you find this compelling, you may also enjoy Alice Walker's book, "By the Light of My Father's Smile" which uses this technique in a different way by telling the story from the point of view of a deceased father who is trying to make up for his misdeeds in life.
Rating:
Summary: This would be an Oprah book club pick...
Review: ...if she still had a book club. It has all the signatures of the books she chose, most of which I did enjoy, though I did come to understand that in picking up an Oprah book club selection, I was signing up for a particular kind of story--young female protagonist, heartbreaking violation of a childhood, ultimate triumph. This book did call me back to it whenever I put it down, and the first two thirds move quickly and compellingly. The last third, for me, meandered, and I began to feel impatient for the author to wrap things up. Don't want to give away the plot, so I can't really get in to my frustration with the final third, but overall, a beautifully written and hopeful view of our ability to survive the worst that can be leveled at us. Worth reading, I think, despite the flaws.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read
Review: 'The Lovely Bones' is a creative exploration of the supernatural. The author weaves a story of love, tragedy and pain which traverses the vastness of heaven and earth. A 14-year-old girl who is raped and dismembered by a serial killer narrates the story. In heaven, Susie can see the impact her murder has on family and friends. As a spectator and sometimes participant in earthly activities, she is able to maintain connected to the living in ways that most people on earth fail to notice. Sebold's method of narration works wonderfully for the story. Although the narrator is fourteen years old, her age does not hamper her perception or her ability to interpret the humanity she sees on earth. The heavenly perspective provided by the narrator lends credibility and allows her to transcend age constraints. Overall, I thought this a good read. There were moments where the story moved slower than I liked, so I skipped a few paragraphs here or there to speed the pace (you don't lose any of the story line, some of the writing is rather fluffy). I believe the mass appeal for this book is due primarily to the subject matter and readers' desire to believe that those who we love maintain a mystical connection to us after they die. Sebold portrays this connection is an easily accessible manner that validates experiences had by many survivors of the dead. Worth reading and passing on.
Rating: 
Summary: A lovely book
Review: This book moved me; I couldn't put it down. It is tragic, touching and thought-provoking without a hint of sentimental syrup. I highly recommend this book to anyone, male, female, young or old.
-j-
Rating:
Summary: The Lovely Bones
Review: It took me two days to read through and tangle myself in The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. The trip of reading it was an emotional roller coaster ride that swung me from high to low with each turning page. The story takes us through one girl's short life and long death. Our main character Suzie Salmon is brutally raped and murdered by a neighbor...but Suzie's character does not end with her murder. She goes on to become our narrator in this fantastic read. She unfolds our story with the happanings and emotions of her family after her death and how they must face life without her. Suzie's death takes us through a world that is blurred to the living. In reading this novel you are taken on a journey of the dead and the living and the boundaries that are hardly ever crossed. Suzie must somehow forget the idea of living and embrace her death. In doing so she will gain her own peace and the peace of her family. A powerful, emotional book that I adored reading! An absolute keeper that I am sure I will take down and read again and again!
Rating:
Summary: Another Dimension, not a world away
Review: This book was fabulous....I read it in just two nights because I could not put it down. For those of us who have done our Spiritual and Divine studies, this book is a reminder of how safe we really are even though at times it feels differently. For those who have not yet delved into the mysteries of the Universe, it will open a window quietly, without fear or doubt, for future realizations to come in...... I cried a lot. The characters brought up old emotions that I had pressed down somewhere in my soul having not known what else to do with them. Yours will surface too. It will change you for the better. This book will help you release old, stale energy and redirect it into something that is yours alone to ponder. Today, I am going out to start a conversation with someone I never bothered with before. It will be more for me than for them. Thanks for the gift, Alice. Cheers, Kiwi
Rating:
Summary: EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER
Review: This is a spiritual journey of sorts that takes you through your whole range of emotions. Fortunately, it ends with an uplifting message of hope. Another spiritual journey I recommend is "I Talked To God And He Wants To Talk To You".
Rating: 
Summary: TRY TO RESIST
Review: I wish I had resisted the hype, the reviews, the idea that reading this sad dismal tale could enhance my life in someway. It was hard to get through and many times I wanted to give up on it. After I finished I wish I had given up and saved myself the anguish and the wasted time.
Rating:
Summary: No Skeletons in Sebold's Closet
Review: Susie Salmon is a normal teenager in AnyTown USA, until a walk home through a cornfield one night changes her life forever. She is raped, dismembered, and lastly discarded of by a neighbor. This event changes the lives of her family members outstandingly. From heavan, she now much watch her mother cheat on her father, her sister grow into a woman (something she will never do), the love of her life move on, her younger brother almost completely forget her, and her killer live with no remorse. Through these trials, Susie ultimately learns how to love, forgive, and to come to peace with her murder.
This novel was exceptionally interesting and thought provoking. I can honestly say that I found it hard to put "The Lovely Bones" down once I began to travel through Susie Salmon's life, murder and rape. Alice Sebold amazingly created the story of this young teenager with such compassion and understanding. Also, having read "Lucky" her autobiography beforehand, I found it interesting to notice the parallels between the author's own life story and that of her young heroine's. If one can read this book and not be touched, they must truly be without a soul, for Sebold projects the horrors of her own rape through this compelling novel
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in years. Gripping, murder mystery on the surface; fascinating and interesting concept of heaven; well developed process of family and community recovery after the death of a daughter/sister/friend. This a must read book for anyone and everyone.
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