Rating: 
Summary: A Heaven that Makes Sense
Review: I'm not at all religious--and not usually what I would call "sentimental," either. The premise of The Lovely Bones should have been enough to put me off--narrated from Heaven, as a dead girl looks down upon her family, disentegrating below her. Hasn't that child-murdered-family-torn-apart plot been done to death? (No pun intended). Yes, it has. This book is the exception, though. The matter-of-factness of Susie Salmon's voice, opening the book with "I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6th, 1973," keeps the book grounded and out of schmaltz. At the same time, it's profoundly sad; I suggest you keep a box of tissues near you while you're reading it. I felt that parts of the ending were rather manufactured, and some of the prose became bogged down in the author's grasping for gorgeous metaphors--but most of the time she succeeds in grabbing them, and the final few pages make up for any overly fantastical elements that snuck in earlier. If you're going to read a book that's being hyped, take my advice and pick this one: it's actually worth all the chatter about it.
Rating: 
Summary: Sad to say it was a let down
Review: After reading about how wonderful this book is, and seeing its fabulous placement in the bookstores, I bought a copy for both my mom and I, thinking it would be great. After all, the premise is orginal, compelling...But neither of us could finish it. I made it to chapter 5 and my mom made it only to chapter 3. The protagonist, Susie, goes off on so many unimportant tangents, and the narrator (Susie, again) is portrayed to be omniscient--delving into everybody's thoughts--which I found hard to believe, and a bit irritating. Kudos to the book for the original storyline, but, for us, it was way too difficult to maintain interest in the storyline with all of the fluff. I'm happy that Sebold has been able to enjoy tremendous success with her debut novel--the dream of every aspiring author--but I found myself extremely disappointed, and I would not recommend the book, especially in hardcover.
Rating: 
Summary: Had potential, but...
Review: I also fell for the hype surrounding this book. The concept intrigued me, and I have to admit a few early passages in the book brought me to tears, but overall I was greatly disappointed.
While I truly do appreciate what Sebold was going for in this novel, it was too much of a light read for the subject matter. The characters were without depth and the concept of "heaven" was vague at best. Ruth's endless fascination with Susie's death made little sense. Sebold gave this character nothing else to do but wander around with some kind of sixth-sense. The idea that Ray, a boy who had a crush on Susie, and kissed her once, would be carrying a torch for her for 10 years later, is a nice thought, but ridiculous. Susie's little visit to earth via Ruth's body just about put me over the edge.
I think that reviewers who praise this book (5 stars???) and its character development probably haven't read much else.
In Sebold's defense, a nice, tidy ending to the search for Susie's remains would have satisfied a lot of readers, but at least in that respect, she was more realistic. The grim reality in many of these situations is that there is no closure.
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Story
Review: I really loved this book. It is written from a murdered little girls point of view ... from heaven. The only reason I didn't rate it a 5 is because I would have liked to have had a more pleasent view of what heaven was like for her. I think if Sebold was going to place her in heaven she should have given us a little more visual AND maybe for our own reasons ... some hope that heaven is everything we are taught it will be. Then, on the other hand, heaven may be thought of differently by others and that is what she conveyed. This book gave me a lot to think about. It's strange how this book came out at a time when we have had so many children, especially little girls abducted and/or murdered. I can only hope that from heaven these children can guide us and those who protect us to find these awful people that commit such heinous crimes. I noticed in some of the comments that some people think this book is about God because it refers to heaven. When really this book is about a life taken to early. The way the book is written ... I got so enthrolled in the girls thoughts that I thought they were my own thoughts. I like knowing that (even if it just a story) those in heaven can still follow us throughout our lives. BUT, then, it saddens me that some souls can be unsettled ... at least until their murders are found. Very interesting plot. I would definetely recommend this book. I think if is carefully scripted it would make a great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I enjoyed this book tremendously. I love the concept, the writing style, the emotions. I read it on a soggy, rainy day- just perfect.
Rating:
Summary: If you can get past all the hype...
Review: ...This is a well-told story from a fresh perspective. Although
the story is exceptional and the premise is refreshing and bold, the plot dwindles away like the memory of the main character. Telling the story of the late fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish"--and why the author chose this name is one of the mysteries of this novel)who was recently murdered, "The Lovely Bones" presents a fresh voice in contemporary literature. We see the entire story from Susie's vantage point in her heaven, a plot device that is at once brilliant and daunting. As we watch the devastation that Susie's unsolved murder wreaks on her family and the community in which she lived, the reader is treated to a multi-viewpoint narrative...a treat in itself. Susie is able to hear the thoughts and see the actions of every character in the book, including those of her murderer. That there is no real retribution in the story of the man who brought down his murderous wrath on Susie and numerous others, is a point that sticks in my mind as one of the weaker plot issues. Reading "The Lovely Bones" was a joy, and I recommend this to everyone looking for an interesting novel from a different perspective on life.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: I am an avid reader, and a librarian. Despite the rave reviews this book has received, I found it to be a huge disappointment. The opening paragraph is a grabber; and the concept is fascinating (murdered girl watching how her death has affected those around her). But the book just doesn't deliver. I too have lost a daughter, though not to murder, and found the family's reaction implausible. And Suzie's heaven does not seem to be such a beautiful or desirable place; why does she still have such longing to be back on Earth? Finally, Suzie's return to earth to make love to Ray; and the way in which Mr. Harvey gets his "just desserts" are beyond believable! NOT recommended!
Rating:
Summary: "The Lovely Bones...What A Novel Idea..."
Review: I really liked this story! " The Lovely Bones" by talented writer Alice Sebold was a wonderful story taking center stage in heaven. A place where life is as yesterday. A young girl has been murdered (Susie). Susie is keeping an eye on her grieving family, friends, as well as the man who killed her. She's also keeping a watchful eye in the detective working the case surrounding her death. THE LOVELY BONES is a coming of age story. Susie struggles to accept her death while she still clings to the lost world of the living with her family and friends as days turn magically into years.
Rating:
Summary: I don't get it...
Review: I don't get the nasty reviews I have read here at Amazon.com. I think every important book critic liked the Lovely Bones. A lot of news programs on TV liked it too. People are obviously buying it and if this book were really bad, don't you think word of mouth would have killed it by now? What, Harry Potter is fine because its for kids but the Lovely Bones is not because its for grown ups? I think this book is fine for both. What about this. Don't you think the Lovely Bones is strange because it seems to be liked by respected critics AND the regular people on the street? How often does that happen? But my first visit to these review pages and man, I get the feeling this book is actually hated for being a success and for getting into a subject that people feel connected to in a simple way. And that's why I like the Lovely Bones. I can follow it and not have to re read pages that are filled with 1000 word sentences before you come to a period. I don't feel like I have to be smart to get it. I'm not going to apologize for liking it. I think people who didn't like it read a lot more books then the rest of us and to be honest, the public doesn't care much about. So they praise the others and attack this one. The Lovely Bones is one of the few I can read easily while those who didn't like it are almost saying we were brainwashed and fooled. Hey, nobody forced or theatened me to buy this book. This is a book you can safely give as a gift. Not of lot of dirty words and no, I don't think it was corny as people are saying it is. It doesn't have the stuff that makes people hate books in the first place. Most books I read are too hard to get through because they seem written not for me. This book hits me because we have all lost someone and some of us have a tougher time dealing with what's left after someone you love a lot is gone. The lovely bones is all made up and maybe the author didnt expect it to be popular, but it is because its wonderful. A zillion people who bought this can't be wrong. I can think of other books that were praised on TV or in newspapers and you know, I bet most of the same people who didn't like the Lovely Bones didn't like those either. Hype, hype, hype. People were tricked, they say. My goodness, its like that super-smart guy two cubicles down from me. He thinks all of America is going stupid. And anything popular, from movies or books, can't be good. This is a fine book. I think its hard to write a book that can reach a lot of people. You try to do it and still get important critics liking you. If critics had that much power, especially the ones in the newspapers and not on TV, then every book would sell a zillion. So please don't believe the negatives by others. I'm sure most them have books on their shelves I haven't even heard of.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best book I've read, but very good
Review: I've looked over many of the reviews on this site, and been shocked by both the ones and the fives. I am no literary critic, but I have certainly read better novels than this--better written, better plotted, more insightful and yet...this was a comforting(in spite of its premise), gentle and uplifting book. It was supposed to be written by a 14 year old and that fit, most of the time. After having lost two younger brothers to accident and to suicide, I can verify that a survivor feels very similiar to those in the book. Yet, life does go on and gradually, the loved one is less on one's mind and the memories less painful. Different family members do react very differently to these tragedies and nothing in this book rang false about the stages or types of grieving that went on from my experience. I agree with those people who felt that the first half of the book surpassed the second and that the book jumped around in time and drifted. It is, however, a very thought -provoking book and not at all superficial, as some claim. If you intend to read the book, I urge you to not treat it as a mystery, crime novel or religious tome. It is none of these things, but is certainly worth at least a look.
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