Rating: 
Summary: Intentionally unformulaic, or lacking in imagination?
Review: I live in the UK and received this book as a birthday present from my sister-in-law in Cincinnati. Not one I would have chosen for myself (and indeed it hasn't been released here yet), but having started, I needed to finish. I read it in just over 24hrs - it's easy to read and interesting/challenging/well written enough to have you turning the pages quite quickly. Here comes the 'but'... I felt left unsatisfied, wanting to understand a little bit more from each chapter and character. I can't tell whether the Author deliberately leaves us wondering: because neither Susie, nor her family and friends have all of the pieces to fit together; or whether the author didn't have the imagination to develop the characters further and in their own right. So, it's either a very clever portrayal of how bitty and unresolved our lives can be when such a tragic event takes place, or the Author isn't experienced enough in developing sympathetic and fully rounded characters. I'm inclined to believe the latter since the last few episodes take on an aura of soap-like nonsense - things are resolved - but not quite, and not in the way we'd expect - For example, Susie's occupation of her class-mate's body was a) not what I expected, and b) not used for the purposes I would have expected.
Incidentally, reading the book took on a certain poignancy as, as I was reading the last few pages, news of the disappearance of two little 10 year old girls broke. A week later they still haven't been found and I am struck by comparisons of policing methods employed here/now and in the book. Were police officers really so lax in the 70's or were we all just more naive?
The book is very well written and the Author certainly has a talent for using words. There are some inconsistencies, however, in particular in the tone and vocabulary used by Susie. At times she is a naive teenager, at others an articulate adult. On reflection, I can't help but wonder at the extent to which this novel is really a form of autobiographical catharsis. In summary, it is certainly an 'experience' but it is not a book to put towards the top of a summer reading list.
Rating: 
Summary: In a Summer of Kidnappings....
Review: this book is especially touching, even heartwrenching. Alice Sebold, of course, did not know when she labored over this beautiful, haunting book that killed kids would be headlines this summer of 2002. Especially the Elizabeth Smart case, unsolved, resonated for me while reading this. A really powerful read, and I add my 2 cents to the many others who loved it. Whether it would have affected me less without this zeitgeist, I have no way of knowing.
Rating:
Summary: this book will leave you in heaven
Review: I admit that the beginning chapters were most disturbing and spooked me. I classify myself as "cozy mystery reader" so the bloody details in this book haunted me more than I liked. It was like watching a scary movie, I had to watch something funny before going to bed. LOL However, the story drew me in and it was INCREDIBLE writing! It will make you ponder your thoughts of Heaven and really gets you thinking which a good book should do! I highly recommend this book!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous and provacative...a new favorite
Review: It's been some time since a book has so captured my attention and affection. Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones" is remarkable and poignant, and a book I will not soon forget. Susie Salmon's perspective made me laugh and cry, and the optimism she sparked, even through her death, is contagious as a reader and witness to her world. I highly recommend this book; you will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I saw Anna Quindlen on the Today show promoting this book as a "future classic" and the best book she had read in years. She either must be a friend of Alice Seibold's or is receiving some kind of kickback from the publisher. I could not wait for this book to come out and submitted to the hype. Having recently suffered an expected death in my family, I was prepared for a life changing book with some profound meaning and depth. What I got instead was over hyped, amateurish, cliche, overhyped drivel.
Rating: 
Summary: It was a good book but a little disappointing.
Review: I suppose it would be hard for any book to live up to the early reviews that The Lovely Bones started receiving months before its release. Maybe, if I hadn't heard all the hype, and didn't have to wait so long to finally get it, I wouldn't have been a little let down after reading it. As others have said, this book had some truly touching moments. After reading about Susie dancing with her grandfather up in heaven, I had to put it down for a while just to preserve that thought. Grandma Lynn's character was a great surprise and so very well thought out. But I have to admit, I did find myself skimming through pages trying to skip over some of the fluff in order to get to the point of a few of the chapters. And I, too, was disappointed at the ending - when the story started focusing on the old sink whole, you were falsely led to think they would finally wrap everything up - and although the final destiny of Mr. Harvey was a creative link back to an earlier line in the book, a few sentences toward the end of the book surely did not do it justice.
I read the book quickly, it was entertaining, but it certainly wasn't the best book I've ever read. I will, however, follow Alice Sebold. For this being her first novel, I'd say it was a great accomplishment.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars All the Way!
Review: I cannot believe that people have actually reviewed this book with one star and some have not been able to read it all of the way through! I read it in three nights. It is amazing to read a book from the perspective of someone who has passed-on instead of people on earth. The heaven that is portrayed is the heaven I would like to have exist and reminds me of the movie "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams. Ms. Sebold's first novel is breathtaking and even though it deals with some harsh realities such as rape and murder, I feel it is written so that those tragedies do not become the principal focus of the novel but rather the feelings and emotions of the characters are the most important things.
Rating:
Summary: a creative read, puts a nice spin on heaven
Review: This book reminded me of the Robin Williams movie, "What Dreams May Come" It was a very creative look at heaven. It was comforting to know that Susie wasn't in pain, that she was around her family. They knew she was there, they could feel her. It got a little strange in one part, but if you liked the movie "Ghost" you will be okay with that part.
I like to be able to get lost in a book and this book did it for me.
Rating:
Summary: Good God!
Review: A lot of people like to dis the hyped - because all of a sudden what was cool becomes too popular and therefore is transferred to the uncool. I know, I work at a bookstore - I live with the hype. From THE CORRECTIONS to A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS. Hype is just that, hype. So dis all you want, THE LOVELY BONES is an amazing book. Alice Sebold gives a voice rarely seen in modern fiction - an omnicient narrator whom you know and trust. Sebold has a view and a vision that is lovely. Plus - her husband is a great author, too. Check out CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL by Glen David Gold.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtakingly Beautiful
Review: As I read through some of the reviews here today, I wondered if I read the same book as some others had. To each his own, but I found this book breathtakingly beautiful. Since so many stories of young girls being abducted have been in the new of late, the book is also very timely. The book begins with the death of Susie Salmon (like the fish, as she would say). So begins the story of a family torn apart by her disappearnce, and the ultimate acceptance of her death. Through Susie's eyes we learn of what her experience in heaven is like, and her close bonds with those she has left behind on earth. We watch the mystery of her death unfold, the changes in her friends and family and see it all through Suzie's forever 14 eyes. I stayed up all night unable to stop turning the pages. A unique and ultimately uplifting story, I recommend this book very highly.
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