Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful surprise
Review: This book was a great surprise for many reasons; I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. People should definitely read this book, especially if you've recently lost someone regardless of how they died. This book has helped give me a new view on what the "afterlife" might possibly be like and made my mother's death more bearable.
Rating:
Summary: A lOVELY, SPARE READ
Review: When Susie is murdered in the beginning of the novel LOVELY BONES, you don't know what to think. It is an unusual beginning to read, and I found it interesting and curious. Like Susie, I had little emotion at the beginning of her final moments on earth, because the way the novel expressed this didn't build up the arc of intensity in that manner. It was only later, when I began to learn more, that I felt more. I do not like books which are sensationalistic, and this is not like that. I do not like books which are overly sentimental even more, and this is not like that, either. This is a novel of turns not taken, potentential not realized yet fulfilled anyway: through others...through others who continue to live. It really is a fine novel. I liked the slow fulfillment of the characters qualities--the humanity here is so palpable. Small incidents are beautifully etched because of this. I believe that the murdered girl, Susie, could be likened to a spokesperson for a "Small Town" type scenario. Becuase she can see everything from her heaven, and can grasp certain things which people are feeling, the beauty that is transient life is expressed in an odd, yet fascinating and unique way. Worth reading. thanks, jean
Rating:
Summary: Great summer read, but what about the ending?
Review: I picked this book up after all the great reviews on it. A lovely bone is beautifully written but the story skips. I found myself enjoying a chapter and wanting more but it ends so abruptly. I really truly enjoyed it until the end. Not enough closure. You find yourself going well what happen to so and so and were is so and so. If you like making the end than this is the book for you. Don't get me wrong it's a great book. But were is the good ending?
Rating: 
Summary: Moving
Review: I cried 3 times before the first chapter was over. This book was so moving. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story that they will never forget.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking...
Review: What do I really think Heaven is like? This is the question I have been asking myself since reading The Lovely Bones, narrated by Susie Salmon, a murdered teenage girl residing in her own version of Heaven. Susie lives in a perfect place surrounded by coveted objects from her most vivid imaginings, yet she is still aware of and emotionally involved in the lives of the friends and family she left behind. She is omni-present and is able to facilitate the unfolding plot from a ubiquitous perspective. Her loved ones' lives are shattered as a result of her death, and, try as she might, she can do nothing to intercede. She is left to see the harsh unraveling that she incidentally caused. The Lovely Bones is a thought-provoking effort from a first-time author; however, I feel the resolution of the story (without giving it away) is too forced and inconsistent with the rest of the novel. Overall, though, this book left me asking myself some great questions, which makes it worth the read.
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Summary: Lovely Bones Knit a Family Together
Review: Coming of age stories have long been considered poignant and heart breaking leaving the readers with messages far greater than those found in books about adult experiences. Consider the following older titles, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, The Temple of Gold by William Goldman or more recently Ellen Foster, Durable Goods and Bastard Out of Carolina. Now consider the eloquent first novel, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold who introduces us to the character of Susie Salmon. Susie, a 14 year old, was raped and murdered and in one of the most innovative plots in recent years narrates her story from heaven. And before you say, 'Oh no, this book sounds morbid and not for me,' let me be the first to say I never thought I would read this book, let alone enjoy it. And now that I've finished this title, I can't wait to let some time elapse and then rereading it for more thoughts on this book. Susie Salmon is the oldest of three children living in a suburban Pennsylvania community. Somewhat of a loner, before her death, Susie dreams that high school will change her life measurably. Susie is bright beyond her years and exhibits a unique curiosity and great wit even while relating incidents about her family from heaven. Walking home from school one day, Susie is lured away by someone she knows and then meets her violent death. From this point on till the end of the book, Susie relates the effect her death has on her parents, siblings and grandmother. She watches as her parents cope with the preliminary news and then ensuing investigation while Susie's body is never found. We watch along with Susie as their lonely neighbor, Mr. Harvey is scrutinized and questioned although never arrested or charged. We observe Susie's friends, Paul the shy Indian student initially accused of the murder and Ruth who is able to communicate with Susie. And our hearts ache as Susie's younger sister Lindsey finds friendship and ultimately love during the years after this event, their brother Buckley grows up never really knowing Susie and their grandmother becomes a vital part of a family she hardly knew. But most of all we cry as Susie's father never gives up trying to find out what happened to Susie and her mother who most leave the family in order to rejoin them at a later time. Sebold's writing is candid, poignant and heart rendering. There are passages that took my breath, found me sighing away and reduced me to tears particularly the last two pages. And her sense of irony at the end is more than worth the journey. I truly think this is a must be read book. The author, herself a rape victim has the rare gift of exploring what must be one of the most difficult events in a famiily's life making it enticing and ultimately a most rewarding read.
Rating:
Summary: This book was worth all its hype
Review: I absolutely loved this book. I read it in one day. Could not put it down. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Find
Review: Alice Sebold writes well enough to make the reader believe that a dead girl is really telling this story. A marvelous talent that has produced a written work that ranks up there with Cold Mountain as one of the most important pieces of recent fiction written in the first part of the twenty-first century. If you like excellent literature, this is a must book to read.
Rating: 
Summary: choppy sentences
Review: This book was hard to understand because of the sentence structure. Choppy sentences that went no-where-"worked together, the snow falling, almost wafting, down", and "He had his family walking through the streets, going to school, passing, on their way, Mr. Harvey's green-shingled house". To be fair, I just finished "Empire Falls, by Richard Russo. Mr. Russo writes in a smooth, elegant fashion. I will give a book 50 pages to convince me its worth my time. I stopped at page 43.
Rating:
Summary: The Lovely Bones
Review: When I picked up The Lovely Bones I thought it an odd title but after reading the jacket cover I thought I would give it a try. I am glad I did. Alice Sebold tells a wonderful story with humor and agony. I found myself shedding a few tears along with a chuckle every now and then. I could not put this book down and finsihed in one day. I see great things ahead for Ms. Sebold based on this book. If you want to lose yourself in a story that shows the dark side of Earth as well as the hope of heaven then I would recommend this book.
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