The Lovely Bones

Rating:
Summary: How Lovely this book was.
Review: Susie Salmon is 14 years old and when she starts out telling her story she is already in heaven. At the young age Susie was killed by a man that as the story progresses you get to know more about.

when Susie dies she watchs the pain and hurt that her family will go thru, from the not know what happen to her to the pain of actully losing Susie. When George Harvey kill Susie she vows to watch over her family and make sure things are going alright, but watching her family makes her miss them more and more.

Susie's parents, brother and sister each take the murder in different ways, some of them run away from the problems, other make it there lifes work to figure out what happen to her. But as time goes on and nothing is found each member of the family must deal with what has happen and how it has caused issues in there lives.

This was a great first book by a new author and I loved how she told the story thru Susie and how she saw things in her heaven and how she had to watch what happen to her family and friends.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book -
Review: This book is written so beautifully. I could visualize each character at all times, the details are amazing. This book also made me cry.

Rating:
Summary: I Could Not Put This Down
Review: ..and I read it in a day (9 hours), only stopping once, to eat. As a mother of a son and daughter, one of whom is a teenager--and not to get too mystical, here-- I was reluctant to go on the journey I knew this book would take me. At the risk of sounding schmaltzy, I must say that from the beginning I felt gently guided by Susie, the narrator of the story. She, and her story, and her family's story, took me by the hand, gently reeled me in, quietly assuring me that not only would I be brave enough to read this book, but that I would be glad I had in the end. I love every moment of this book. It is exquisite. And I am very picky.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book--The Lovely Bones
Review: This book was really excellent--I read it in 2 days. It was very unique! The characters were extremely believable. It will haunt me for a long time to come.

Rating:
Summary: A welcome surprise
Review: The subject matter of this book had me worried when I first heard about it. I mean it's about a girl who is raped and murdered and how she watches her family get torn apart after her death from heaven! Sounds like a weepy, depressing book no one in their right mind would want to read, right? But I gave it a shot because it had so many people talking and raving that I thought I should at least try it. The first two chapters are a bit intense but they are not too gruesome and instead are compelling and make you want to read more. And the book, while one could never exactly call it a happy read, is not altogether depressing or dreary. It makes you think. Their is something touching about the mess Susie watches her family become, even more so as the years pass. It's not a perfect book but it has a clear message and reaches your heart without cloying too hard. The language can get a little overboard but manages not to give the impression of manipulating you in the way Nicholas Sparks would. Ultimately the book is about moving on, acknowledging the past as a part of who we are but without letting it define us. It's a nice sentiment, and Sebold gets it across beautifully. She is certainly a talent to watch. If the Lovely Bones is any indication she has a great skill.

Rating:
Summary: great summer reading
Review: What a concept, although it reminded me a little of Being Dead by Jim Crace. I could not put this book down...I started it Saturday morning and finished Sunday afternoon. I found it interesting that we can explore Susie's wants and desires - the "never got to..." from her perspective; and we got to see the dynamics of a victims family after the crime (much like The Deep End of the Ocean)...I liked the way things were left almost unresolved. I will be passing this book around to friends and suggesting it for an up coming book group meeting.

Rating:
Summary: What happened to the brilliant writer of Lucky?
Review: When I began The Lovely Bones, I'd just finished reading Lucky,which I think is one of the most gripping,insightful,and humorous memoirs I've ever read -- so, I couldn't wait to read Sebold's first novel.

Then, to read what seemed like idle reveries of a suburban everygirl or everyboy or everydaughter or everyhousewife or everyhusband,depending on the character in Lovely Bones,well,to say I was disappointed is an everystatement.

Lucky was so taut. Its prose, its plot, its magnificent dark humor, about a distinctly unhumorous crime against Sebold,kept the reader riveted. By contrast, The Lovely Bones, with its limp style and indifferent characterization made me struggle to maintain my concentration or to care about these characters.

I do think that Sebold's gritty and brilliant writing in Lucky could be repeated in another book. Alas, I didn't find it in The Lovely Bones.

Rating:
Summary: Good storytelling
Review: Every year, usually in summer, there seems to appear a much heralded new book that everyone rushes to gush over and buy and it becomes a best seller and seems bound for the movies. This summer's quirky winner is Alice Sebold's THE LOVELY BONES and while it rolls around the country gathering admirers it raises the question of "What will the book be a year from now?" Sebold writes well and knows how to maintian interest in her characters, yet I think the main reason this little book is raising attentive eyebrows is its premise that Heaven is a place from which we can look down after death and follow all the paths less taken in life. The beginning of the novel - a young girl's murder told in descriptive terms that border on maudlin - is a great attention grabber. Can the dead Susie in Heaven help her disintegrating family rediscover each other as they cope with their loss and strive to find the murderer? Once the setting is in place, what happens is entertaining to read but not wholly original or especially beautifully composed. This is a good book, destined to increase the audience for this novelist's work, but the question arises as to her ability to find another gimmick for her next book. OR, does she really need one? Only a year's time will provide us the answer. Not an Award Winner, but a terrific light read.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely Bones, Lovely Book
Review: Yes, The Lovely Bones is sad. Yes, The Lovely Bones wraps up in a too neat bow. Yes, The Lovely Bones is a jewel...a treat...a rarity. A book that makes you sad but also gives you hope for your own life and the lives of our loved ones. You can savor this one for a long time. I look forward to re-reading it some time when i need a dose of hope. My hat is off to Alice Sebold.

Rating:
Summary: This book touched my heart!
Review: I read about this book in Time magazine and reserved a copy at the library. Then, I read the Amazon reviews, and bought a copy at the bookstore--at full price--ouch!! I do not regret my decision. What a wonderful story! I especially liked the fact that this is the author's first novel, and I like to support new authors by BUYING their book rather than borrowing it! This is a story that will touch your heart and soul. It had special significance for me: a dear friend of mine in high school was murdered, ironically, about the same time that this story took place. How touching to think that our departed loved ones are near us, and watching us at all times. I hope that all who read this review will enjoy this book as much as I have!