Rating: 
Summary: Overated!
Review: I finished this book just because I wanted to see how it ended, not because I was captivated by the story. When I read that blurb on the book I wanted to read it as it seemed to be a very unique plotline, and it was. But for me that is pretty much where the interest ended. I don't know what the book was trying to SAY to me. Although Susie was the central character, we really didnt learn much about her other than the murder and her young crush. Another reviewer on here had the problem with the fact that everything tied up nicely, I would have to agree. To me the story was very "Hollywood" - nice happy ending which was strange considering the premise of the book! Would not recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good except for the ending
Review: I enjoyed this book except for the ending. There were two main reasons why the conclusion was unsatisfactory for me: first of all, I thought that Susie's jump into Ruth's body to experience the affair that she and Ray never had the opportunity to pursue was kind of tacky. As if now that she had finally experienced sex she could feel some closure to her life? I just kept thinking of Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg in "Ghost" . . . yuk! Also, it seemed to me that things wrapped up just a little too neatly for her family . . . I think it would have been a little more satifying if the ending had seemed a little more realistic- instead, the sister gets true love, the parents reconcile, the son overcomes his anger, and the bad guy gets what he deserves.
Rating: 
Summary: Ten minutes since I finished..
Review: I finished this book a mere ten minutes ago and felt it absolutely necessary to make others aware of this incredible novel. Not since A Prayer for Owen Meany have I been so moved by any book. I had it sitting on my shelf collecting dust for a couple months before I got it out and started reading yesterday, and I am SO glad that I did.
The Lovely Bones is so beautifully written and each page is so compelling that I found it nearly impossible to put it down each time I was interrupted. It really made me think about the small things in life that we all take for granted, many of those things that Susie Salmon was unable to experience. She watches her younger sister grow up, and I couldn't help but crying thinking of how unfair it was that Susie never got to do all the things her sister did.
Unfortunately, I do not have Alice Sebold's flare for words, so I'm unable to adequately express how incredible I think this book is. My eyes are still puffy and my nose still stuffy from all the crying I did reading the last third of the book....
Rating:
Summary: The Lovely Bones
Review: I read the book Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Its about a girl,Susan Salmon,thats about 14, and gets raped and murdered by her neighbor. After she passes away time goes on, and her family falls apart. The story is being told by her in heaven, watching her family and friends.
"Like snowflakes,"Franny said,"none of them the same and yet each one, from where we stand, exactly like the one before."Franny is one of Susan's friends up in heaven and she is comparing snowflakes to humans on earth. This quote, has alot of meaning to Susan.
This thrilling, sad novel has 328 pages. It is nonfiction. I would recommend this to 14 and up. This book was very good and I could barely put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good effort!
Review: Susie Salmon tells her story from heaven after being raped an murdered. She describes how her family is coping with the terrible events that unfold from her murder and how life in heaven develops.The book presents a well depicted vision of what heaven is like but the most important acomplishment is the unveiling of what a family goes through as a consequence of such horrible events. The only flaw I can point is that there is a point in which the story moves forward in time very fast creating a gap that would have been better filled with a more thorough depiction of what was going on. Overall a very good read, definitely worth your time!
Rating:
Summary: Simply beautiful
Review: This is the best novel I have read in years. Alice Sebold's first foray into literature is somehow both simple and complex as she delves into the human soul through the straitforward eyes of a young girl. Susie's premature, violent death affects each of her family members in a different (but equally heartwrenching) way. Their pain is palatable, as is her longing to return to the life of which she was robbed. Yet the story is full of hope and Susie is able to "live" again, albeit vicariously (for the most part), by following her friends and family. I found her silent but maturing relationship with her younger sister particularly heartwarming. I would recommend this book (and have) to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I'd hoped for...
Review: After hearing several of my friends rave about this book, I decided to give it a try. I was really expecting something great, but I came away disappointed. First of all I was not impressed with Sebold's writing style. It seemed rather elementary, like a story I might have made up in Jr. High. SHe never gives an in-depth description of the characters (what they look like, etc.) The time frames also get a little out of whack. Towards the end of the book, I felt like Susie Salmon was no longer a part of the story. It just became a story about her family living their lives, which for the most part were unrealistic. I was disappointed about the author's description of heaven. However, I think the MOST DISAPPOINTING part of this story is when Susie returns to Earth in her friend's body. Rather than visiting her family, or helping bring her killer to justice, she has sex with her Jr. High Crush. HELLO? It was a pretty lame ending to me. After Susie's murder (which occurs in the first few chapters) the book is a downward spiral of boredom. I definitely wouldn't encourage you to read this book. I found it to be a waste of time. If you want a story that is beautiful written as well as interesting, check out The Hours by Micheal Cunnigham.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: The Lovely Bones is a touching reading experience which inspires wonder. The story is tough: a 14 year old girl is raped and murdered by a sleazy neighbor whom no one suspects. Her mother, father, sister and brother are devastated and never recover from their loss. Her schoolmates and neighbors are also significantly affected. This is a story about grieving and loss. It's also, and here's where wonder becomes tangible, a story about the life of the dead and their influence on the living. The murdered girl, Susie Salmon, goes to heaven from where she follows her family and friends -- as well as her murderer who gets away with it -- and shares their emotional nightmare. What great characters are these people who have been part of Susie's life and death. I was fascinated by the trials and reactions of Susie's family. Her weakened father, her belligerent and determined sister, her four year old brother and her maverick mother. Eventually, Susie's mother leaves her family. Alice Sebold depicts how this bereft mother cannot remain with her family and, at the same time, be able to cope with the loss of her oldest child. Susie's schoolmate, whom she rushes past on swift passage to heaven through the faculty parking lot ("She was standing in my path when my soul shrieked out of Earth."), becomes obsessed with Susie and eventually becomes the means by which Susie can finally leave the living and rest her soul. Although about death, The Lovely Bones is a celebration of life. It reminded me of OUR TOWN but without a guiding stage manager to ease the painful heavenly experience and put it into perspective. With Susie as our guide, the reader is made to feel as lost, bewildered and touched as these characters.
Rating:
Summary: Devastating, heartbreaking, and beautiful
Review: The Lovely Bones is a wrenching novel. The words are laid out plainly, and though not a challenging read, hit every nerve they intend to. The plot is described wonderfully in the editorial reviews. All I can say is, read the passages amazon provides.
I am moved to tears every time I read it, and this is from a single man without children. Parents may think differently.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and engaging prose...
Review: This book is one of the most greatest books written, and it is in my treasured collection of stories that I have read like "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is amazing how a person killed in such a way is resurrected. The human body is just a shell. Dreams and spirits will never die. The soul is the greatest collection of what dreams are made of, intermixed with the spirits and essence of a human soul, the kindnessm the compassion, and the innocence. We see how a murdered and raped girl look down upon heaven and see how the many aspects of others coping with her death. It is like a candle flickering to near extinguishment. Her flame was extinguished, but the wax and fiery impression she left in that of the candlewax is a testament to her life and how others see it. Her killer did not walk away freely with the satifcation of his crimes. He paid for his crimes in due cost of what he done to others.
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