Rating: 
Summary: This book was a disappointment...
Review: While this book was entertaining through the first half, I found that the author seemed to lose sight of where the book was going, how it was going to end, and why it was even written. I was pulled into the story immediately with the crime that the story revolves around. Then, about halfway through the novel I lost interest as nothing was really happening. The ending, which I struggled to get through, was silly and disappointing. I pushed through to the last pages hoping the ending would at least be a bang, but unfortunately it was a barely a whimper. With all the incredible fiction out there, I would not recommend this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A surprisingly beautiful story
Review: When I picked this novel up I knew nothing about it other than the fact that it has been on the bestseller lists for months. I read the first paragraph and promptly put it back down. However, I was intrigued and decided to pick it up again and read a bit further. I'm so glad that I did. Yes, the first chapter is horrifying in its detail of the crime committed against this young girl. However, the remainder of the novel is a wonderful testament to the power of love within a family and of letting go. I thought the character of the father was especially well developed. The writing is excellent and the descriptions of heaven are very moving. An unusual novel, but very compelling.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly readable - Potential not realized
Review: A very captivating and charming book, at least for the first half. It began to drag towards the middle. I felt as though the author had been pressed by editor/critics to lengthen the story, but she was unable to make the most of it in the end.There should have been more development of the murdered girl's hunt for the killer. Sebold hints at this, but seems to reject that side of the story for fear of appealing to sensationalism. The conclusion of the story does nothing to bring about the girl's conception of heaven, which I thought was the main part of the story. Her heaven doesn't get much different at all. The victim is told to shake off the burden of her murder; in fact negativity seems to pervade her heaven all the more in the end, until she's surrounded by dead people! This is heaven? Still, an involving and interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: Comforting in grief
Review: I was reading and enjoying The Lovely Bones last year when my husband died suddenly and unexpectedly. I had to put the book aside for a while; my pain was too raw. When I returned to it, I found Sebold's treatment of her characters' individual grieving processes enormously insightful and the book's resolution ultimately comforting. The book was an entertaining story, certainly, but highly effective grief therapy, as well.
Rating:
Summary: a good book
Review: This book was beautiful, tragic, and heartwarming all at once. The story, the characters, and their growth is real. The heaven she describes is most believable, at least an interesting concept. It normally takes me monthes to finish books. This book took me 3 days. To those of you wondering about the Icicle: there is a part earlier in the book where she says an icicle would be the perfect murder weapon-- because the murder weapon melts.
Rating: 
Summary: A Visceral Experience
Review: Lovely Bones commanded my immediate and continued attention. I don't believe I have ever had such an emotional book-reading experience. I cried and sometimes sobbed through most of the book. It hit many nerves: many of us have deaths in our families we can hardly bare--deaths of brothers, fathers, kids in high school, children next door, soldiers in far away countries. A book like this rubs those emotions raw. I found it to be beautifully cathartic. There were loose ends and opportunities lost amongst the plotline--the "heaven" where Susie lived never quite took shape; the visitation to Ruth's body was a purposeless jolt. All-in-all, it was a very emotional, beautifully written book, especially for a first-time novel. I could easily see a cinematic version of this book but I doubt it could convey the visceral experience of the written version.
Rating:
Summary: She almost had me...
Review: I'd waited quite a while to get my hands on this one. I borrowed it from a friend and read it in 2 sittings so it's quite a fast read. I loved the beginning and the set up. It's quite exciting to be able to have the omniscient point of view from the start. The device to have the narrator a deceased girl looking down from heaven is really clever. Also, I loved the ideas the author has about heaven. I believe the problem with the book is that it doesn't know what it wants to be... a novel about picking up the pieces after a violent death in the family... or a serial killer story and consequentially, it does neither very well. And then we have the ending... so silly, so incredible, so inappropriate... for me, it ruined the joys of the first part. I would never go as far as saying that it's not worth reading... but after such a great start, I do confess to be very disappointed in the end.
Rating:
Summary: very sad, but couldn't put it down
Review: I heard about this book through co-workers, and when I heard the plot I told mydelf that I would never read this. The next wkend I bought it and in one week (commuting to the NYC) I was done, and told myself it was one of the best reasding I've done in a long time. This book gave me a new perspective in life and family! I would recommend this book to anyone!
Rating: 
Summary: A Real Page-Skimmer!
Review: I read this book rather reluctantly. My roomate gave it to me months ago and I had no intention of reading it, but curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know if it was really as good as everyone was making it out to be. Needless to say, I was let down. It did not hold my interest and I ended up skimming through many parts of the book. The last two chapters were so corny and far fetched it was almost laughable. It wasn't the subject matter that bothered me. The story lacked a sense of cohesiveness. It was very disjointed and I felt that most of the characters were poorly devloped and not very believable. I don't understand why the literary world has placed so much esteem on this book. Does the author have friends in high places? That is the only explanation I can come up with. If you are looking for a page-turner (with a satisfying ending) try A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley or White Oleander by Janet Fitch.
Rating:
Summary: touching and thrilling
Review: A unique book... compelling, compassionate and yet thrilling. It's a strange and wonderful combination. A quick read, certainly worth it!
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