Rating: 
Summary: Brady bunch with a twist
Review: The Lovely Bones did not hold my interest. I found it a struggle to finish this book. It was difficult to identify with the protagonist (heroine?), Susie, and, for that matter, with any of the other characters. Yes, this is a terrible thing that happened to her, being murdered by a serial rapist/murderer. This sorry fellow, the murderer, was apparently abused by his own mother: Does that explain the etiology of his behavior? Well, in any case, he gets his due in the end: slain by a deadly icicle (I wouldn't kid about this). But meanwhile, because the law can't catch the perpetrator, maybe, Susie is more or less in limbo, still watching her family, classmates, and the perpetrator, from somewhere above. What she sees is, well, not that exciting. Probably, this book would appeal more to sensitive people, in that it resembles poetry somewhat, a kind of dancing around to get the point across. As for the metaphysics, the living on after death, returning to earth as a spirit and actually inhabiting another person's body, briefly, this should appeal to those who believe in an afterlife. Yet, it's not exactly a Christian metaphysic, in this book. The metaphysic seems to fall rather between the cracks of organized religions, and maybe could be described more as a "New Age" metaphysic. It seems right, that a person who is murdered whose murderer is still running around loose should watch from above until he himself dies, by one means or another. But is this really God's way? Or the way of the Universe, whatever Force is out there behind it all? It seems unlikely, because of all the senseless murders and other deaths that seem to go apparently unrequited. Maybe the key word here is "apparently." Maybe, as in the Christian metaphysic, it all comes out in the wash, at the Second Coming. But if not, well, I did finish the book: That's something, isn't it? Diximus.
Rating: 
Summary: Touching and Uplifting
Review: To find all the right words to describe this book would be near impossible. Eloquently written, it tells of Susie Salmon, who is brutally raped and murdered. She follows the lives of her friends and family, along with her cruel murderer, trying to send signals and find peace with her death. Everyone should read this book and experience the emotions it creates.
Rating:
Summary: Full of Emotions
Review: This book I finished in less then one day! It made me feel every emotion the people in the storyline were feeling. It ran from happy to sad! I felt everything from being a child, teen, adult,sister, daughter,mother!!!! I only wish I had another book to follow it. It was beautiful and as I write this,just remembering brings a tear to my eye. I am giving my best friend this book to read. Highly recommended!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Average
Review: Interesting but not as great as the media has hyped
Rating: 
Summary: I don't get it!
Review: I was sold by the back of the book comparing this to 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Whoever wrote that review has obviously not read the Harper Lee book. This is the only book I remember reading half of and putting it down and never picking it up again. I just couldn't get into the story or relate to any of it's characters. Everyone is different and no doubt millions will love this book, but it certainly wasn't for me.
Rating:
Summary: Hated it!
Review: I hated this book! It started in an interesting way, and I thought it would be wonderful. It soon rambled off into kindergarten pnilosophy. The action is extremely slow and focus jumps around without apparent reason. The ending was very disappointing. There are no likable characters. The narrator at first seems likable and certainly sympathetic, but the reader soon becomes impatient with the snail's pace of the action and the pointless digressions. I stuck with it the book even though I was tempted to give up many times. It was a waste of time and money. I feel qualified to judge because I taught literature on the college level for many years.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!!
Review: I personally found this book to be extremely good. For those that have lost someone special in their lives before the idea of people looking down from heaven is extremely inspiring.The story is about a girl who gets murdered, and goes to heaven. From there, she sees how her family struggles to carry on and how her killer goes on like nothing happen. The story is extremely catching, and you can never put it down. I would recommend it to anyone who has lost someone special in their lives and is still couping with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Better as a short story
Review: I agree with a lot of the reviews I've read of this book. Sebold's portrayal of life is original, from other books I've read, and beautiful in many ways. I think most people like to think about what life is like after death, and the portrayal in this book is just fascinating, if somewhat hollow. Its organization is sometimes difficult to follow, contributing, I suppose, to its surreal feel. In spite of that, it's a fast and basically light read, particularly in the beginning. My critique of this book is that it was a novel and not a short story. By about a third of the way through the book, I couldn't help thinking that the details were present in excessive abundance. I wished for a faster moving story, and I think this may well have been one of the most perfect stories I've ever read if only it had been just a bit more focused and, thus, shorter. None-the-less, I have to recommend the book. ...
Rating:
Summary: Keep the tissues nearby!
Review: Okay, in short: I LOVED this book! But I did need the tissues quite a few times (almost every chapter, if not more often than that). I got this book at the library because I'd had so many people tell me, "You've GOT to read this book. YOU would LOVE it!" So, I grabbed it on Friday. I finished on Saturday. I found it VERY hard to put down. In a nutshell, what this book has going for it is VOICE. The main character (as you know if you've read enough reviews about this one) is a dead girl in heaven. Her story, while fast-paced and thrilling is also one that tugs at your heart. You really want the bad guy to get caught and for her family to find her body, so they'll have closure in their lives. Will her family move on without her? Will they remember her? You sit down with Susie and feel all of her wonderings and desires. The scenes with her family, who were having such a difficult time dealing with her disappearance and death, were the most heartbreaking scenes that I've read in a long time. Will you like the book? Probably. I LOVED it. This is definitely the BEST book I have read in a while. If Oprah still had her book club running with new books (she's into classics now) this would have been an excellent choice for her and there's no doubt in my mind that she would have picked this book. When you read this book, grab one for a friend too. You'll want to talk to someone who has read it and it will drive you crazy if you have no one to talk to. Trust me! :)
Rating:
Summary: Slower than slow
Review: I cannot for the life of me figure out why folks go for this book unless it is expecially appealing to women. It is drip torture slow. It gives every writer hope to get published.
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