The Lovely Bones

Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: When I was going to start reading this book I had expectations as to what I thought it was going to be like. I read it with justice and revenge in mind. When I read it at first I was disappointed because that is not what it is about. But the more I thought of it and the story that was told.... the more I liked it. I wish I had read it with more of an open mind. The book did bring out a lot of emotion, I cried and laughed. The story was told very well and made me look at things in different way. I will and have recommended the book to friends and family.

Rating:
Summary: Terribly Contrived...
Review: "Lovely Bones" seemed more to be a book written to be a bestseller than a book that was written and happened to become one...

Rating:
Summary: A Lovely Book
Review: This is a terrific novel. I read it a couple of months ago and was completely blown away by it. I've been trying to convince my friends to read it, but everyone is put off by the premise. I was too, but the hype pulled me in and I bought the book.

Sebold pulled it off and I didn't think she would. How do you write a novel from the perspective of a dead child and manage to make all the living characters real and sympathetic (except the killer)? Sebold writes in a very readable style (just try her memoir Lucky and see if you can put it down). It's not an "easy" read, but it is easy to read. Nothing stilted or unmanageable in her tone. I cried three times and felt very strongly for the family of the dead girl.

What works most for me is the matter-of-fact tone the childs tells the story in. I never felt like I was being forced to feel a certain way. When I cried, it was mostly because I was imagining what the family members were feeling, not because Sebold "over-wrote" the heart wrenching scenes. The matter-of-fact tone made the story all the more harrowing and painful.

Do not be afraid to read this novel.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: *The Lovely Bones*
Review: Alice Sebold is indeed a great author, not bad for a premiring author. This story did captivate my attention that I couldn't even put it down. You grow on all the characters, as if you knew them in real life, especially Susie Salmon who was tragically murdered at the age of 14. This book made me laugh, cry and really think. As I turned each page, the plot thickened and grew more intresting and on the inside you felt hopeful, wishful thinking that they would soon capture her murderer. But be prepared, b/c there's not always happy endings to every story. And that's what I loved most about this book, the reality that life can often deal you, how you often have to think both optimisticly yet pessimistically, and learning to cope in different ways. But I would most certainly RECOMMEND this book to anyone. In fact, I already have. =)

Rating:
Summary: This book was a waste of my time.
Review: I had to see what was supposed to be so great about this best-selling book. Honestly, nothing is great about this book. A good story is something that makes you to go from page to page. This book was a boring read. It could have ended ten chapters earlier. I do not recommend this book at all.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the hype
Review: Whoever marketed this book did a great job.........it is my opinion that it is way over hyped, much too highly rated and doesn't deserve the attention it has been getting. As I moved through it I couldn't help but think that I would have taken the story in a different direction. This happened often. I found that much of the book spent too many words on subjects that were of no interest to me, whether fictional or real. I was enthralled for the first two chapters and it was downhill from there and by the end I was really skimming to get it finished, always thinking that any minute it would reach out and grab me. It never did. Can't recommend this one.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones" is one of the most unique books of fiction to come along in years. It's about a murdered young girl watching her family's reactions from death. The only others that are in the same category of being highly unique are the "Harry Potter" books by Rowling (also fiction) and the book, "West Point: Character Leadership.." by Remick (creative nonfiction). If you enjoy unusual books, be sure not to miss Ms. Sebold's wonderful book, or the Rowling and Remick books, for that matter. I'm sure you'll find them all intriguing.

Rating:
Summary: after death
Review: We'd like to think that the dead are at peace. We find that this is not true, with the introduction of Susie Salmon, being haunted by her family's attempts at living.

This is a lovely, moving book. I was reluctant to like this book precisely because it was hailed as such a wonderful book. I don't love every part in this book, but it is a terrific, unflinching look at some of the harsher realities of life and living, and what it means to be alive.

Don't read this expecting it to change your life, or break your heart (it might, but the cynics out there will probably just shrug their shoulders.) Read this because it's a good book, with characters you'll wish you really knew, and because it will at the very least, make you think a little bit, about what happens to the dead and those who are left behind.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I hoped for
Review: Although the book was very well written, I was dissapointed with the book overall. I was hoping for more out of the main character and was let down by the ending.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book...
Review: On her way home from school in December one day, Susie Salmon is brutally raped and murdered. She is the latest victim of a serial killer-who she only knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. This book is told through the eyes of Susie, as she looks down from heaven, seeing what happens to the man who murdered her and how her family copes with her death. Heaven is perfect and has everything she could ever want, but her family.

This book was incredibly sad, but that did not make it bad. The beginning has a little too much detail, but otherwise, there are so many little details and messages. The characters provoke love and hate, which means they are good characters. I found this book very good, especially as I thought it would be a Christian "God is my savoir" book.