Rating: 
Summary: Trite and cliched
Review: Unless you're a sentimental middle-aged housewife, don't believe the hype.This book is trite and completely ordinary. The voice is tired, the characters are cliched, the plot sags, and the aftertaste is that of water. I persevered past page 70 -- indeed, I finished the book out of sheer will, trying to see what in the world was so remarkable and moving about it. But it remained utterly bland and uncompelling. (The mom is sad. The dad is sad. The sister is sad. The murderer is bad and sad. Things Fall Apart.) No creativity AT ALL was involved in the writing of this book. So Susie narrates from heaven with courage and acuity? Big deal. Where's the spark? The resonance? The complex, three-dimensional characters? All I see is a contrived, sappy attempt at poignancy. But sheep would fawn over this book. And they have. It sure does "pull" "at" "the" "heartstrings."
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't love it but didn't hate it either
Review: If a book is telling a compelling or exciting or even a touching story I am willing to stay up until 1 a.m. to read just one more chapter. I started The Lovely Bones December 26, 2002 and just finished reading February 4, 2003. In the beginning the book grabbed my attention but after the first 100 or so pages it graps starting slipping. I would pick the book up maybe once a week and read a chapter and put back down again. From all the hipe and reviews I was expecting so much more than was actually there (for me anyway). I don't feel that I wasted my time reading the book but I think that it could have been so much better. The character developement of Mr. Harvey definitly needed more work. He was a central character but not much attention was given to him. Susies mother was another chacter that I felt needed more work. I had so many questions about her behavior and why she made the choices that she made. Without giving to much away I will say that I was confused about her behavior and apparent selfishness. I was especially bemused by a comment that she made near the end of the book regarding her feelings for Susie. She definitly needed more work. The charcter developement of Susie was much better. I think that Ms. Sebold did a good job of telling the story the way a 14 year girl in the 1970's would. Even after her horrible death Susie had a innocence that was sweet and sincere. I think that Linsey was the most well developed chacter. The effect of losing her sister, the stigma of being the sister of the murdered girl plus all the other ups and downs of growing up were expressed very well. Unfortunately, the ending was a let down. I know that justice doesn't always prevail and I don't expect every story to have a neat or happy ending but the ending seemed to quick. It was almost like Ms. Sebold ran out of ideas.
Rating:
Summary: The Deep End of the Ocean, Revisited
Review: "The Lovely Bones" reminded me a lot of "The Deep End of the Ocean." If you liked one, you will surely like the other. I look forward to reading Ms. Sebold's next work. For what it is worth, I agree with the reviewer who considered the last part of the story a misstep. I would go farther and say I thought it was very disappointing. At the end of the chapter immediately preceding the "misstep", the reader is led to believe that something important is about to happen. I guess the "misstep" could be considered a dramatic development, but it cheapens the rest of Susie's story. Ms. Sebold could have gone in so many different directions. Why did she have to go in that one? Nonetheless, I recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: lovely, but heavy
Review: I read the book Lovely Bones and thouroghly injoyed it. i thought it gave incredible perspectives on life and death. Alice (Seblod) wrote discriptivly and on opinon. It started out with a visule sceen. A 15 year old girl got raped. I loved this book, however i thought it was rough. Im not sure what the age recomended for it is, but it should be at leest 13+.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Surprise!
Review: Considering some of the garbage that sits on the bestseller lists these days, I had low expectations for this book. This new author, however, has created a novel worthy of its accolades. The writing is strong throughout, the characterization is fleshed out very well, and the plot moves well despite a relative dearth of suspenseful crises. Having a dead teenager narrate the story from heaven was a bold and risky decision, but Sebold pulls it off. It's actually an effective method of combining the intimacy of first person narration with the point of view of a third person omniscient. Susie tells us what she's doing in heaven and how she feels about the actions those on earth are taking in the aftermath of her death. She can see inside the heads of living people, so we get a point of view from everyone. This sounds like it would create a muddled narrative, but somehow it works beautifully. Give Sebold credit for that. Being a victim herself, I can only assume Sebold's description of the chilling rape scene of the narrator at the beginning of the book accurately reflects the terror of such a situation. Disturbing. As we get to see more of the rapist, however, the author paints those shades of gray that are the realistic portrait of a world that lacks black and white lines. The rapist tried to rehabilitate himself. He tried desperate means to dispel his urges. The combination of empathy and loathing is incredible. The rest of the cast aren't clear-cut goody-goodies either. Everyone has their blemishes. It's excellent, realistic characterization. I give this book four stars instead of five because I don't like two of the plot twists at the end. Other readers might like them, but I was a bit disappointed. The writing stayed strong, I just had a personal dislike for the method. And one other thing...why does someone driving from eastern Pennsylvania to San Francisco go through Arizona? That's nitpicking, though. This is a fine novel.
Rating: 
Summary: absolutely amazing!
Review: alice sebold's novel, "the lovely bones", was terrific! it grabs you from the very first paragraph. what genius to write a story from the perspective of a dead person whose life is cut painfully short by murder. it was sad and uplifting at the same time. wouldn't it be a comfort when we die to see those we love remember us with joy and be able to watch them as they continue to live their lives and be happy?! a definite must read!!!
Rating:
Summary: Love the Lovely Bones
Review: Mesmerizing. I cried the whole way through this incredible book.
It is touching and reaches your soul on a deep level that cannot be explained to non-readsrs. Read it and you'll know. Be Susie and feel your heart touched.
Rating:
Summary: A for Effort C for Execution
Review: While I did find the story engaging, and even charming in places, Ms. Sebold seems to lack the basic understanding of POV in writing. Is this first person or third person omniscent? It was all over the place. The story is told from Susie's perspective from her heaven, but the author takes this as license for Susie to somehow become omniscent. As a writer, I found it jarring for Susie to suddenly know something reminded another character of something that Susie could not possibly have known about. Other writers will know what I'm talking about. Otherwise it is a good, quick read, and the story did keep me interested.
Rating:
Summary: Never Stopped Crying
Review: This is not a book to read out in public - that's for sure! I cried all the way through it. I couldn't put it down, and my 16 year old daughter read it even more quickly than I did. A truly great read for sappy moms who love their children and can't imagine what it would be like to have one murdered or die.
Rating:
Summary: Not a crime novel
Review: This is not a suspense book. Yes, the story is about a girl who is murdered, but the storyline has little to do about the murder itself. This book is more about life and death, and about a family and a community coping after this young girl is murdered. Lovely Bones truly grabs you in the beginning, more than any other book I have read. The tone of the book is not depressing...the best word to describe it is heartbreaking. But the ending is not what I expected. It kind of got a little strange and uncomfortable for me. Overall, I liked the book. I would have liked it to have ended differently, but that's just my opinion.
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