Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was surprised to find this book on Time Magazine's list of 2002's best fiction. I began with great expectations, but alas, the book never really got off the ground. The characters seem too light and superficial. Many promising premises are introduced: Susie's heaven, Ruth's connection with the dead, the extra-marital affair, Mr. Harvey's past. Sadly, none of these beginnings ever culminates into a satisfactory ending. They are all dealt with in a surfacy, nealtly bow-tied manner. None of the characters ever really deal with the consequences of the situations the author places them in. Susie's closure with Ray Singh and Mr. Harvey's fate are particularly disappointing. The author seems to have gotten bored with her own book and tried to end it as easily as possible. There are a few interesting passages, but overall ... flat.
Rating: 
Summary: Hauntingly Mesmerising
Review: I loved the idea of this book, Sebold's story of a family from the perpsective of the dead teenage daughter, stuck in what seems like limbo. The slightly macabre subject of the girl's murder is dealt with in a strangely matter of fact way, no disturbingly realistic descriptions one might find in a Patricia Cornwall novel, nor any sentimental brushing over of the details. This novel is dreamy, yet realistic, so realistic that i found myself wondering how accurate Sebold's take on heaven may be.
This book allows us to see the lifelong consequences of tragedy and makes you look ponder heaven and earth, life and death and mortality.
It started out promisingly but by the end I found it all a bit much to take and I started to get a little frustrated witrh the author's evasiveness about the murder. I think the novel really lost it when the whole swapping fiasco took place, everything up till then was believable.
Still, a very interesting read, very different to whats out there at the moment
Rating: 
Summary: Well worth your time...
Review: This book was a great read from the moment I picked it up. I really enjoyed how Susie was so open about what happened to her, yet she spoke in a way that did not make the murder scary. I loved how the writer let us mourn with the family as well as reassure us that Susie is in a good place. Noone knows what heaven is like, but I certainly hope I get to choose my own. ... A must read!
Rating:
Summary: Articulate & moving
Review: Just an articulate, beautiful view of our world from a very different perspective. A powerful and engaging read.
Rating:
Summary: Never cried so much!!
Review: I am not a reader and I could'nt put this book down. I Have never cried so much reading a book, it was absolutely wonderful! I can't wait to read Alice's next book Lucky! I am excited to see that she has written more!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and accessible on many levels
Review: This book is one of the most beautifully touching novels I have read in a long time. Susie watches from her heaven as her family develops without her in an amazingly real way. She follows them through first loves, seperation and reunion. The world Susie left behind is so real it hurts, and Alice Sebold does a wonderful job of showing the characters' pain at losing her. If you are looking for a book that will make you laugh, cry, and think, this is the one for you. It's heartbreaking and soothing at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: Worth Your Time -- Stunning Debut
Review: Yet again, another solid book from a graduate of the University of California Irvine Creative Writing program. In this case, The Lovely Bones is one of the best new novels that I've come across in a long time. When I first heard about the book I'll admit I was a bit skeptical. The idea of a story told by the spirit of a murdered young girl (Susie Salmon) sounded gimmicky. Yet, this book transforms what could end up like a cheap gimmick into a moving story that is gripping, surprising and full of important messages and observations about loss, the importance of family and growing up. In this case, the book details the crushing impact of violent crime on a family. It's similar in some cases to Joyce Carol Oates' We Were the Mullvaneys and Donna Tartt's new book, The Little Friend. Of those three books, this is the most personal. The characters of Susie's family, friends and the perpetrator come to life in a way that makes it hard to put the book down. The only small complaint that I might have is that the book might have become a little too mushy and sentimental at times but my reaction at the end was that I was glad that I read this and heartily recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: The Lovely Book!!!
Review: I loved this book. It was told beautifully and with great detail. You actually thought you were Susie Salmon looking down from Heaven. The ONLY problem with the story was that her remains were never found and the killer was never brought to justice. But maybe that is part of the allure and great storytelling! Great read...
Rating:
Summary: Some fine writing, a flimsy device
Review: Though Sebold's scenes of the family's grief and mourning of Susie Salmon are convincing and often wrenching, her depiction of heaven as a subdivision, where everyone has their own place and intake worker, seems silly and false. Sebold's setting up rules for the place (the dead cannot interact with the living) and then breaking them twice (the final time a teenaged deflowering) is artistically flabby and dishonest. Like most bestsellers, this book has been praised far beyond its merit.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - wonderful - couldn't put it down
Review: If you are the type of person to try to put some deeper meaning into what is a fictional book, then don't bother picking this up. You'll be too busy looking for the plot to see that it has possibly the most wonderful plot I've read!! However, if you're looking for one of the best-written, fantastic novels around, then this is a must-have! Sebold's vision is painted in such a way that you feel every emotion. You'll laugh, you'll cry (a lot!) and you'll smile just because it makes you feel so good! Read this book!!
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