Rating: 
Summary: a feel-good, disappointing, unfocused novel
Review: "The Lovely Bones" was one of the big sellers of 2002, and I guess I can see why. Reading it is a lot like watching a made-for-TV movie, of the "disease-of-the-week" variety. It's written in a vague, gauzy, imprecise way.It's impossible to really put oneself into the story, you're always held at arms length. One example: she is murdered, dismembered, and her body parts are stuffed into an old safe, and taken to a local sinkhole to be disposed of. She has been there before; her father brought her along when he dumped an old refrigerator. But there's no description of it, no watching the refrigerator (or the safe) sinking down into the hole. It could have been a marvelous scene, in the hands of someone like Barbara Kingsolver, but it's abandoned.
The only part of her that's found is her dismembered elbow, which the killer dropped. I found it hard to envision how the murderer would have dismembered her in such a way as to end up with a loose elbow. (I'm not pushing for more gore and violence on the page, but to include such a gruesome detail without explaining how it could have come about seems careless to me.)
Again, she used to help her father make ships in bottles, and his workroom has a cabinet of empty bottles, waiting to house ships. But are they coke bottles? Gin bottles? Gallon vinegar bottles? Another wonderful opportunity wasted. To me, as a father (of both a son and a daughter) the most objectionable aspect of the book is its portrayal of that this death isn't really so bad. As Seybold tells it, rape and murder appears to be rather like getting a root canal - a scary prospect, and unpleasant while it happens, but afterwards, you wonder why you made such a fuss. It's unfortunate that she's been raped and murdered, of course, but it's much harder on those left behind than on her: she can eavesdrop, and apparently read minds as well, she can project herself into events on earth, in a way, though it's limited, and rather frustrating. You get your own heaven, sort of a custom job, even down to the aromas. You get to see others who've passed before you, but there's no getting to talk to Einstein or Shakespeare or Buddy Holly (this is 1974, John Lennon isn't up there yet.) And, you get an intake counselor to help you adjust. A bit like going to a nice retirement home, it appears. The good news is, death doesn't even have to end sex! She gets to temporarily inhabit someone else's body in order to have one afternoon of glorious sex with her high-school sweetheart. (He knows something's different, immediately, but I'm unclear as to whether he knew quite what was going on.) There's no real effort to investigate what could turn this man into a child-rapist/murderer. He has abducted and killed neighborhood pets, and the heroine isn't his first victim, but he's careful, and hasn't been caught. Just another cardboard character, like the witch cutouts you put up at halloween. The only realistically portrayed character is the wonderfully over-the-top Grandma Lynn. The kids, generally, don't talk or act like kids, but they don't TV movies either, so that isn't surprising either.
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing with no merit
Review: I hardly ever dislike books this strongly, but I absolutely hated this book. In fact, my entire book group disliked it as well. I have tried to figure out why this book is popular but cannot find a reason. It is depressing, parts of it are ridiculous, it is slow moving, and disturbing. The concept could be interesting in the hands of a more talented writer, but in the hands of this writer it ends up being completely unsatisfying.
Rating: 
Summary: An Inspirational Book
Review: Alice Sebold has thoroughly impressed me with this inspirational and beautifully written novel. I couldn't put it down and became attached to the characters while reading about their lives. This is a book that brings hope and insight for family who have lost loved ones.
Rating:
Summary: A Lovely Story
Review: I just finished The Lovely Bones and wanted to see what else Alice Sebold had to offer. I loved her story. I think if nothing else it makes you feel good that the people you love are still with you. It warmed my heart to know that Susie could watch her sister grow up and not miss the most important events in her family's lives. I would be suprised if someone did not love this book.
Rating:
Summary: I sure hope heaven is like this!
Review: This book made me cry. Now, I'm not the type for weepy, sentimental novels. A book that tells the truth of humanity in a clear, uncluttered voice truly moves me. Alice Sebold has accomplished that here. The tale is told through the eyes of a murdered teen. As she watches her family--and her killer--from 'heaven' (a place where, happily, cats and dogs go, too, and your heaven overlaps with other heavens so everybody gets what they want AND they get to see the ones they love--and you even get a counselor to help you make the transition into 'deadness!!') we see the painful aftermath of a family living with an unsolved murder over their heads. I was angry throughout, thinking there would never be justice for this spunky girl's untimely death, but in the end, rest assured, there is. Folks, this book is worth it. It isn't drippy and sappy, but it will probably make you cry. Read it.
Rating: 
Summary: A New Way to look at it.
Review: I thought it was very nicely written and it moved me somewhat. Suppose most who read it will like it, but there is just something missing that becomes a classic. By the end I didn't feel as if I had met any people I'd like to contimue to know.
Rating:
Summary: Not That Great.
Review: I thought that I would really like this book. In fact, I like how it started out, but I just lost interest. It just seemed to go on and on without ever really going anywhere. My book club just discoverd a new writer who is a friend of a friend kinda thing, but I think that this unknown writer I am reading now is much better! It's too bad I can't create as much hype for her book. My club is reading ANGEL LOVER by Cynthia Cody.
Rating:
Summary: Over-Hyped!
Review: This book has definitely been overly promoted. The story was interesting enough that I finished the book, but it was not all that it has been described as. Definitely wait until this one hits the bargain bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Bit More Than "Touched by an Angel"
Review: My first review: Having given "The Lovely Bones" as a Christmas gift to a friend, I thought I should pick it up myself to see why NPR named this book among the best of 2002. While this type of novel is not normally my cup of tea, it left me with enough questions regarding the immortality of the soul and the meaning of personal identity that, after finishing, I started skimming through some of my old college Greek philosophy tomes. Where this novel certainly succeeds is in concept. Ms. Sebold spins a modern version of the soul's afterlife that challenges Dante's and the "Our Town" vision of "heaven". While some of the ideas have been seen before (i.e. a transient soul inhabiting a living person's body), the personal heaven of omniscient and dead (mostly) Miss Salmon is intriguing. I suppose it was only a matter of time before "Our Own Personal Heaven" hit the mainstream with a best seller. In execution, Ms. Sebold has her hits and misses. The grandmother is wonderfully perceptive and intuitive, as only a fictional character can be. The parents are haunted characters, literally, and the mother's disengagement and abandonment is fascinating psychology. But the sister is a puzzle, and the friend who channels the dead is unconvincing. In sum, this optimistic novel is a good read, even if painfully sentimental at times. I finished it in two sittings, so I suppose I can say that even for the book's faults, this novel is engrossing and thought-provoking, even as wish fulfillment at it's finest. Recommended, particularly to the nurturing, sensitive reader.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting Lovely Bones
Review: Having just finished this wonderful story, I so wish that I knew someone who has read "Lovely Bones" so I could talk about it! What captivated me and carried me through this story was the narration; the entire story being told by a 14 year old girl who had died and was living in heaven. There are few people, I suppose, who do not wonder what heaven is like, but I have wondered and I love the way Ms. Seybold chose to portray Suzie's heaven as her very own heaven....that it's not the same for everyone. I was also drawn into the relationships of her family and friends as it was told through Suzie's eyes. The connections that Suzie made with her loved ones were written is such a powerful way, I could sometimes "feel" the sadness or the happiness. Having never read a book a second time, I WILL re-read this book; I almost cannot wait to start it again. "Lovely Bones" and Suzie Salmon will stay with me for a long, long time.
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