Rating: Summary: Cheese-bones Review: Don't waste your time! Never before have I had to stop in mid-sentance and cry out to heaven - "OH MY GOD - HOW CHEESEY CAN SHE POSSIBLY GET?" Only to realize that I had underestimated her in the next chapter. I mean, the whole town turning out (spontaneously) to mourn her - like a freaking Coke commercial? (I actually started to hum, "I'd like to buy the world a coke...") And the worst offense is the fall to earth for a booty call?!?! The girl is still 14 in heaven (BECAUSE SHE WAS RAPED AND MURDERED, MIND YOU) and she decides her final burst of glory is to get laid?!?! The character development was desparately thin - which, in one case, leaves you wondering why the mother comes back after 8 years (during which she did nothing, apparantly) and decides to STAY!?!? WHY??? And why introduce characters in heaven - scenes in heaven - if Sebold wasn't going to do ANYTHING with them? I'm stunned to see this book get so much good press. Do yourself a favor and watch tv instead!
Rating: Summary: Creepy but Good Review: Good but sad and kind of haunting. I found myself thinking about this one a lot in the weeks after I finished it. Reading about Susie's death was quite uncomfortable and maybe not for all readers. If you can get past that scene though the book is very interesting, riveting and good.
Rating: Summary: Unusual and captivating Review: I was skeptical when I picked up this novel, but I was quickly hooked on it. The author's decision to tell this book from the point of view of a girl who had already been murdered is what made this book work. I wouldn't put it on my top ten list, but definitely a good weekend read.
Rating: Summary: LOVED THE ENDING!!!! Review: This book, The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Who Moved My Cheese (Spencer Johnson),Self Matters (Dr.Phil) and The Butterfly (Jay singh) were my favorite books of the year. I got many books in my stocking and I must say this was my favorite! Buy this book, you won't regret it.
Rating: Summary: not what I expected Review: When I read the description of this book and the ratings of it for number 1 on the best seller list I thought it would be a great book. It was very disappointing. I kept reading it to find out what everyone was raving about and to see if it improved. When I finished the book my impression was "what did people see it this." I am a trauma therapist working a great deal with abuse victims and families and this book could have gone in such better directions. My impression is word of mouth about it being #1 is what keeps people buying it not word of mouth after the read.
Rating: Summary: A Lovely Book Review: The concept behind this book is a very original one. It is written with beautiful language that draws the reader in and grants them the ability to feel what Susie feels - love, confusion, sadness and a realm of other emotions. The Lovely Bones is definitely a work of art. At the same time, in the second half of the book there are a few twists to the storyline that I felt were out of place. Overall, it is worth the time to read it.
Rating: Summary: A haunting and compelling read... Review: This was a poignant and heartbreaking novel. It is not for everyone because the subject matter is terribly sad and devastating. It was a page turner. This was a very compelling novel. At times, I had to put the book down and just stop reading it because it was so chillingly disturbing.
Rating: Summary: Well, it's a good YA title: reminiscent of other YAs read Review: I certainly won't forget this book, parts of it. But it won't be one of my favorites. That wouldn't keep me from recommending it. Heavens! Everyone to his or her own choosing, is my thought!But I got a bit tired of the heavenly circumstances and the fact that nothing would really be resolved. And having read the blurb from respected writer Anna Quindlen on the back cover, comparing this book to To Kill A Mockingbird, just makes me wonder who was paying her to write the blurb. The tragedy of this girl's death, horrible murder and rape and slaughter, and the continued life of her serial murderer is sickening. Justice played out by nature is good, even humorous; unexpected, yet predictable. I know this is a best seller, a runaway best seller, but I am glad I did not rush out to get it. I would have been disappointed. Am I glad I read it? Of course! I don't want someone else to make up my mind for me. Would I recommend it? Not without reservation.
Rating: Summary: Ignore anyone who says this book is bad! Review: This book is one of the most eloquently written books I have ever read! The prose is so vivid and loaded with imagery that you can see it all in your minds-eye. The narrator is refreshing, especially in the way that, while she never grows old, she does grow up. The lessons learned hold true to many things you learn on the road to adulthood (though learning to deal with your death is hopefully not!). The story held my attention throughout the entire length of the book, never boring me. I feel that many who don't like this book have just yet to fully understand or open themselves up to what it is saying. I honestly believe that this is one of the best books written in a long time. From a writers point of view, I don't see how anyone could believe that just anyone could have written this. The loaded language and enticing narrator are things that are very original. It's a new twist on an old subject (murder)-refreshing in a world where it seems that sometimes there isn't any talent left out there.
Rating: Summary: Untouched By An Angel Review: The much-heralded framing device of "The Lovely Bones" -- a narration by a 14-year-old murder victim -- would serve this ambitious novel better if the character of Susie wasn't oddly modeled on the wise, kind and omniscient angels so familiar from film and television. No teenaged girl was ever so knowing or brave, so stridently NOT a victim of violent crime. She is a combination of ghost, angel, avenger and poltergeist, and fills none of these roles credibly. Susie's preternatural insights and interventions from her highly personal heaven on high are, however, compelling reading. It is impossible to believe in this heroine, but it is also difficult to put the book down. Unfortunately, what creative power Ms. Sebold has is expended two-thirds of the way into the novel and it ends on a note so false and bathetic that it fairly screams "Lifetime Movie of the Week."
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