Rating: 
Summary: Ambitious, Bold, and Utterly Useless
Review: It's easy to see from this book why Sebold's first book, LUCKY, was so well-received. She's a beautiful writer--her prose is lyrical, vivid, and imaginative. THE LOVELY BONES starts off with much promise: a well-crafted murder scene, followed by a spooky transmutative scene in which a classmate senses Susie's spirit on its way to heaven. From there, the narrative splits into two separate threads: the Salmon family's battle with the grief of their loss, and Susie's observations from heaven. Sebold's conception of heaven (and specifically Susie's heaven, as heaven is realm specifically tailored to each individual) is as wild and unique and plausible as any I've ever encountered. As Susie observes her family, friends, and her killer from her perch on high, it becomes clear quite quickly that this book is not a murder mystery. The "spirit" of Susie will not intervene and lead her family to avenge her death. She cannot give directions to her remains, or to the last uncoverable evidence which can identify her rapist and murderer. Rather, the book will be about loss, and how each individual, not only in the Salmon family, but in the community at large, reckons the inexplicable loss of a young child in order to establish sense and meaning in their own lives. Thematically, this is no small undertaking, and ultimately I didn't feel that Sebold succeeded in anatomizing the emotion of grief, much less The Meaning of Life, the promise of which is underscored quite heavily throughout the novel. This failing is forgivable, certainly, as one can hardly think of a more ambitious goal. But it is in this ambition, among other reasons, that the book didn't work. The narrative runs out of steam somewhere in the middle of the book. One begins to realize that the characters are just as undefined and underdeveloped as they were in the dazzling opening chapter, and that they've come no closer to anything. Perhaps the moral of the story here is that everything and nothing changes, that at root life goes on, no matter how much one might resist. But without characters with whom to identify and empathize, the author's every labor is nullified. Stoic Lindsey is little more than a Superwoman in denial of her sister's death; her mother's escapism defines her, as we learn little else about her personality other than her inability to relate with her own mother; patriarch Jack Salmon is an insultingly glorified character: a grief-stricken father who can't let go of his perfect conception of Susie, like his delicate ships in bottles; and youngest son Buckley, is little more than a barnacle affixed to his "perfect" father. Susie herself is a problematic figure. At times she narrates like the fourteen year-old she is at the beginning of the book, squealing with delight from her heaven at her sister's first kiss. Other times she narrates with the perspective of an adult, someone who endured and understood the things she never had a chance to. Susie's perspective fluctuates often between the two extremes, rather than as a progression towards a greater emotional maturity. I might have gone along with all of this--for there are some very incredible and moving passages throughout--were it not for Sebold's resolution. The idea that, given the chance to live, the single thing that Susie chooses to do is disappointing and degrading. It shows us that she's learned nothing from her observations, and renders the entire novel a great waste of time for having gone along with it. Susie's Heavenly Purpose isn't a purpose at all. And in her own self-motivated final action, I feel duped for having cared about her all along, and for buying into a promise that was never granted.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely prose, interesting ideas, sad story, dumb ending
Review: I read this book for my book club and was unfortunately disappointed. I think Alice Sebold has some interesting ideas, but didn't expand enough on the whole idea of Susie's heaven. Susie could have moved on a little more and learned more about what was there. Isn't there anything useful to do there? Sebold's writing is lovely, though at times the prose seems to go on and on without getting to the story. The development of the characters is done pretty well, but it is so depressing and sad to see what they go through after Susie's murder. I would expect that after a murder, but it was tough to get through. Also, there were some dumb things that bugged me, like how does a ghost smell? or how did the murderer leave an elbow behind - were the bones broken off around it? Finding an elbow is weird....is it supposed to be funny? ick! Finally, I thought the ending was just stupid...I did like Sebold's comments about the bonds/bones created in her family because of this terrible ordeal. But, the end really just leaves you hanging. I wouldn't recommend this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't be afraid to read this book!
Review: I kept picking up this book. Everytime, I would think . . I don't think I can do this subject. Then I read reviews by several authors whom I respect GREATLY. They loved it! So, I bought it. And, immediately, it became glued to my hand. It is truly a gentle book which has many ideas which you will carry with you long after finishing it.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful piece of literature
Review: This top-seller has been criticized for everything from wandering, not tying up loose ends, not being realistic and even being unBiblical. The narrator is a teenage girl trying to tell her family's story from such a unique perspective that the wandering of her musings is nothing if not true to how a confused teen would relate an unfolding story. Great novels often do not tie up loose ends, but leave the reader to imagine the future of the characters as they wish. This book does not come to necessarily pat conclusions and some mysteries remain unsolved for the characters. But that is the beauty of the book. It is a snapshot of a family in crisis and the years following. Anyone who has been through a tough time knows life doesn't always turn out a happy ending and we may never have all the answers. This is an interesting glimpse of some fascinating characters. It is not meant to be a realistic view of the afterlife, or a guidebook to spirituality. Enjoy it for what it is- a beautiful piece of literature.
Rating:
Summary: Naturalistic and yet quite heavenly...
Review: I found this book to be enchanting and mesmerizing. I
wanted to stay in the dead girl's Heaven with her and learn more about what she saw and her observations about her sad family, friends and killer. This is a very naturalistic style of writing. It's so good you almost don't "notice" the style...it's...organic, I guess you could call it. Unlike other reviewers, I loved the ending, and found tears rolling down my face as the final words were uttered. I hadn't realized how touched I was until the dead girl let us go with a sweet, simple and kindly farewell. This book is a joy and will probably become a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Ingenious idea, poorly carried out.
Review: When you first hear the premise of "The Lovely Bones", about murdered fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon looking down from heaven and narrating the aftermath of the crime on her family, friends, and even the killer himself, how could you not be intrigued? And reading the book is certainly not un-worthwhile. For the first 4 or 5 chapters I was truly swept away, but then slowly, the brilliant concept that makes the story so original grows to become its downfall. In order for the book's countless characters to remain interesting while being observed from such a lofty point (heaven), each person would have to be twice as sharp and vividly drawn as any character in a more traditional narrative. They're not. I constantly found myself asking "Now who is this person again?". They're described with different names, and they look different from one another, and live in different places, but we never get a real, visceral feeling from each of them. Instead, we're left watching them all from a distance, as though trying to discern them through a blurry telescope. Speaking objectively about TLB as literature and without sentimentality, the plot is very slender and stretched to its absolute limit across a meager 328 pages. I kept turning them, waiting for a climax, a moment of resolution and closure, but it never quite happens. "The Lovey Bones" evaporates into a mist. To her credit, author Alice Sebold could have easily succumbed to making TLB so gruesome and sad as to be unreadable, but she always stays just this side of overstatement. A good novel, but not a great one.
Rating:
Summary: A SENTIMENTAL MUST-READ
Review: I read this book as part of a book club I'm involved with at
school. The book was a phenomenal book all the way through. I couldn't put the book down. There are parts in the book that will make you laugh out loud, while others will make you cry for hours. It is a book that will soon become a classic in
everyone's home. I hope everyone reads the book and enjoys it
as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Wow...
Review: I go to high school and am the secretary for our's school book club, we recently chose this book as our next big read. Everyone finished it ahead of time, none of us could put it down. We meet each Tuesday to discuss the book and everyone had something to say about everything. This is a very good book that I highly reccomend this book to everyone. If a bunch of highschoolers could get a bunch out of it surely everyone can.
Rating:
Summary: Have a heart
Review: When my 32-year-old son told me he teared up in places reading this book, I knew it was something special, as he definitely is not the emotional type. I just finished it and have to admit that the sleeves of my t-shirt are still damp from tears that I wiped there in order to be able to see clearly enough to read. To all reviewers who didn't like it, who found it maudlin or boring or unaffecting, I say, "Your antidepressant is working too well and preventing you from experiencing your emotions." In my humble opinion, this is a gem of a book and is not to be missed by anyone who can still feel.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat Disturbing
Review: This book has made me look at my child rearing responsibilities in a whole new light. I am constantly reminding my children to be cautious of everyone, even neighbors and acquaintances. Also disturbing to me was the idea that in this little girl's heaven, she still worried and had anxieties she had when living.
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