Rating: 
Summary: Atypical (which translates to Great)
Review: It's kind of like Law and Order from the victim's prospective. It's really an amazing way to tell a story which made it an amazing book to read. The level of originality is on the same scale as The Da Vinci Code and My Fractured Life. The story line is highly unique because it is a sweet soul who encounters very contrary and brutal circumstances. There are some dark undertones that are terrific and reminicent of My Fractured Life. It's not your typical best seller and that's part of what makes it so enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Eh...
Review: I'm a little bewildered as to why I was bored with this book somewhere from the middle to the end. I swallowed the beginning and thought it was extremely creative, but there were certain characters that I wanted to konw more about (Hal, Samuel, her father in his younger days) and some that were elaborated on too much (Ruth). I would've liked to have found out more about Mr. Harvey's back story. I was getting annoyed that it took so long for the police to gain evidence, but that was realistic. The problem I had with it is when important things like the bear, the necklace, and the hunter were mentioned, it was chapters before we found out the outcome. I guess I was looking for more Law n' Order, less La La Land.
Rating: 
Summary: Unusual journey
Review: This book was more than a little unnerving; the narrator occupies her own role as a semi-omniscient teenage girl watching from heaven as her family copes with her disappearance, while also occupying the role of each of her family members and her killer. While the book carries a powerful message of the healing qualities of family, it also juxtaposes the more sinister aspects of dysfunctional families and coldly comments on society's movement toward fractured communities and the decline of the neighborhood lifestyle. Can get heavy-handed with the imagery, but has good characters and an interesting storyline.
Rating: 
Summary: Weird
Review: I really liked the perspective - the girl's thoughts from heaven - and the writing was excellent. The examples of how different people react to tragedy was poignant. However, the plot kept swirling around in different directions and never fleshed anything out fully. Am I the only one who was thinking when she came back to earth how disgusting and disrespectful to use the body of her friend (really just an acquaintance in life) and no contraception!
Rating:
Summary: Susie's all-seeing perspective
Review: I was first drawn to this debut novel because my first novel was published at the same time, covering very similar subject-matter and themes. Kudoes to Alice Sebold for an interesting first effort. I found the story premise very original, and the story does linger in the mind for quite some time after you've read it. This is the story of a teenage girl named Susie who is raped and killed one day on her way to school. She goes to Heaven and is able to observe all the events around her dead body--her family's grief, her killer's footsteps, her friends' gossip about her murder, etc etc. I kept guessing if they would catch the killer. The ending surprised me. David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"
Rating: 
Summary: Teenagers, Beware!
Review: I did not enjoy The Lovely Bones at all. It seemed as though the theme was mixed up in dull mystery, fantasy and twisted romance. The book was about a girl that was murdered, and went up to heaven to watch her family. Heaven was portrayed as an unhappy and boring place in this book. Why would it be called heaven if it was not in anyone's liking? That is one aspect of the book that I particularly did not agree with. Life back on earth was severely and insanely wrong. The once loving mother of the girl that was murdered decides to have an affair while her husband does not even recognize it! I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys singing in the rain, but if you're a teenager, like me, chances are, your opinion will be close to mine about this book. In the beginning, the book did a slightly good job of keeping my attention, but in the middle, it all seemed to be confusing and dragged out. The ending was bittersweet, and if you don't like happy ending; then this book is a dream come true for you. In a way, it was like a salad with no dressing,and constantly being tossed:always bouncing back and forth between ironic ideas and never really saying anything at all. This was definitely not a rock my sox off kind of book, especially when, I have to force myself to read it just to get it done before the dead line. Teenagers! Stay away from this book!
Rating:
Summary: Easy to Read. Hard to Forget
Review: Having also come from a small town where a murder of a teenage girl took place, I felt as if I was taking a front seat in this journey created by Sebold. It starts off gut wrenching, and yet I could barely put it down. You'll watch your children more closely after reading this novel, but don't think it is just about death and the evil mind of the killer, but about love and family and the delicate fabric of time that holds us either in this earthly plane or in Sebold's "Inbetween." I hope you enjoy your life too.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Beautiful
Review: I was actually asked to read this book by a close friend of mine, who stated that the way it was written is something that I would enjoy; I decided to take her on. I opened the first page of this book, only to find my favorite prose (now an introduction to my nearly-existent journal). I was enthralled by the first chapter, and continued reading long into the night. Alice Sebold's outspoken words are something that I cannot explain -- since reading this, I have recommended it to a countless number of others. Alice writes what others dare not say, with a twist of logic as a young girl overlooks her living family, after her brutal and ruthless murder. She contemplates just what life is about, while watching the family she once spent each day of her life with overcome many obstacles. This novel is simply one of the most beautiful reading experiences I've ever had! Nothing less! Don't deny yourself the pleasure! You'll treasure this book! Another Amazon quick-pick I recommend, somewhat more peculiar, is THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Having heard wonderful reviews on this book from various sources, i was excited to be using it in psychology class. I began reading immediately...racing through over a 150 pages in the first sitting. In these first pages i was moved by the plot and intrigued by the perspective from which Alice Sebold was telling this tale.However, this was all that appealed to me, i found the writing style extremely immature and rather tedious. There were numerous times where i just wanted to put the book down amd give up on it...the only thing that propelled me forward was the prospect that perhaps the latter part of the book would live up to it's raving reviews...unfortunately i was let down as the book ploughed on with it's prosaic narrative. And so for it's monotony and it's frivolity, i give this novel 1 star.
Rating:
Summary: Promising, but Disappointing
Review: The Lovely Bones is a very uneven work. At times touching and memorable, at times monotonous, at times pedestrian, the prose of Ms. Sebold needs more polishing before it can be called great. Some of the plot turns are silly and forced, and the effect on the reader is one of annoyance. This would have made a superb first draft. I hardly know how to account for this book's phenomenal success; perhaps, as in the title of her first book, Ms. Sebold got "lucky."
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