Rating: 
Summary: Unique Read
Review: This was a good read with a truly unique perspective. Some of the characters needed more work - Mr.Harvey and Susie's mother. I was a little disappointed with the ending as well, the beginning of the novel leads you to believe that the murderer will be caught eventually as people find the "clues" that Susie left behind. The closure that Susie gets in the end wasn't the type of closure I was hoping for. The rest of the novel is a wonderful tale of grief and moving on.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful and chilling at the same time
Review: The story is full of charm and intrigue. It is artfully told. A haunting and inspiring experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Marvelous
Review: Always compelling and lyrical, The Lovely Bones deserves to be remembered fondly as its narrator is remembered by those she leaves behind. This is a serial-killer novel for those who don't like serial-killer novels, removing the lurid and sexy sheen most novelists lend their killers and replacing it with pity and honesty. The grace, smarts and emphasis belong to the victims in this story, and as the novel unfolds and you want to cry out for justice, there is no immediate gratification, no hero with iron-clad evidence, but a girl frozen in time yearning for the life she's been denied, trying to help her loved ones reach the Heaven they can create on Earth. It deserves all the praise it has received.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: I read this book after finishing Kavalier and Clay, so in many respects it was a let down. It lacks the brilliant language and amazing insightfulness of Chabon's work, so I looked hard for other attributes.It portrays the insanity that infects many people who have lost family members. More often than not, the family of a missing person makes relentless accusations and unsupportable suppositions about what happened, to the point where they can drag down their entire community (eg, Elizabeth Smart). In this book, the husband's suspicions turn out to be true; which is both unrealistic and perhaps something of a disservice. This story probably has great appeal to the average person in our child-worshipping society. Don't expect a well-constructed mystery, since that aspect of the story languished and, in the end, came to a rather forced and unconvincing conclusion. I also didn't appreciate the author's liberal viewpoint, whereby she romanticizes sex between 13-year olds, suggests that adultery is a legitimate way to deal with grief, and repeatedly presents marital separation or divorce as the answer to a personal void without the need for that departing spouse to take a hard look in the mirror. This is a touchy-feely kind of effort. All of her characters are fragile, emotional, and feminine - including the men. There is a lot of weakness, all around. I'm puzzled as to why this book is so popular. Perhaps it is the author's interesting view of what happens after death - the promise of a personal afterlife - which satisfies a common hope.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointed
Review: I am struggling with this novel, which is surprising, because I was really looking forward to reading it. I don't even think the writing is very good. It is often confusing and awkward. I am having a hard time relating to any of the characters, as none of them seem real to me. I am only on page 150, so there is still hope, but at this point I think I am just being stubborn to continue with it. I forced myself to finish "On Green Dolphin Street" in November, and swore that was the last time I would do that for a book that is meant to be "pleasure reading". Some pleasure. For true pleasure reading, try Atonement. Sebold's novel seems to be an overhyped chore.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: Doesn't live up to the hype at all. Sebold tries to tackle ideas that are substantial with weak writing. As a result, complicated themes are barely supported by immature writing.
Rating:
Summary: A Treasure
Review: It has been a while since I have been so profoundly moved by a novel. This is a beautifully written, wonderfully realized book that will haunt readers long after they close the cover. It is witty and wise, sad and funny, challenging and simple. I counsel many people who are grieving for lost loved ones and grief is seldom depicted with such understanding and insight as here. This is a novel I will not forget and the people in it are etched in my memory forever. When I finished the last page I found myself saying "thank you." I envy those who will be touched by this wonderful, intensely emotional novel for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: lovely bones
Review: I would have to agree with the lady from Texas--this book isn't really that great. Agree that the beginning is interesting but unfortunately it just doesn't keep you moving. I'm surprised it is doing that well because I had to push myself to keep reading it and I eventually gave up and read the ending; wasn't impressed. I'd take a pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of good money
Review: What a let-down. This book was so one-dimensional. Sebold places Susie in heaven, where she can see what everybody is doing, hear what they're thinking, and feel what they're feeling. How convenient. Susie was raped and killed but she's not too upset about it. Then she goes to heaven and sits in her gazebo and watches tv (the drama on earth) all day long and narrates it to you. In time, her family moves on, but there's no indication that Susie has. The mystery was never solved, so there's no closure. Since Susie can't tell anybody where to find her bones, a simple ending is contrived just so there's some ending. But wait! She did have a chance! She incredibly gets to live in a human body again for a few minutes. You would think she would go and comfort her long-suffering family or lead the police to the evidence, but she spends all her precious time ...her crush. This is a novel about Susie, and we get inside everyone's heads except Susie's. (And we had to get inside everyone's bodies too.) She doesn't do anything, she just tells you what others do. She doesn't feel anything, she just tells you what others feel. It'll be a long time before I read fiction again. Btw, if like me, you picked up this book because you're curious about what people do in heaven, you'd be better off reading "In Her Own Words: The After-Death Journal of Princess Diana" by Christine Toomey. That's the real stuff.
Rating:
Summary: I don't see how anyone could like this
Review: By the time I got to the end of this book I was just flipping through the pages, skimming them for anything that seemed interesting. I had high hopes for this book, but I think, and I believe that any critical reader would agree, that there is no substance to this book. I dogear pages in books that contain some jewel of language that I think pertains to my life or has some insight on human nature. I didn't dogear a single page in this book. Don't buy it. If you must buy it, buy it used.
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