Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put the book down!
Review: The Lovely Bones is an interesting take on what could be a very depressing and sad story. The story is told from the point of view of a murder and rape victim as she looks down on her friends and family from heaven. It was touching to hear her words as she watches her friends grow older and experience things that she never had the opportunity to do. Towards the end of the book, it was nice to see the main character get the chance to come back to earth through the body of a former classmate. Even though her time back here on earth was short, she was able to live life again, which is something she had coveted ever since it was so violently taken. I also loved the way that she was vindicated through the death of her murderer. In some ways, after becoming so engrossed in the characters, I felt vindicated by his getting what he deserved. This is an excellent read and makes you truly grateful for your life and all that you have here on earth because it can be taken away so suddenly and easily. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: An amazing read. Highly original and totally engrossing. I literally couldn't put it down. The fantasy that all of us have of our loved ones watching us from above is played out with great sensitivity and realism, while balancing perfectly with the events unfolding among the living. Raw, honest and beautifully written. You'll want it to be true.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: After reading many great reviews about this book I finally broke down and bought it, and it was a waste of my time and money. While the book is not dreadfull, it is certainly not good. I found the writing to be very immature and the story to be unimaginative. Sebold could have done a much better job on this story since it felt rushed and thrown together. The characters could have been developed much better, the best lines in the book are about the father and I wish that Sebold would have spent more time on this and the mother. Many reviews detail the emotion that this book evokes, and I just didn't feel anything remotely close while reading. This story could have been great, but the writing just falls flat. If you really want to read this wait until its on the discount shelf because it is not worth it now.
Rating:
Summary: I Thought I Would Never Finish This Book!!
Review: I really wanted to like this book, I had bought this book when it first came out and put it aside along with my other books that are waiting to be read. When I first started this book I knew that it was going to be sad, as I was reading along the story started shifting gears to another direction and that's were I got lost. I promised myself that this year I would finish a book that I start no matter how bad it is now I can say that I did read it and I was so disappointed in the end.
Happy Reading Lisa
Rating:
Summary: Frustrated Bones
Review: I read a few pages of The Lovely Bones online at www.amazon.com and thought I just had to read the rest, so I bought the hardcover. I wish I'd saved my money. To sum it up, the book was monotonous. I was amazed how Sebold could find so many words to say the same thing over and over. The characters were so dry, I actually got thirsty. The ending fizzled. I feel sorry for the dead if they are as tormented as Susie (the main character). This book left me feeling broke and frustrated.
Rating:
Summary: Don't fill your head with this
Review: Please don't read this book. It trivializes horror. Keep it as far away from young children and teenagers as possible. Teach them the evils that exist in this world and instill in them the precautions they must take to stay safe, but DO NOT let this book be their teacher. Murder, adultery, theft, betrayal, rape, teenage sex. Are these truly our bestselling themes?
Rating: 
Summary: Would I recommend this book? The answer is Yes.
Review: The Lovely Bones is a strong book that provides a compelling and well written exploration of death. Her characters are well contructed and provide a believable foundatation for their reactions and interactions. This story is about a family dealing with a horrible crime. The crime is told in grisley detail. People who have problems with graphic violence will have problems with this book. Not everyone will want to read or finish this book. Those who do will find a way to explore how a heartrending tragedy can break a family and how the family members can find ways to heal again.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Well Written
Review: 5 stars Enjoyable From the moment I read the first page of this book I was captivated by the story and I had a hard time putting this book down. I really loved the character of Susie and I thought the story was well written. When the book begins Susie is violently raped and murdered, she than narrates the story from heaven as she watches her family, friends and murderer go through life. Susie watches her father's attempt to bring her murderer to justice, her sister live the life that she might have and the boy that she kissed go on with life. I found myself crying at times and angry at others but most of all I thought this was an enjoyable book. I look forward to reading more books by Alice Sebold and I intend to read her memoirs "Lucky"
Rating:
Summary: Sebold's Novel Worth Reading
Review: In 1973, before Megan's Law, before the Amber Alert, before DNA testing, a fictious girl named Susie Salmon is abducted, raped and murdered. The Lovely Bones explores the unbearable grief of the family left behind and the emotional scars of her father, mother, sister, brother and friends. Because science had yet to develop the technology to help solve these crimes, it left the family with unanswered questions. Because society did not openly discuss these horrible crimes like it does today, it forced the family to deal with their loss alone. Unlike today, support groups for families of crime victims exist. Nevertheless, crime victimes and their families still deal with the the same problems they faced in 1973: grief, anger, strained marriages, embarrassment and emotional breakdown. The Lovely Bones deals with these problems. Instead of focusing on solving the crime, the novel focuses on how the family of Susie Salmon handle the aftermath of her murder. You weep with them, you hope with them, you feel anger with them. The only problem with this novel is the accerlerated pace it takes beginning in the latter half of the story. Even if the author did this deliberately, she may not have pulled it off as well as she hoped. The story seems to end half-way through the book, around the episode where the neighborhood holds a vigil. Except for a few scenes, the novel almost seems anticlimatic after that point. The narrative device of Susie Salmon as an omniscient narrator works well. Sebold has developed the characters realistically; this will facilitate the reader's empathy for them. Overall, despite the hype, The Lovely Bones is a novel worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Can't get this book out of my head...
Review: I finished reading The Lovely Bones several weeks ago, and I'm still comparing every book I read to it. I found this book to be told in such a loving, gentle manner that I was quite caught up in the story. How amazing that such a horrifying tale could be so beautiful! Told from the perspective of the spirit of a raped and murdered child, it follows the lives of her friends and family as they deal with their grief and fears as the years progress. I recommend this book highly.
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