Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking, imaginative and very moving piece of writing
Review: I am reading this as part of my A Level work, and I can safely say that from the second I opened it I was enchanted by the haunting characters of Simon, Kerewin and Joe. The question always remains with me ...."Exactly who is Simon?" It is the setting , atmosphere and more importamtly the insight to a culture that I would otherwise be none the wiser of, that made this book for me... I can absolutely, positively say I am taken by the book.
Rating:
Summary: oh, wow!
Review: this book was recommended to me by a friend a couple of years ago and at first i was a little bit dubious. i just loved the book though, it was the first book to bring real tears to my eyes and have the ability to make me laugh out loud with keri's little thoughts. i thought that the character development really was something else. the sullen, untamed, silent simon retaining his spirit but showing real love and affection. the independant holmes eventually letting people into her life. although the ending of the book did feel a little "cheesy" at best, i don't feel that it really detracted from the unmistakable power characteristic of the rest of the book. i found it to be interesting, thought provoking and downright compelling. if you have not read it, go get it now.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely brilliant
Review: What an incredible story...what an incredible writer...what an incredible heroine. Thank you, Keri Hulme.
Rating:
Summary: A harrowing, challenging, yet ultimately uplifting experienc
Review: Minutes ago I put The Bone People down, finished in (for me) record time, for the second time in five years. Its characters reverberate once again, yet stronger than before. A massive collection of both human weaknesses and strengths, disappointments and surprises, joys and horrors, The Bone People is the most challenging and rewarding novel I have read since Sophie's Choice. At first I thought I could read ther novel through without turning to the Maori translations in the back (You know how you can read an early Tom Clancy without understanding any of the submariner-techy babble?). Eventually I found myself wandering to the back of the book for these translations repeatedly, and the effort expanded my understanding and enjoyment exponentially. This is more than a tale of child abuse and disattachment. It makes you ache for the child receiving the blows while at the same moment causes your heart to nearly burst with empathy for the abuser. As before I found it impossible to put the book down at first. Commenting on this to my wife, who had read it as well in preparation for our reading group's discussion, she said "Same here, for the first two thirds. The last third was almost too painful to endure." I noted that I was at page 300 of a 450 page edition. But the final third, while gut-wrenching, is undoubtedly the most wonderful, most poetic, most heroic piece of literature I have read in the past decade. Keri Hulme is the sort of author who, after your first read, you wish was as prolific as the aforementioned Clancy. Unfortunately, she is not. Fortunately, she has packed The Bone People with more meaning than any ten Clancies put together.
Rating:
Summary: "this book is amazingly wondrously great"
Review: I don't know if my one-line quote is what's actually on the back cover, but that sums it up. I first read the Bone People three years ago, and keep returning to it. I even own a tattered copy for lending out to friends. Hulme writes with a fresh, vivid voice about very intriguing, very moving, very human characters. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Ok, but ultimately unsatisfying
Review: I found this book periodically enjoyable, periodically dull. The main flaw is the main character, who appears to a fantasized version of the author (note the similarity in names).
Rating:
Summary: An overlooked masterpiece of post WWII literature.
Review: I first came to the Bone People in 1985 when I was working for a regional bookseller. I was intrigued by the reviews and eagerly sought out a copy. I read the book and was totally captivated by the story and prose, I began hand selling it to my clients, in addition to giving copies to friends. thirteen years later, I recently gave another copy away and took time to re-read the book. I am pleased to say it is today as it was in 1985, amazing. As has been mentioned by other readers, sticking with it and learning how Keri writes is important. I found the first time I read it that it took about thirty pages until I had my "Oh, I get it" moment. From there on, I was hooked. Finally, a little note on the author. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Keri on her book tour of NYC right after the novel won the Booker. She was a short, stocky women, shy and incredibly humble. As you might imagine, she has a keen wit and a dry sense of humor. If you get NZ and look her up (as a friend did) she might even join you for a beer.
Rating:
Summary: A great novel of the damage and healing families inflict
Review: Keri Hulme's The Bone People breaks all the rules for me. I hate books that force me to struggle through the prose. I'm not a great fan of poetry. And I avoid stories of child abuse like the plague. So along comes The Bone People, which has the poetic density of the most abstruse 20th century poets, and it's the story of a child abused by his adopted father. And it is just plain gorgeous. Yes, the first chapter is tough (get through it, then after you've met the three main characters, go back and read it again: it's wonderful when you know what it's talking about). The writing becomes hypnotic; you don't read this book, you live it, you hear these people talking in your head when the book is closed. It makes you see your world differently. It was the best book I read in the decade of the '80s, and one of only a handful of books I have read twice. It's beauty does not fade on second reading. The Bone People is one of my desert island books.
Rating:
Summary: A gem of a book
Review: I read this book along with four other friends to launch our book club. I had no idea what to expect. Unlike many of the other reviewers, I was very much taken with the Prologue. I thought it was beautifully written and read it several times. After finishing the book, it was a delight to reread the prologue. I would recommend this book to any other individuals out there who belong to a book club or reading circle. It's full of mystery and depth, and there's quite a bit that you will want to discuss with others. Thank you Keri Hulme for an amazing book!
Rating:
Summary: A complex and gripping story.
Review: Although the rhythm of Hulme's prose can be difficult at first, it is worth charging through to get at the center of this beautifully wrought novel. Kerewin, Joe and Sim are damaged people, but somehow they find a sad sort of love between them. I was moved by her willingness to leave things unsaid and to let her characters develop in sometimes monsterous ways.
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