The Lovely Bones: Deluxe Edition
by Alice Sebold
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.99 You Save: $13.00 (77%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Lovely Bones: Deluxe Edition
Book Review: Good Read
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Lovely Bones" is one of those books readers will find hard to put down once they begin reading it. The story is told from the perspective of a 14-year-old girl, named Susie, who is brutally murdered by her neighbor. After her death Susie must come to terms with what happened and is stuck "between heaven and earth" until she can accept her death. Susie watches her family, friends, and neighbors as they try to deal with this terrible crime. She also watches her murderer as he tries to cover-up the murder.
Alongside Susie, the reader witnesses the overwhelming grief that almost kills her father, her sister's resolve to go on with life, her mother's efforts to face some truths she has tried to bury, and her murderer's past and secret life. This story is mesmerizing. The frailty and randomness of life are clearly felt. I enjoyed reading this book because the author does not provide easy answers, which makes the story line believable.
Book Review: Not worth the acclaim then or now
Summary: 2 Stars
I recently re-read this book thinking maybe I missed something. After all, this novel was a rave hit a few years ago when I first read it, but in re-reading it only assured me that I was right from the get-go. While the first fifty to 100 pages are captivating, once it gets to that middle section, it's all down hill from there: the story becomes predictable and amateurish. And this what I had to remember--I struggled to finish it then and didn't really bother this second go `round.
What really irks me is the over-the-top acclaim this book still receives--and I understand the movie is not exactly an improvement on the story itself (sometimes a lousy book makes a better film!)
I remember a couple years ago, I also tried to read (and could not) Sebold's second novel, THE ALMOST MOON--and found it utterly unbearable. I don't know how this writer received this kind of success--she truly lacks talent.
Book Review: Fine Printings Reviews "http://fineprintings.blogspot.com"
Summary: 5 Stars
Book Description
"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her - her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling.
Fine Printings' Review
This is a powerful novel by Alice Sebold that captivates from the very beginning. Susie's story unfolds darkly however, somehow, manages to end vibrantly. Horror, mystery, love, vengeance and powerful friendships abound in this novel that will both grieve and cheer you to your very soul. Definitely sit down, grab this book and hold on for a powerful emotional rollercoaster!
Book Review: A Modern Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
Rarely do I read a book so beautifully and effortlessly written. By now, everyone knows the story of Alice Sebold's novel--part exercise in dramatic irony, part benign ghost story, part family drama--but what affected me most was the very plausible and sympathetic way in which Sebold depicts the spirit of her narrator/protagonist, the brutally murdered Susie Salmon. The Lovely Bones is quite literally a spiritual novel. I almost want to call it a Spirit Story as opposed to a Ghost Story, because this is a story about haunting, but not in the sense that ghost stories are typically about haunting. It's about the knowledge that haunts the spirits of the dead, the sorrow and mystery that haunts the survivors, and the desires and hopes that haunt us all. I do hope Peter Jackson's film version does justice to the lyrical beauty of this book. Sebold has written a modern classic.Book Review: Much ado about something
Summary: 5 Stars
This was much more than the typical, modern, fictional page-turner, for me. It was obvious the author took care to make the book as colloquial as possible; she saved the "poetry" for the emotional, insightful content & subject matter. As another reviewer intimated, this book calls to mind, "To Kill a Mockingbird;" and I actually preferred this contemporary cousin, due to it's expanded, spiritual scope.
Sebold absolutely nails the early/mid 70's teenage experience, to boot; which should give extra incentive, for those who grew up around that time period, to partake in this retro joy-ride. Irregardless, this classic should be a joy for ages 8 to 80; and revelatory for those who give it the time & attention to read between the carefully crafted story-telling.
A relevant work that will still be read, and relevant, 50 years from now... and beyond.