ignore the ending and the rest of the book is great

books:


	• The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold Amazon Remainders Account, 2004 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 2532 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Interesting concept

I bought the book after hearing about it from friends and found it interesting but not one I "couldn't put down". Definitely a great "first novel" and deserving of an award. However, I felt it had a weak ending as though the author ran out of steam.

It's definitely a book I could recommend but not one I'll read again and again.

The sadness of life cut short

I read this book because I followed closely the serial murder of Kelsey Smith and the fact that she had just read this book about a similar type of murder.I agree that the ending is a bit of a surprise, but the sad moments are very moving and the characters interesting.The reader is somehow left with the impression that Susie will have to be reincarnated or have the rest of her immediate family with her in Heaven to finally be happy.It always bothers me when life is cut so short with potentials unrealized, whether in a book or in real life.

for more information click here

lovely

i love this book, its very interesting, and i could read it over and over again.

Okay, but uneven

I wanted to love "The Lovely Bones," but ultimately just thought it was so-so. The concept is excellent, and Sebold starts off very well. However, toward the last 1/3 or so of the book, it just got too strange to tolerate; Sebold wrote herself into a hole, really. Far from being romantic, I found Susie's posthumous love-via-bodily possession thread disturbingly creepy. And the ending left me wanting. I don't think "The Lovely Bones" deserves the hype it's received.

ignore the ending and the rest of the book is great

I hardly ever read books when they are first released. I always seem to be a few years behind, for whatever reason. Sometimes this works to my advantage, as it allows me to avoid a degree of hype that surrounds certain books. I do remember seeing the blue cover of The Lovely Bones on shelves in every bookstore when it was released a few years ago and seeing mentions on best-sellers lists. But I didn't take much interest in it because, sometimes, when a book/movie/album gets so many rave reviews, I'll expect it to blow me through the roof and will end up disappointed when it's only mildly entertaining or moving (see: The Time Traveler's Wife).

I prefer to go in with low expectations and let myself be surprised with greatness. Not that I'm a bitter person or anything. Not at all. Ok, I'm working on it.

Anyway, I was visiting my tiny local library for the first time, searching for a book to check out, when I saw the blue spine peaking out from the shelf. Since I had already read the few classics they had in stock, and don't really go for Harlequin romance, I took Alice Sebold home with me. Much to my surprise, I finished the book in a day's time.

It wasn't so much Sebold's writing style, which is good but not spectacular, or even the tinges of mystery in the plot that captivated me. It was the raw human emotion that she so perfectly conveyed through each character. The characters felt real--both their positive qualities and their shortcomings. The pain, confusion, regret, and maybe even hope that they each felt in their own ways really impacted me.

The Lovely Bones is the story of a young girl who is raped and murdered in her neighborhood. She speaks to the reader from her version of heaven (it can be different for each person), and looks over her family as they unravel after the tragic event. Perhaps it had something to do with my already delicate state (I was home sick while reading) but the book managed to make me cry. More than once. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that, and the book snob in me would prefer to believe I am "above" sentimental plot devices, but to be honest--the book is just really sad.

I also liked the subtle message of hope that carries through the novel, without reading like a "Chicken Soup" book. The ending isn't the overly hokey "I will survive" type, and still has a shade of melancholy, but seems to say that even through utter grief and personal devastation, life goes on.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Teen Books That I Really, Really Loved and You Have To Read Too
Great Books To Discuss With Your Friends
Only the BEST books I've ever read
Books I really really love
My Favorite Books

search for books
lovely bones, bones, lovely

Impressum / about us