When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn't happen. In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death and her own adjustment to the strange new place she finds herself. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with their grief, her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor and begin the difficult process of healing. In the hands of a brilliant novelist, this story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful and touching story about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.
The Lovely Bones
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On her way home from school on a snowy December day, 14-year-old Susie Salmon is lured into a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case.
As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. Susie's resembles the athletic fields and landscape of a suburban high school: a heaven of her "simplest dreams", where "there were no teachers... We never had to go inside except for art class... The boys did not pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue".
The Lovely Bones works as an odd yet affecting coming-of-age story. Susie struggles to accept her death while still clinging to the lost world of the living, following her family's dramas over the years. Her family disintegrates in their grief: her father becomes determined to find her killer, her mother withdraws, her little brother Buckley attempts to make sense of the new hole in his family and her younger sister Lindsey moves through the milestone events of her teenage and young adult years with Susie riding spiritual shotgun. Random acts and missed opportunities run throughout the book--Susie recalls her sole kiss with a boy on earth as "like an accident--a beautiful gasoline rainbow".
Though sentimental at times, The Lovely Bones is a moving exploration of loss and mourning that ultimately puts its faith in the living and that is made even more powerful by a cast of convincing characters. Sebold orchestrates a big finish and though things tend to wrap up a little too well for everyone in the end, one can only imagine (or hope) that heaven is indeed a place filled with such happy endings. --Brad Thomas Parsons, Amazon.com --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Reading her breakout novel, Sebold's even, unemotional voice is a good match for both the drab setting of a Midwest town enduring the 1970s and for her matter-of-fact writing, which manages to seem grounded even as the protagonist narrates from heaven after her brutal murder. Sebold doesn't bother with voicing characters differently; the murdered girl, Susie Salmon, is the listener's window into the world she was forced to leave behind, and Sebold uses a flat, deliberate voice that manages to sound both weary and wistful. Snatches of melancholy chamber music close each track and provide more explicit emotion. What Sebold's voice lacks in stylistic flourish she makes up for with perfect pacing. In an introductory segment, Sebold recounts the novel's genesis and mentions that part of her working process involves reading everything back to herself, which explains her expert rhythm. On the final disc, Sebold reads the first chapter of her 2007 novel, The Almost Moon. While Sebold's fans will be eager for the chance to hear her read, the uninitiated may wish for a bit more passion in her presentation. A Back Bay Books paperback (Reviews, June 17, 2002).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Anna
Format:Hardcover
After hearing rave reviews about this book I had very high expectations for it. It seems to be somewhat hard to believe that any book can be intresting when the most important event in the book, the entire climax is in the first chapter. When I was done the first chapter I wondered what the rest of the chapters would be about...well apparently nothing.
I usually finish books in a week or less but I had to stop reading this book halfway through because it was so horrible. I was often afraid to read it because anything regarding murder and rape is a bit intense for me but the way this book presented such a serious event was horrible.
No strong emotions were expressed through any of the characters, especially not the main character who tells this story. Not only did I think the book was poorly written I was also extremely disappointed by the end. This book left me indifferent and it was a big waste of my time. sorry alice. your characters were too flat and just plain dull.
I usually finish books in a week or less but I had to stop reading this book halfway through because it was so horrible. I was often afraid to read it because anything regarding murder and rape is a bit intense for me but the way this book presented such a serious event was horrible.
No strong emotions were expressed through any of the characters, especially not the main character who tells this story. Not only did I think the book was poorly written I was also extremely disappointed by the end. This book left me indifferent and it was a big waste of my time. sorry alice. your characters were too flat and just plain dull.
By nikki
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The book is detailed and well written. The movie has no comparison. Lovely Bones is a sad story but leaves you hopeful. Great read.
By Ariana Marte
Format:Hardcover
This novel deals with the most heartbreaking situation one can go through-- the loss of a loved one in the most inhumane way. Though a fiction story, its detailed language will make you cry and hope, at the same time making you truly believe and forget it's just a book. The descriptive and vivid language will also take a life of its own, easily allowing you to visualize every moment, every cry, and every ravaging stare in a character's eyes. The Lovely Bones is a story that made me believe in the impossible and feel the pain of every character, especially of the narrator. A heart-warming story of love and tragedy full of hope, disappointment, light and heartache; truly a life lesson indeed. And of course, a life lesson you won't be able to put down!
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
School Book
I needed this book for school. This item was new and in perfect condition. I had a fast and accurate delivery. I reccommend this site to all students.
Published 15 months ago by loulou
1.0 out of 5 stars
Shock value
I purchased this book because of the rave reviews, but it was thoroughly disappointing. The author relies entirely on shock value to put forth anything approaching deep human... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mari Kath
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great disappointment
I had come across "The Lovely Bones" in my local Borders bookstore a few years ago. I started reading it back then, and I really liked what I read. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Dr. Bojan Tunguz
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
I was disappointed with this book - so much hype about it. It starts off ok but is boring and unbelievable. Read more
Published on Jan 3 2011 by Gerrie
2.0 out of 5 stars
SPOILERS AHEAD
I thought the first chapter was really good, but it sort of dragged on after and I found some parts unbelievable, like that no one even thought to look in the sinkhole for her. Read more
Published on July 22 2010 by autumnrose
1.0 out of 5 stars
delivery
fast delivery - but i did not enjoy this book i could not finish it
Published on July 14 2010 by Lee-ann Delaronde
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
The beginnings of the book had potential and then it took a turn for the weird and boring.
Published on April 9 2010 by Cheryl Davenport
2.0 out of 5 stars
An overall disappointment
I just finished reading the book, going into it with very high hopes -- and have to say, I was greatly disappointed. Read more
Published on Jan 15 2010 by Liana
5.0 out of 5 stars
awesome!
The journey of a family and friends following the murder of a young girl - written from the perspective of the girl watching them from heaven. Read more
Published on Dec 4 2009 by Stephani Lapierre
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty good but not great
This book is pretty good. It paints a nice picture, it moves a long at a nice pace. Unfortunately, it's not very satisfying. Read more
Published on Nov 23 2009 by John Kong
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