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The Lovely Bones Editorial Reviews
Source: Product Description
Once in a generation a novel comes along that taps a vein of universal human experience, resonating with readers of all ages. THE LOVELY BONES is such a book -- a #1 bestseller celebrated at once for its artistry, for its luminous clarity of emotion, and for its astonishing power to lay claim to the hearts of millions of readers around the world.
"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. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, THE LOVELY BONES succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.
The major motion picture version of THE LOVELY BONES, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, and Saoirse Ronan is scheduled for release on December 11, 2009.
Source: Amazon.com Review
On her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer--the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey.
Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones, 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 like an episode of My So-Called Afterlife. 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
Look Inside the Motion Picture The Lovely Bones (Paramount, 2010) (Click on each image below to see a larger view)
Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon
Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon
Mark Wahlberg as Jack Salmon
Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon and Director Peter Jackson
The Lovely Bones Customer Reviews:
Average Rating: 4.0 (3121 reviews)
Rating: 1 (A HUGE disappointment) Was helpful to 265 from 482 votes
The Lovely Bones was a huge disappointment and I am embarrassed to have fallen for the pre-release hype that led me to purchase it. The narrative is contrived; I groaned aloud at several passages. For example: "Hers contained a desire beyond sweetness and attention, it fed a longing, beginning to flower green and yellow into a crocuslike lust, the soft petals opening into her awkward adolescence." Enough said.
Rating: 5 (A beautiful book.) Was helpful to 27 from 35 votes
This may be the best book you'll read this year; perhaps the best book of 2002. Alice Sebold tells a chilling story without histrionics or sensationalism, and her self-discipline makes the story all the more poignant. If you want a first-hand experience with what writing should be, treat yourself to The Lovely Bones.
Rating: 5 (tremendous character driven tale) Was helpful to 11 from 13 votes
Teenager Susie Salmon looks down from her heaven to observe her family suffering from grief over her disappearance. She also sees her killer trying to cover his odious deed. As the next few weeks pass, Susie continues to watch as her parents' marriage seems to disintegrate as neither can cope with not knowing whether she lived; her sister turns into an unfeeling rock to be strong; and her little brother cannot understand what happened to Susie.
Her heaven is a playground, but the swings are perfect. Counselors help Susie and other newcomers cope and she makes new friends. However, heaven cannot give her what she most desires. She wants to be back with her loving family as they seek closure in different ways.
Any reader lucky enough to peruse THE LOVELY BONES will know how fortunate they are to be in on the early stages of what appears to be a super talent. The creative story line is deftly handled so that the audience can follow how various key players, especially the Salmon family insuring Susie, cope or not with their loss. Alice Sebold provides a tremendous character driven tale that though melancholy yet optimist makes reading a heaven on earth.
Harriet Klausner
Rating: 5 (Don't wait for the paperback, buy it now!) Was helpful to 6 from 6 votes
This is without a doubt one of the best books I've read in a long time. In fact, I couldn't put it down! The story is told by a murdered teenage girl, and her observations of what happens with her family on earth after her murder. It's incredibly moving, and I found myself crying often throughout the book. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you have finished reading it, but in a good way, not in a sad one. It also made me laugh, strange as that may sound. All the characters are very real, and you begin to love them as Susie does. I'm highly impressed by Alice Sebold's storytelling, and I look forward to reading anything else she may write. Don't wait for this book to be released in paperback, it's worth every penny for the hardcover.
Rating: 4 (Amazing journey) Was helpful to 3 from 3 votes
What a fabulous journey. I loved reading this book. I felt like I was sitting next to Susie while she was telling it to me. This story was so well written, you felt like you were there experiencing all the pain along with the characters. Susie really did seem like a 14 year old. Everyone seemed so real. It was heart-breaking and sentimental. I would recommend it to anyone who wasn't afraid of a little "ghostly" interference.
