firefly_rock's Full Review: Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones
This book was excellent. Sebold tiptoed around all the fine lines and balanced her writing in just the right places to create a perfect equilibirum of reality and "fantasy," as some might call it.
The Lovely Bones is set in the 1970s and is narrated by a 14 year old girl, Susie, who was murdered by a neighborhood man. This is where it gets a little weird/unique- She tells her story from an omniscient view in heaven: from the day of her murder to present day. She can read everyone's minds and see everything they do, but cannot interact with them. Sounds a little hokey, or maybe even creepy... but one thing that this book isn't is a story of revenge or regret. The narrator holds this unusually optimistic and youthful, yet sometimes sarcastic, tone of voice that only 14 year olds can have. She's as humorous as she is insightful and poetic.
Sebold does a great [non-hokey] job of describing Susie's heaven. By watching the world from her gazebo in her afterlife, Susie tells us all about the pain and frustration - and happiness - of her family and friends on earth. Her father slowly starts to fall apart, as does his marriage to her confused and emotionally fragile mother. Lindsay, her younger sister [by 2 years], is determined to find Susie's murderer, maintain a normal social life, and move on- all while juggling being in love for the first time. Ray Singh, Susie's first and only kiss/love, befriends the school outcast, Ruth, over Susie's death. We watch her murderer, Mr. Harvey, live life as if nothing ever happened. We're let in on how everyone in the story grows older together, and sometimes grow apart, and how Susie's memory never fades into the back of anyone's mind.
The plot is extremely realistic and gives us not only a view of yet another theory on what heaven is, but also a little insight on what a family goes through after a murder. Not a death, a murder; and we learn the major difference between the two in this book.
With no other book have so many of my emotions been aroused. I was frustrated, I laughed out loud, my heart ached for her family. It scared me, and most of all it made me think. It put me in a position to really think, what would I do if I were in each character's situation? If I was the victim, if the victim were my sister, if I went to the same school. It's realism put so much into perspective for me. And Sebold's idea of Heaven; that everyone has their own and sometimes may overlap, but are never the same, was refreshing and flawless. She left no holes in the plot, no questions unanswered by the end of the book. The ending tied up all loose ends and gave me the same sense of closure that Susie's family was searching for throughout the story.
The only complaint I have is the length of the story. There was a little too much filler text, such as lengthy descriptions or drawn out memories.
All in all, The Lovely Bones is an excellent summer read. I wouldn't recommend it for men generally, it may get a little "chick-flick"-ish or sappy at times. But if you enjoy any good book- why not?
Sebold s mesmerizing and luminous first novel--a #1 national bestseller--builds a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, and even joy, following an u...More at Buy.com
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...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.