Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones

Pros: Poignant, beautifully written, consuming, haunting
Cons: If you cry at sad books, you can't read this on in public

Be warned: This book is a real tear-jerker. And it's consuming. Once you start it, you won't be able to put it down.

Alice Sebold has a gift. She writes beautifully and eloquently, and has amazing insight to be able to write a story like...

Pros: Characters you care about, well written
Cons: It took me a week to recover from reading the first chapter....no kidding.

I just finished this book and couldn't pass it on to my friend fast enough! I just wish I had a bookclub group to talk about this with.

When I read the first chapter, I was so moved and horrified that I couldn't pick it back up until I...

Pros: Easy Read!
Cons: The ending jumps too much

I have five children I don't get much of a chance to read anything other than Dr. Suess; but my best friend insisted that I read this book. This book is a very easy read. It had a way of drawing me in just to hear more about little Susie Salmon. Once...

Pros: Great book that will keep you reading long after midnight.
Cons: None--first chapter you made need to take a deep breath, but then it is great.

This book is definitely one of my favorites. I would go to the gym and pedal on the bike just to read this book! I just didn't want to wait until I went to bed. I have talked to others, one lady with a teenage daughter, and yes, the first chapter is ...

Pros: Interesting viewpoint on afterlife
Cons: Not much depth.

This was a quick book to read. Definitely worth it. The story is told from an interesting perspective and makes you think about how you see things in the world. The book is carried on the basic idea and an interesting perspective. I lost interest in...

Pros: Never ending page turning.
Cons: It ended too soon.

Susie is murdered by a serial killer on her way home from school. She emerges to "Her" heaven where all is possible. From her heaven, she is able to watch below her. Her family, her friends, her killer, the police. Her interaction with those of her...

Pros: Beautiful story, thought provoking, deeply moving, great characters.
Cons: None.

A sorrowful and poignant novel that will never be forgotten. It grabbed me from the first page when it opened with the ending of Susie's life by a vicious murderer. For the rest of the novel she retells events from the past with the wisdom of one who sees both past and future. She observes from heaven the lives of those she loves and the one man that ended her life. As the years progress, we watch their lives ebb and flow and observe the effect that her untimely departure has on them, especially her father. The book concluded with something unexpected and quite wondrous. A must read for anyone who enjoys a novel filled with insight on grief. This should be a modern classic!

Pros: unique, suspenseful, well-written, creative
Cons: some parts are a little confusing if you don't read carefully

This book grabbed my attention from the beginning. Lovely Bones is probably the most interesting book I have ever read. It's told from the perspective of a girl who was raped and murdered by her neighbor. The book is about Susie Salmon (the murdered girl) who is killed in the beginning of the book and the rest of the book is about her family going on and living life without her. Everyones relationship is effected by her death, and Susie watches all of this from her viewpoint in heaven. It's unlike any other book I have ever read and I would definitely recommend it for anyone older than 13.

Pros: This book allows you to experience your own emotions and imagine the characters as well.
Cons: There wasn't enough time to really get the familial relationships prior to the abduction.

How do you step out of a family's grief of a tragic event enough to see the real victim? Alice Sebold didn't have a problem with that. She brought both sides together and allowed us to experience grief and hope through the characters she created.

Walk with this family as they rebuild their lives from a shattered mess. Walk with the young victim as she watches over her family.

I wouldn't be opposed to this version of heaven. It is similar to What Dreams May Come, the movie with Robin Williams, in it's philosophy.

Pros: Just about everything in this book. It definately grabs your attention and curiosity!
Cons: Absolutely nothing!!

I bought this book on a whim hoping it would be a good read. After the first few pages I was already hooked and couldn't put it down!! I loved how she narrated the story. Especially what heaven was like. It get us a different perspective of what we may imagine it. The ending was especially awesome. Gosh after I read it I made my boyfriend read it. We read it together. Its just a really awesome book!

Pros: Great characters and plot. Definitely a page turner.
Cons: None that I can think of!

To be honest, I had never heard of Alice Sebold before coming across The Lovely Bones. I read a brief description of the book and I was quite intrigued. After reading this book for the first time, I fell in love with it! I've come to read it a few times and I can not seem to grow tired of it. It throws in so many different emotions and aspects together, but in a good way. Experience the sadness of this girl's death from her families point of view, but also experience the sadness that she experiences from Heaven along with her joy, hatred, fear and other things. It made me laugh, feel the pain, joy, sadness that the characters in the book felt. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to someone that has never read any other books by A. Sebold and to anyone that is looking for something different and interesting.

Pros: Appealing to everyone
Cons: Sadness

In terms of Must Read books, The Lovely Bones is one I highly recommend. Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones is interesting and full of tragedy. It is about Susie, the main character, who is murdered by her neighbor. After her death she narrates her story from heaven. She observes her family circle which has been broken:
The mother leaves the family and falls in love with the inspector who investigates the neighbor, but the father also cannot move beyond the loss of his daughter.

Pros: Very interesting idea for a book.Refreshing perspective!
Cons: Would have liked to have seen more happening to the murderer.

I was initially intrigued by the premise of this book. A murder victim telling her story and that of her family is a great idea for a book!
However, I really would have liked it better if there was more focus on the murderer(less on other characters) and justice served for the victim. I was disappointed with the ending. Aside from the ending, I thought it was a good read.

Pros: Interesting, creative and thought-provoking.
Cons: None.

Even though the subject of murder, is not usually my first choice to read about, this book was different. It's enthralling from beginning to end. The story will linger with you for a long time.

Pros: Page turner
Cons: none

Excellent book. Deal with a violent crime of rape and murder against a 14 year old girl that is told in the very first paragraph. The description of the tragedy is kept to a minimum and the entire book is written with elegance. The story of the aftermath and what heaven is like will keep you turning page after page and be sorry when the story is over. Highly recommend reading this book, but keep some tissues next to you.