The Lovely Bones

In The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon narrates her story from heaven. In 1973, at age fourteen, she was murdered by a neighbor. Susie talks about how it happened and how her family copes with her death. Her spirit stays around her family, friends and even her murderer. She watches as her loved ones deal with her death. She also follows her murderer as he disposes of her body and continues living his life.

I got my copy of The Lovely Bones last year for 25 cents at a library sale that I stumbled upon. Isn't that the way it always is? You find an amazing book when you least expect it. This was an emotional, heartwrenching read. I emersed myself into this book, I could not put it down. I even got teary eyed during certain parts, which is not something I tend to do while reading a book.

The storyline was moving and the characters were really well written. I liked the relationship between Susie and her older sister Lindsey, even after death the two sisters are entwined. I also liked Susie's view of her heaven and the way she describes it. She always lingers around her loved ones, never wanting to let them go. I found Susie and her fathers relationship to be very moving. The way her father feels guilt over her death and how he really never gets over it. Some of the passages describing thier relationship were among the most emotional in the book. Especially years after her death when he finally comes to terms with her never coming back home.

After much hype, I decided to read this book. The entire premise of a murdered girl telling the story from heaven, was compelling to me. Overall I was pleased with this book and would recommend it to others. I do have a few "issues" though. There's a lot of editing that needs to be done in this book. We don't need several chapters on where certain characters are working or eating, it's just not necessary or important to the story as a whole. Also, time skips and it's up to the reader to keep up and realize that it's several years later. I do wish that the author would have delved a bit more into the whole heaven aspect of the story, considering that's what first attracted me to the book. I do hear that a movie has been made based on this book. I'm very interested to see how they make this young family's life appear on screen.

The book was in good condition, just as stated by the seller. Book was shipped in a reasonable amount of time, Thank You! Great story about a murder told by the victim. Susie Salmon was murdered and from heaven she helps her family find her killer. Definitely for high school age students or adults. Good Book!

I was given a copy of The Lovely Bones to take on a cross-country flight and ended up reading it straight through on the plane. Not only is it beautifully written, but Sebold expertly captures and conveys the raw emotion of a family in post-tragedy turmoil. Early in the story, the Salmon family is ripped apart by the murder of their daughter, Susie. The Lovely Bones is told from Susie's point of view as she watches her loved ones (and her murderer) from Sebold's unique interpretation of heaven. It is a heartrending story, as any about the rape and murder of a child would be, but it manages to end with a note of hopeful redemption. After many difficult years, Susie's family is finally able to emerge from the depressive wake of her murder, and the entire Salmon family - Susie included - learns how to let go and move on.

To start off, I recommend this book to anyone who can stand stories that are highly emotional for the reader. I personally, enjoy those kinds of stories. The only reason why I gave this book 4 stars (really I would have given it 4 and a half if that was an option), is because there is one scene in the book (which is a major scene in a way, but I feel it could have been left out) that is HIGHLY unrealistic. In reality, I know that the entire book is probably not realistic, but this particular part of the book would have made me stop reading if I was not towards the end. The section was a little too sappy for me, and was not what I (nor many of my book club members) would have written if they were the author. It kind of throws the reader off a little. That is just a tiny detail, however. The book covers the emotions and hardships that come with the death of such a young family member. Just the idea that it was a murder makes the book twice as intense. It really does leave the reader wondering what it would be like if dead loved ones could see what we were doing here on earth. I have never read anything like it before! I can see why it got so much attention when it first came out.