I can't really go into too much detail in this tiny box, but I'm leaving for the time being. Feel fr...
I can't really go into too much detail in this tiny box, but I'm leaving for the time being. Feel free to remove me from your CoT, alerts, etc. I'm having this account deleted in a few days but I'll still be over on 'the other side'! x
Member since:15.06.2003
Reviews:121
Members who trust:133
What can I say? Brilliant book.
THE STORY The Lovely Bones is the story of how the Salmon family cope when their daughter, Susie, who is just 14 years-old, is brutally raped and murdered by a seemingly-harmless loner who lives near them. The story is narrated by Susie herself, looking down on her family in heaven.
If you didn't know anything about this book, you might mistake it for a thriller, or even a horror. It isn't about justice or even religion, as some people may believe - instead, it is a gentle book, neither drama, comedy, or what have you, that deals with the sheer grief that comes with bereavement.
As she watches over her family, seeing her brother and sister grow up, she finds it extremely difficult, especially when her younger sister turn 14, the same age as Susie was when she died. Her yearning and desperation to finally be allowed to grow up gets stronger and stronger, and she feels desperately unhappy, even in heaven. But in the words of the book, 'life is not quite finished with Susie yet'....
MY VIEWS I found it quite difficult to read - the story does not flow particularly well, often flipping to and from different situations as Susie looks down on different places; different people. My concentration often tailed away because there were some parts, particularly in the middle and near the end which dragged on and on.
The story of Susie may be just fiction, but it makes you think... I would so dearly love there to be a heaven like Susie's, where there is nothing less than perfection and we can look over our loved ones, but is there? Or are our lives over - once we are dead, we are gone forever? Surely there is more to our lives than this, on earth? These are the questions that this book brought up, and I'm not known for my philosophy..
It might not seen like the greatest of subjects to write a book about, but I found it moving, deeply touching and definitely makes you think about life after death. If you are religious, this may reaffirm your belief in the afterlife; if you are not, then this will definitely make you reconsider.
I cried a hell of a lot; more times than I care to remember. It's shocking how a few words can have me bawling and reaching for the tissues! Just a certain line would set me off, such as, 'He had always been fond of Ray Singh, the boy who had once loved his daughter'. Doesn't sound particularly upsetting but the familiar burning at the back of my eyes would start again.. it's a very sad book.
Susie's writing is a bit childish - she is 14, but she's the same age as me, and I'm sure I don't talk like that all the time! The way she strings her words together can be hard to read and take in properly.
Some of the characters are a bit two-dimensional, such as the mother and Susie's friends, and they never showed true, genuine emotion, and their personalities were hidden away. However, the other characters were crafted beautifully, such as Buckley (despite his young age) and Grandma Lynn.
Also, it sounds strange, but now I don't think I am as afraid of death. I just thought I would mention it - I know it's pure fiction, but it has put my mind at ease somewhat.
What happens to Susie near the end of the book was very strange, but nonetheless, I cried.. again. It was hard to believe, but was a way to end the book that put your mind at ease and you finished it feeling satisfied.
VERDICT I'd definitely recommend this, but only if you have the time and patience. It retails for £6.99, although it can be bought for around £5, and is published by Picador. Alice Sebold also has written another book entitled Lucky, which is an autobiography surrounding the horrific attack she endured as a college student.
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On her way home from school on a snowy December day, 14-year-old Susie Salmon is lured ... more
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, unfo...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
On her way home from school on a snowy December day, 14-year-old Susie Salmon is lured ... more
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, unfol...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - winner of the 'Richard and Judy Best Read Award' at the ... more
British Book Awards 2004 Over 30,000 of the great British public have voted for Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones since January this year, making it the winner of ...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: in stock
Advantages: Imaginative, not too gruesome, interesting read... Disadvantages: sn't keep you hooked from cover to cover, disappointing in certain area's
Advantages: Complete value for money, essential novel, re-read, beautifully written, heartfelt and completely entertaining. Disadvantages: None that I could find
Sep 3rd, 2003
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