| The Lovely Bones | 
 enlarge | Author: Alice Sebold
Publisher: Picador
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
New (38) Used (749) Collectible (4) from £0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  270 reviews
Sales Rank: 344
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0330485385
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780330485388
ASIN: 0330485385
Publication Date: June 6, 2003
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: MINOR WEAR. DESPATCH WITHIN 1 TO 2 WORKING DAYS. BUY FROM A RELIABLE UK BASED PRO MERCHANT SELLER
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| Customer Reviews:
 For women only August 9, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was recommended this by female co-workers but didn't take to it and reckon most men will feel the same. The plot would lend itself to being a thriller's but the book could barely be further from being one, despite a couple of Hitchcockian sequences. What we get is schmaltzy family drama which drifts along in a not particularly compelling fashion.
Bland incidents are relayed about the unsympathetic characters while all the time you wait for the real exciting bits to come, or at least some interesting philosophy. And you wait, and wait... but nothing arrives. There's definitely the germ of a great, if deeply unpleasant idea here, but airy sentiment and woolly storytelling muffle it. The conclusion especially is a real non event.
Finally, the heaven idea is simply silly and irritating. It hardly sounds like 'heaven' either, more like utter hell, sitting on a swing watching dull earthlings mope about. It also begs the question: will she be sitting there watching for the next five billion years until the earth is destroyed by the sun going supernova? If so, what will she do then!?
It's difficult to envisage the upcoming film being liked by men either, even though it's Peter Jackson directing.
Almost perfect August 6, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a very moving book, which dealt with the subject of child murder with great respect - in direct contrast to the misogyny of The Last Four Things by Andrew Taylor. I felt able to believe in Susie Salmon straight away, despite the fact that she was narrating her story from heaven. The depiction of the effect that grief has upon a family was intensely drawn, and Alice Sebold has created some marvellous characters - especially Ruth, who honoured the murdered as she walked the streets of New York City, and Susie's glamorous grandmother, Grandma Lynn.
I felt that the seamlessness of the book was spoilt near the end when the dead girl miraculously consummated her relationship with Ray, her first love, and I also wished for an alternate ending for Mr Harvey, Susie's murderer, but you can't have it all.
 Disappointing rubbish July 25, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I picked this book up because there was so much hype about it--I thought there must be a reason why everyone is gushing about this, it turns out there wasn't. Yes, I did have an overwhelming indescribable emotional epiphany after reading this--I was wondering if the entire world had gone mad. Why this is a bestseller is beyond me? This book is really dull, boring, and badly written. Unfortunately, Sebold does not have any writing talent, whether she is writing about true events or not. Yes, its sad Sebold had to endure some traumatic events in her life, but this does not give everyone a reason to gush about a book that should not be gushed about. The characters are wooden and I did not have any sympathy for any of them whatsoever.
If you read this book before you die, you will regret it.
 Never listen to your parents....... July 20, 2008
I found this book hidden away in my mum's cupboard, someone had recommended it to her, but when i asked she simply said she had only read a bit and found it "creepy". Well i decided that i would give it a go, see what it as like. Now let me tell you; The lovely bones is in no way "creepy". I read it in one sitting, it was that compelling, i just had to read it, it was enlightening almost, refreshing, this book has got me into a whole other genre of books i never thought existed.
If you don't read this book before you die you WILL regret it!
Very, Very Compelling July 5, 2008
I loved this book. You simply must read it. Whether you ultimately like it or not though, it is a beautifully written analysis of what effect a sudden and vicious death has on those who remain behind. The grieving parents and troubled siblings, the need for revenge balanced with the need to move on... it is at once compelling, upsetting and extremely moving. For me, personally, the ending wasn't quite as great as the rest of the book, but that is just me. I have many friends who have read this and loved it completely. Read it!
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