The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Lovely Bones
Book Review: Ending was a bummer...
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a really good read...up until the end...which I WILL NOT SPOIL for anyone.
There are two things the writer could've (should've) done that would have made
this book excellent. I don't regret buying it though and I encourage others
to do so too. I still can't get over the ending though...
Book Review: Entertaining.
Summary: 3 Stars
I didn't think this was a mind-blowing book but I thought the 1- and 2-star reviews were a bit harsh. I suppose that books that garner a lot of critical acclaim inevitably experience some backlash.
I thought the concept of heaven, or pre-heaven, or whatever it was, was interesting and made more sense than whatever is supposed to be the Biblical version of Heaven. Even if it didn't, there is really no reason to compare the two views. The author makes no allusions to Biblical Heaven at all so I don't see why she should be criticized for setting a "poor example"; this makes no attempt to be a religious or even an overtly spiritual book.
I also thought that the adolescent characters were better than the shallow brats often depicted in novels, and they grow up to be interesting individuals. There are a variety of them, too, and they are not always completely predictable: Stoners, the slightly pretentious, oddballs, normal ones, sensitive ones. An older brother who runs a motorcycle shop turns out to be a good friend rather than the thug one might expect.
I thought the weakest parts were the rather pat ending and Susie's parents, who never quite filled out into believable, coherent people. Jack Salmon in particular seems to be pieced out of external stressors rather than developing a character of his own.
1) I didn't think "Susie Salmon" was an unbelievable name; my mother's maiden name was "Salmon" and people called her "Fish" all the time. One of the reasons she changed her name upon marriage in the Feminist Seventies was because she was sick of being called "Fish". Furthermore, had she been a boy, Mom and her brothers would have been Tom, Dick, and Harry.
2)I didn't think that Holly's desire to lose her accent was "racist". I interpreted this as an adolescent desire to fit in rather than the author's attempt to "improve" a racial minority. She has already chosen a new name from a popular American movie, suggesting that she feels conspicuous (especially so, perhaps, in the early 1970's). Holly was a minor character but we could speculate that, since Susie grew as a person, Holly likely did, too, and might at some point wish for her accent back.
Book Review: Excellent novel!
Summary: 5 Stars
Though I don't have time to write an all out detailed review I will say that I finished this book in 2 days! This coming from someone who never read a book in less that 2 weeks is a great deal. Just the way it was written and all the suspense leaves you wanting to not stop reading. Also the end doesn't leave you how some movies leave you today, disappointed or angry, its just right.Book Review: Excellent until the End
Summary: 3 Stars
This was an engrossing, sweet and sad novel and I would recommend it. I could not put it down. That said, I had to knock off two stars because I found the ending disppointing in comparision to the rest of the novel.
Spoilers
The body inhabitation sequence was ridiculous and damaged alot of the goodwill the story had built up with me to that point. I found it disturbing, contrary to several themes of the book and I did not understand how it forwarded the plot or developed the characters in any meaningful way. The idea that a girl whose last moments on earth were spent being brutally raped would choose to spend her limited return time on earth having sex rather than visiting her family or stopping her killer from attacking other young girls was dumb and disappoining. Not to mention the idea that she used her friend's body to have sex I find to be a huge violation and deeply immoral. One could argue that is a form of sexual violation, which in light of the plot of this novel, is a disturbing and awful plot development.
I also was unsatified by the ending in numerous respects. I found her mother's behavior to be awful and deplorable (particularly her ignorant complicity in allowing Mr. Harvey to escape) but I wanted to understand why she reacted to Suzie's death in such a manner, but I never did. I don't believe that she would be welcomed back into the family after abandoning them. I was not satisfied with Mr. Harvey's story arc ending.
I was disappointing in the ending but I would still recommend the book because the firt 85% of the novel is outstanding, beautiful, unique and worthy of a large audience.
Book Review: Exceptional
Summary: 5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. While reading, I found myself going through the spectrum of emotions. The relevancy of the story to our own societal issues is what makes it so profound. The story catapults itself from the category of fiction into the realm of actuality in certain situations. You feel as though you are a witness to something substantial. I read this book a while ago but it still resonates today. I look forward to seeing the movie although nothing surpasses using your own imagination.