The Lovely Bones

by ennui

Published July 27, 2007

This book was pretty popular for a while. I read it a year or so ago on my own, and then I had to read it my junior year in highschool.

It's about a girl who was brutally raped and murdered, yet manages to narrate the tale from her heaven. The book really focuses on the loss and healing that each individual character experiences (the mother, father, sister, and brother). The story shifts from present to future, slowly revealing aspects of the story that the reader (or characters) didn't initially know.

book review:
http://www.mostlyfiction.com/contemp/sebold.htm

Has anyone read it?

Comments & reviews · 16
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Calligraphy
Review
Calligraphy wrote a review Review · Feb 22, 2011

I read the movie and I really enjoyed it. I thought they made it creepy enough, but they were basically telling the facts. Some of you say you didn't like the ending. I thought it was good the man was never caught because it kind of showed that sometimes you just need to forgive and forget. Though it isn't one of those movies you can watch again and again because they are so good it was still pretty entertaining.

I have yet to read the book.

A. S.

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salonikhera Comment
salonikhera commented Comment · Feb 19, 2011

i happened to see the movie first.. and then i got so interested that i wanted to read the book.
then i read your review and read the book.
it is a really sad story.
no doubt that the book far much better than the movie..

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TorahikoOoshima Comment
TorahikoOoshima commented Comment · Jan 7, 2011

Sorry, to me the movie just looked like a pretty screensaver, although Stanley Tucci is great at being creepy as hell.

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SoggyPoptart
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SoggyPoptart wrote a review Review · Jan 7, 2011

To me, the beginning of the book was really good. I got into it easily, after that the book became so difficult to get into. Yeah, I understood everything that was happening, but it was so boring. I mean, yes she is dead and it's sad but seriously it got really glum. I put the book down after the 100th page.

If you want to read it and waste time, be my guest.

I liked the movie so much better.

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TorahikoOoshima Comment
TorahikoOoshima commented Comment · Jan 7, 2011

Spoiler
The death of Mr. Harvey
in my opinion, was a little anti-climactic, but otherwise the book was very well written and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I especially enjoyed the book's vision of what heaven was like.

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rememberme
Review
rememberme wrote a review Review · Nov 23, 2010

Lovely Bones, is an amazing novel. The movie was pretty good too, I liked the actress that played Suzie. Anyways, I thought the book had a huge effect on it's readers, I cried my eyes out, and I felt lucky to be alive at the end, because so many little girls are abducted and raped by weird creepy men. It made me want to help all the famlies that have been through that, the book was very moving.

IgnisandGlacialis commented Comment · Nov 1, 2010

I very much liked this book, but found it slightly disturbing ... Or is that just me?
*confused*
:D

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NatashaGarrett Comment
NatashaGarrett commented Comment · Oct 5, 2010

I watched the movie and I didn't like it that much. The beginning was very good, but the ending made me mad. (I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet)

AspiringAuthorA..M. wrote a review Review · Feb 22, 2010

EnchantressMuffin wrote:I never read this, but my mom did, and she said she didn't like it, and I shouldn't read it. I read the book jacket, though, and while I didn't understand why there was a house (I think it was a house) on the cover I did think it was an interesting story for a book. I usually trust my mom's judgement on books she thinks I won't like... usually because she tends to be right.

Peace, love, chocolate,
Muffin



She's right. The book pretty much sucked.

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ballerina13
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ballerina13 commented Comment · Dec 31, 2009

I have not read it but it sounds very good. I am interested now. They are making a movie about it. It sounds so sad though.

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jessabelle4C
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jessabelle4C commented Comment · Dec 25, 2009

I thought The Lovely Bones was amazing. I liked how Sebold was able to make Susie seem like an angel to her brother and dad. The only thing I would change would be to have the rape scene to be pushed back, yes I admit was important to have at the beginning otherwise the book would be terribly long. Then again, she probably had a limited amount of pages, because the last chapter seemed very rushed. I loved how her sister coped with the loss, and the audacity to break into the killer's house was by far perfection.

Overall, a book that I will remember.

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jessabelle4C
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jessabelle4C wrote a review Review · Dec 25, 2009

I thought The Lovely Bones was amazing. I liked how Sebold was able to make Susie seem like an angel to her brother and dad. The only thing I would change would be to have the rape scene to be pushed back, yes I admit was important to have at the beginning otherwise the book would be terribly long. Then again, she probably had a limited amount of pages, because the last chapter seemed very rushed. I loved how her sister coped with the loss, and the audacity to break into her killer's house was by far perfection.

Overall, a book that I will remember.

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ChurlishLassy
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ChurlishLassy commented Comment · Oct 27, 2007

Anyone who liked it read, The Dogs of Babel. Cult involved.

EnchantressMuffin wrote a review Review · Oct 13, 2007

I never read this, but my mom did, and she said she didn't like it, and I shouldn't read it. I read the book jacket, though, and while I didn't understand why there was a house (I think it was a house) on the cover I did think it was an interesting story for a book. I usually trust my mom's judgement on books she thinks I won't like... usually because she tends to be right.

Peace, love, chocolate,
Muffin

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Leja
Review
Leja wrote a review Review · Oct 6, 2007

I just finished this book and loved it! It's well written and doesn't dip into cliche or sap, or anything like that. I like how the multiple storylines were tied in by Susie, the narrator, and I think the time jumps were done wonderfully. I wish it had been longer, actually, so that the characters could be around longer ^_^ That was the only thing that bugged me a bit; since there were so many characters, not always too much time was spent with each of them [enough was, I suppose, but I would have liked more] before jumping to another character.

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Via
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Via wrote a review Review · Jul 27, 2007

I've read about half of it three times. I have heard its a great book and I really do like the style it's written in, but I'm having a hell of a time finishing it haha.


If you haven't, try "Lucky" by Sebold. It's about her personal rape at college, I really liked it.



Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
— C. Northcote Parkinson