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   Reader reviews of The Lovely Bones

Read what people think about The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and write your own review.

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
Hardcover: Jun 2002,
288 pages.
Paperback: Apr 2004,
352 pages.

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First book/First Novel


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Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by katelynn
it was ok
The book was an alright read considering how most people that read the book said it had too many errors and lacked many things. I read the book and I watched the movie. Sad to say but the movie was better than the book and I don't normally go that way. because I often find that the books are better. Oh, well.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Marie
Feel that this is not completely her own ideas
I enjoyed reading this book, however, feel that this is not completely her own ideas. This books remembers me of a cross between 'ghost','Sixth sense' and " The 5 People You Meet in Heaven". The den in the ground reminds me of the girl who was held hostage in a underground cave and she could actually hear the police calling her name,escaping a few years ago. As I read this book, I developed a feeling from it being something really special to all of a sudden a feeling of having been 'down this road before'. It's like the author took bits and pieces of other stories and re-created these several parts of different stories into 'The Lovely Bones'. I couldn't help but think that there was nothing original about this story. This is just my personal opinion/ review of this book.

Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Kevin H
Can't Believe the Hype
After hearing of all the glowing word of mouth reviews for this book, I decided to read it. In general, the story and reference to heaven are somewhat entertaining. Unfortunately, after reading it, I almost feel that I have lost some brain cells because of it. I did not plan to provide a critical review. However, there were so many technical glitches that I couldn't help but start to add them up. First of all, the underground room in the corn field is ridiculous. If you have ever dug a hole to plant a tree, you would realize that the volume of soil that would have been removed would have been enormous (3 times the area of the room) and would have not gone unnoticed by the school kids or the farmer. Where did all of the soil go? The author never indicates how this drifter from a vagabond existence came to live in a modest upper middleclass neighborhood with no steady income (dollhouses?). She mentions a dishwasher in the home, but the family washes by hand in 2 later references. She speaks of an illegal "joyride" when the two young sisters share a seatbelt. Seatbelt laws in the early 1970's? She describes "rows and rows of wheat fields" in heaven. If you have ever seen a wheat field, you would know that is not planted in rows!! Lindsey and her boyfriend do not ride the motorcycle (not broken) in the rain in their leather jackets and pants, with visored helmets. For some inexplicable reason, they decide to run home......in the rain........for 8 miles........in their underwear??? These are just a few; there were numerous analogies that left me scratching my head or worse, wincing.

Rated 1 of 5 of 5 by Lisa
Am I missing something?!
My brother gave me the book as a gift, expressing his adoration for the story and promising mine. . . I have to say, I struggled to get through it. Not only was the story lacking a consistent frame of focus but the punctuation, or LACK THERE OF, was mind-blowing. For this to be a New York Times best seller and to stray so far from conventional punctuation, while not doing so purposely, left me feeling nothing but frustration. I was so distracted by this that I found it hard to get into the characters. Now, had the narrator, Susie, had a fourteen-year old's vocabulary, and the grammar to match then perhaps it would have made sense. But, this was not the case. I honestly can not see what everyone else does. . .

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Taylor
The Lovely Bones
I am no longer afraid to die because this book has changed my mind about the cruel ugly face of death, and replaced it with the song of the birds, beauty, and a smile.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Sami
Amazing
I'm reading this book for the fourth or fifth time and I can't get enough of it. It's one of those stories that mesmerizes and places you there. As you read you feel the way Suzie feels and the emotions are just amazing. This is definitely one of the best books and will be a classic read for sure.
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