| The Lovely Bones: A Novel |  | Author: Alice Sebold
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
New (180) Used (2003) Collectible (112) from $0.01
Rating:  3121 reviews
Sales Rank: 56,816
Format: Unabridged
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Pages: 328
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.1
ISBN: 0316666343
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780316666343
ASIN: 0316666343
Publication Date: June 1, 2002
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| Features:
| • | 2002 - Little, Brown - Special Edition | | • | The Lovely Bones - A Novel | | • | By Alice Sebold | | • | With Original Dust Jacket | | • | Collectible |
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Product Description
2002 - Little Brown - Hardcover - With Dust Jacket - The Lovely Bones - By Alice Sebold - A Novel - Dust Jacket has minor rubbing wear and smudges - Inside is bright, white, tight - Spine Solid - Collectible
Amazon.com Review
On her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer--the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones, unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case. As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. Susie's resembles the athletic fields and landscape of a suburban high school: a heaven of her "simplest dreams," where "there were no teachers.... We never had to go inside except for art class.... The boys did not pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue." The Lovely Bones works as an odd yet affecting coming-of-age story. Susie struggles to accept her death while still clinging to the lost world of the living, following her family's dramas over the years like an episode of My So-Called Afterlife. Her family disintegrates in their grief: her father becomes determined to find her killer, her mother withdraws, her little brother Buckley attempts to make sense of the new hole in his family, and her younger sister Lindsey moves through the milestone events of her teenage and young adult years with Susie riding spiritual shotgun. Random acts and missed opportunities run throughout the book--Susie recalls her sole kiss with a boy on Earth as "like an accident--a beautiful gasoline rainbow." Though sentimental at times, The Lovely Bones is a moving exploration of loss and mourning that ultimately puts its faith in the living and that is made even more powerful by a cast of convincing characters. Sebold orchestrates a big finish, and though things tend to wrap up a little too well for everyone in the end, one can only imagine (or hope) that heaven is indeed a place filled with such happy endings. --Brad Thomas Parsons
Look Inside the Motion Picture The Lovely Bones (Paramount, 2010)
(Click on each image below to see a larger view)
Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon | 
Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon | | 
Mark Wahlberg as Jack Salmon | 
Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon and Director Peter Jackson |
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 3121
Over-hyped? September 3, 2010
H. Hughes (Columbus, Ohio)
So what can I say that hasn't already been said? Probably nothing.. I did feel this book was perhaps a little over-hyped. It was good, but as good as 3,000 + people giving it a 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon?? Probably not THAT good.
I felt the first few chapters were wonderfully written, suspenseful, and thrilling, but after a while, things sorta fell flat for me. I don't understand what happened. Maybe it was the number and oddity of the characters Sebold wove into the story. I know it is a work of fiction, but I love a book that retains at least some believability to the essence of its characters, even if the plot itself is fantastical. I think Susie's family was well-thought out, and their actions and behaviors were realistic & meaningful enough.. it was just the secondary characters that bothered me. For example, I still don't see the point in Ray Singh's mother's character. Was she put into the story just to prove a point that Jack Salmon's determination and will was strong enough to avoid the same temptations that his wife fell to with Detective Fenerman?? Maybe that was it..
Also, the scene where Susie's "spirit" takes over Ruth's physical body? That was a little much, and almost unbearable to read. I guess most of my discontent stems from the way Sebold chose to end (or not end) the story.. I know this is entirely a matter of personal preference, but once I finished the book, I was sort of left feeling like those few hours of my life were wasted, and I rarely feel that way after reading a book. It's not that I'm an optimist whatsoever. My favorite author is Richard Matheson.. king of tragic endings! But, I just didn't feel any "closure" with this book. I didn't see the point or meaning behind the story & the way Sebold chose to not tie up the loose ends. But.. perhaps that IS the point - that some things in life, happy or sad, have no meaning. And that's just the nature of life & reality.
Maybe I'll give the book 4 out of 5 stars after all!
A Character Story August 26, 2010
John Jennings
I'm not a frequent reader of fiction. I decided to read this book because I got tired of hearing about it and the film. So, I wanted to see what was so special about it...
It was a pleasure to read (mostly). I read the synopsis and expected a mystery, but the story immediately tells you the who and whats. Young Susie Salmon is raped and murdered, and Alice Sebold isn't shy about saying who did it.
Then I expected a thriller, where the victim (or her family) gets revenge, and I held that frame of mind for most of the book as a lot of tension was built with the obsessions of the father and Susie's reaching from beyond the grave...and even more tension, as the killer and Susie's siter develop a mutual interest in one another.
However, suddenly, all of that tension disappeared, around the third quarter of the book. I quickly became annoyed, but I kept reading, hoping all the promise would lead to a big pay-off.
I got something in between. The end of the book takes a major turn from suspense to a mix of family story and love poem, and while it felt a bit flat-footed, it was nonetheless interesting and emotional...making me finally realize the book as a sweet, character study...not the gritty noir that it starts with.
I had to give it a four because, after all the time I spent hoping for a gruesome end to the killer, I was incredibly let down, by what seemed to be some sort awkward, twist of fate demise.
 Strangely moved August 25, 2010
Maria (Carrboro, NC United States)
Though it is a sad topic the story is in a strange way very uplifting. Definite must read.
Better on the second try August 24, 2010
Connecticut bookworm (Connecticut)
Tried this novel about 2 years ago, and couldn't get into it. When I picked it up again last week, I couldn't put it down. Beautiful writing and interesting characters made it a very good read. I imagine it would work well in a group discussion. Lots to think about.
 The Lovely Bones August 16, 2010
sidewinder
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Ms. Sebold, congratulations, you have just made it to the top of my "AUTHORS I WILL NEVER READ AGAIN" list. After finishing this book I booked a flight to Haiti, found myself a Voodoo priestesses and placed a hex on you, your agent, and your publisher! Prepare yourself; I suspect you'll be experiencing some otherworldly discomfort shortly.
This was fluffy, incoherent nonsense that I will use only when I have a desire to puke. I'm ashamed of everyone here who gave this book more than two stars. If there weren't so many of you I would have added you all to the hex.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 3121
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