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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold


Kell

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I read LB a good while back, so can't remember specifics, but I too was disappointed and couldn't understand why Susie took over her friends body for sex. It was so disjointed. We hadn't been aware of this being a strong desire throughout the book, although she was curious about the things she was missing.

The book had potential but it didn't happen for me. The ending was too vague and the connection with the ice, crystal (or was it glass?)very tenuous...help me out here someone. I can't remember what it was, but I remember thinking it was quite clever and she missed a trick because she didn't emphasise it enough.

'Lucky' was better but depressing not because of the content, (which is depressing and frightening in itself) but because of Alice .. I couldn't make sense of her somehow. I personally don't like Alice Sebold's writing style and struggled to follow it, having to re-read many sentences.

I doubt that I would read anything else by her.

 

Susanna :D

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Just scanned these posts as not to spoil the book for me, but it seems like there are mixed reviews. I have this on my bedside table and am to commence reading it tonight or tomorrow, having finished my current read this morning! I can't wait to read it! My mum has been pestering me for years to pick it up, so I can finally see what all the fuss is about!! Yay!

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I read the first chapter on the way home from work, I have to say that I really didn't like it. I think this is because of the subject matter more than the writing style or anything else (to be honest I didn't notice anything other than the subject matter) - does it get nicer? I don't want to read the reviews, but I also don't want to keep reading the book, I'm a delicate flower and the first chapter was way to heavy a topic for me.. any reassurances to help me continue?

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I've given up! I read another chapter last night and I just can't read it. I figure what's the point in struggling to read something that makes me feel quesy, I'm just too delicate! Thinking about it, I don't read articles in the paper that are about similar things as they play on my mind, so I don't know why I even felt I could read it! I've just driven the book over to my aunties to give to her, it's no longer in my house and I feel better! Saying that, I really enjoyed her description of heaven and would have liked to have learned more about that! ..thanks for the post Kat..

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  • 3 months later...

Alice Sebold is a real psychological genius when it comes to the dissection of the state of mind and relationships of a whole family and neighbourghood after the traumatic murder of a young teenager. The fact that she wrote it from the point of view of the dead girl was quite fresh and new at the time and it opened a new style of writing perspective. I found the book really good and I recommended it to all my friends.

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I have read 'The Lovely Bones' and 'Lucky', and I have to say I preferred Lucky. The Lovely Bones had all the traits of a good story but it was hard to see them when I was personally quite annoyed with Susie, I felt bad about what had happened to her, but at the same time, I could not helping thinking why?, why go with a man you are not sure of.

 

Lucky is the stronger of the two books for me, its well written.

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It's another one of those that really gets people talking, for sure. Whether you like it or not, there's always going to be something to provoke you and get a reaction. Books like this are great for discussion because you get so many different viewpoints and sometimes get to see things from an angle you perhaps didn't get yourself when you read it, but looking back can see it once it's pointed out to you.

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  • 1 month later...

I just finished, the Lovely Bones, and I did enjoy it. I came close to loving it but there was a chapter towards the end with Ray, Ruth & Susie that threw the book off a bit for me, it didn't ruin it but it almost did.

 

I think that I preferred Lucky as well. I would definitely read more by her, does anyone know of any future books by her?

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  • 11 months later...

Princessponti,

I don't blame you for giving up. I powered through, as it was given to me as a gift... and I felt it only polite to finish so to discuss with it's giver.

 

Reading the story of a young girl's violent sexual murder, told by the young girl could not have been more disturbing for me. Once I got through the first 2/3rds, and the details of the murder were not referenced, it started to get a little better.

 

I did find Sebolds writing however to be choppy. Did anyone else find Lovely Bones to end abruptly? I felt cheated from many lose ends tied up quickly in haste.

 

It's as though I read her first draft. Unfortunately, I am not interested in reading the final.

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I thought I had replied on this topic, but I can't find my post...sorry if I have posted twice!!!

 

I thought this was a brilliant idea for a book, but I was really underwhelmed by it, and struggle to understand all the acclaim it received. However, Lucky, by the same author is a terrific if harrowing read. I had her third book - The Almost Moon - on audiobook, and I didn't enjoy that either. I prefer Alice Sebold when she is writing non-fiction.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I really didn't like the part when Susie takes over Ruths body, that was totally stupid.

 

That's sort of how I felt too. But I think the author had wanted Susie not to miss "certain stuff" that she couldn't have had access to while alive due to her young age. I could have done without that scene though, although I do see its purpose. From what I've seen that scene is the most criticized one in the book, people are always complaining about it (me included) :D

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  • 5 months later...

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