Lovely bones how many pages

You'd think her family would at least be interesting in grief, but Sebold reduces them to one note drones. Everything in The Lovely Bones is a gimmick, played cheaply for sentiment and with no other reward. I'd compare to a Hallmark movie, but Hallmark movies do not adopt the pretension that Sebold belabors with terrible pseudo-post-modernist metaphors.

All of this would be bad enough, but what made me throw this book "aside with great force" is the offensive, and unjustifiable resolution to Susie's laments that she did not get to live. This unfairness, although poorly developed, was at least a cause of sympathy until Susie decides to forcibly correct it at the expense of others.

In the hands of someone else, this last turn could've been bleak insight into motivations of the cycle of victimization but Sebold conveys not one iota of ambivalence. Much of my hatred of this novel results from its inexplicable popularity and commendation from people who have a responsibility to promote reading.

I shudder to think who else picked up this novel convinced it was the best that the contemporary literary world had to offer. It is not my intention to slam those who enjoyed this book. If you did, I am glad to hear it. I love books, and I want others to love books. I simply fear that someone who is tempted out of a long vacation from reading might pick up a novel like this and give up the cause for lost. View all 55 comments.

Sep 21, Carolynn rated it it was amazing. I worked at Borders for more than a year and I worked the boring ass registers, usually at night whic was always slow. I leaned there with my chin in my hand staring at the shelves actually wishing that I could help customers in their purchases.

It's purely insane, but I think that's what happens anytime you place someone in any kind of confinement. The thing is that if I wasn't a register girl, I would have constant actual contact with the books themselves.

All lunacy aside, one book that I sta I worked at Borders for more than a year and I worked the boring ass registers, usually at night whic was always slow. All lunacy aside, one book that I stared at the entire time was this one, cuz it was literally on the number one shelf in the front of the store for a good two years or so. It sounded interesting and got good critical reviews despite its sucess with the bookish Oprah-watching housewife types.

But at the same time I would open it and try. But I just didn't get into it. Last week or so, I was reading a friend's blog and she talked about reading the book and how it was so affecting that she found herself driving to work in complete tears.

From then on an invisible seed had been planted. I read it in three nights. Sebold's voice is entirely unique. Never seen it before ever. I think that being allowed into the vision and point of view of another person is probably one of the awesomest feelings ever.

I think that's what it is to be in love, actually. Get in someone's skin, sit in a recliner in a little theatre located behind their eye sockets, and just watch. Not judge, not worry, not affect. Just experience someone who is so not you. Sebold allows this on two levels. She sets you up in the front row seat right next to Susie the murdered and raped 14 year old while she watches her former world from Heaven.

But she also delivers this language that is new, original, totally fresh and yet entirely accessible. At 3am. In bed. From a free city library borrow. Her characters are completely amazing individuals, but not unreal or impossible. The way she wrote the book, from Suzie's viewpoint, was definitely some work on her part. And she pulls it off. What I really enjoyed is the way she would sneak in these little pieces of info - I call them " 'omg, are you serious?

She would just be writing a scene, and at an unsuspecting moment she'd just add in a little sentence. And ofcourse, since the story revolves around the grief of the family and the Susie's unsolved case, their are moment of utter thrill as the reader joins the characters in their search for understanding, motive and the killer himself. The sentences feel like when you've been looking for something non-urgent for a while, and it's not really a big deal to find it now or later, but when you do find it your like, 'Man, now I can do this, and this and that, cuz I finally found this thing that I've been inactively searching for for a while'.

So, the nuggets definitely keep you reading and sometimes they even make you say, 'omg' out loud. As always, if you read the first few pages and hate it, then don't force the feeling. Just cuz I thought it was a total modern classic, don't mean anything if it really ain't your thing. Either way, truly a great story, even if your mom thinks so too. View all 34 comments. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she comes to terms with her own death.

On December 6, , year-old Susie Salmon takes her usual shortcut home from her school through a cornfield in Norristown, Pennsylvania. George Harvey, her year-old neighbor, a bachelor who builds doll houses for a living, persuades her to look at an underground kid's hideout he constructed in the field.

Once she enters, he rapes and murders her, then dismembers her body and puts her remains in a safe that he dumps in a sinkhole, along with throwing her charm bracelet into a pond. Susie's spirit flees toward her personal Heaven, and in doing so, rushes past her classmate, social outcast Ruth Connors, who can see Susie's ghostly spirit.

View 1 comment. Jul 28, Ted rated it did not like it Recommends it for: my worst enemy. Shelves: garbagestbooksever. Two-dimensional stereotyped characters -Mother — living with the regret of losing her independence to the demands of childrearing.

The tragic loss of a daughter accelerates her departure from those heavy burdens and into the arms of the detective working the case. Singh — the exotic, wise, independent, and strong foreigner who calmly dispenses cool sage-like personal advice to near-strangers. Queue soundtrack with mangled version of a nursery rhyme transposed to a minor key ungainly lobbed from a detuned piano. Snippets from his mildly troubling childhood are revealed…explaining nothing.

Small blessings. The Ending Worthy of Hallmark. Every loose end is tied up with nobody owning up to the consequences of their actions with the exception of Mr. The moral? Only after wilfully experiencing the delightful carnal pleasures of the flesh can one, even the spirit of a murdered teenaged girl, let go of those lost earthly pleasures and move on to a higher and presumably more enlightened plane of existence where you are free to smite those that have wronged you.

Touching, really. The fist person perspective does not offer anything new and the only thing horrifying here is that people consume mind-numbing garbage like this at an alarming rate.

What was the point? Aside from, paranormal sex is a wonderfully liberating experience for both the possessive-spiri View all 18 comments. Apr 14, Claire Greene rated it did not like it Recommends it for: nobody.

This book has single handedly shown me that I spend too much time skimming and not enough time really reading and thinking about the books I have been reading. I have two kids and so I'm busy and I often find myself reading when I am stealing time or tired.

But that is not even an excuse for this book. When i read the book I thought it was pretty good. Not great, but not bad. I liked the concept and the fact that the girl was the narrator. I like a murder mystery, so I liked the suspense of wait This book has single handedly shown me that I spend too much time skimming and not enough time really reading and thinking about the books I have been reading. I like a murder mystery, so I liked the suspense of waiting to see if the guy would get caught, etc.

So when all was said and done and I finished the book, I thought - yeah, okay. Not bad, but not great. That's right! I mean, the writing alone is something I should have picked up one had I really been paying attention. Pupils pulsing like olives?? Buttering toast with tears?? I really must have been distracted or skimming like crazy because that is ridiculous. And the real meaning of the final scene went WAY over my head, which I am somewhat ashamed to admit. When I read it, I really was like, yeah yeah, oh that's sweet she got one night with her boyfriend which she had been cheated of and all.

But when you slow down and really think of this, the enormity of that is overwhelming. A girl who's first sexual experience was RAPE by an older man. A girl who actually barely knew this boy in her life. This girl can only let go of life after having sex.

With that boy. That she really didn't know that well. That alone is enough to send of some big alarms. But then you add that she was allowed to go back to earth - to have sex??? Not see her family, not comfort her father and brother and sister? Not point out the killer?? Nope, heaven lets her go back, then of all times, not earlier when she wanted it more, or could have done more both for justice and her family?

So the admission to heaven is teen sex? The way to overcome deep grief and gain acceptance and peace is.. I missed out as a teen because that was NOT my experience. Okay, now louder warning bells should have been going off. But the final issue - she takes over the body of a "friend". Without the girl's knowledge or permission. The "friend" who is a lesbian. And uses her body to have sex with a boy. Just taking over her body is a violation.

Taking over her body and using that time to have sex is another violation. And to have sex with a boy, knowing that is the antithesis of everything this "friend" would have wanted or agreed to is yet another violation.

What the hell??? And none of that gets brought up or mentioned. No, it is a feel good ending. I mean, I have some pretty close friends - some I have known for at least triple the time these two girls have "known" each other - and if I somehow managed to just steal their bodies and have sex with a woman?? Well, it would be good for me that I was already dead.

That is a betrayal in the worst sense on so many levels it is shocking. And what of the possible consequences? Never mind the "lesser" consequences of emotional damage, damage to their friendship, the trust issues, etc etc etc????? After thinking about it more and more, I was truly embarrassed to have not seen these dark and disturbing connotations, made all the worse for the fact that the author serves this up as the feel good ending - not noticing the irony at all of having the main character who was raped and violated in turn rape and violate a friend, while denouncing the first act as a heinous crime and lauding the second act as happy ending?

So in short, I have learned my lesson and I am now making more of an effort to truly read and then think about what I am reading!!! View all 24 comments. Dec 05, Emily May rated it did not like it Shelves: young-adult , mystery-thriller. After hearing all the hype about this book, I couldn't wait to read it and discover how amazing it is for myself. I was greatly disappointed. How has this book become such a worldwide success? It's slow, boring and there is no real connection with any of the characters.

I found myself disliking everyone in the book. The overall idea could have been very good, even though it isn't exactly original, but I just thought the author didn't make the most of this great idea that she had. The best part of After hearing all the hype about this book, I couldn't wait to read it and discover how amazing it is for myself.

The best part of the book, without meaning to sound gruesome and morbid, was the death scene at the beginning. I admit that it was creepy and well told, I read that and geared myself up for a good book. But for me, it was as if the story ended there and the rest was a load of slow-moving waffle. The great idea had come along, happened for a while, and then died a painful death with the protagonist.

The characters weren't interesting enough to hold up the rest of the story, I was just relieved when I finally got to the end. It was a painfully boring book Did I miss something? I honestly feel like I've read a completely different book from everyone else I do not understand it's popularity at all. I read this book after watching the movie because it was the first time I heard about it. First, I have to say that I liked the movie very much and I've seen it several times.

The scenes from In-Between are one of my all-time favourites. And the moment when Susie's father destroys the ships in bottles is just the best; it keeps popping on my Youtube because I just watched so many times.

So, if I go a couple of moths without watching it, Youtube is like: "Here, watch it. My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. Anyway, why am I talking about a movie here, right? Because I saw it first, I did not compare it with the book, and I believe if I knew the book previous to watching the movie, I would see it in a different light.

However, right now, I see them as two separate entities, there is a movie I enjoy, and a book which is fantastic and both have the power to break my heart. All I'm going to say that even reading quotes gives me the "tension" feeling in my jaw, which I usually have right before I'm about to cry.

It just breaks my heart. Because of Susie. Because of the real Susies who go through the same thing she did. Because of their families. And because Georges Harveys exist in the real world. It might not be for everyone — definitely something to consider before picking up this book. View all 5 comments. Dec 13, Amanda rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Passionate, touched-by-life types.

Shelves: , better-than-chick-lit. I can't review this book by thinking about the plot or about theme and diction, for it is only and truly a series of snapshots, candid and sore, that piece together the lives of living people. The delicate sweet soul of a father; a grandmother with the heart of an empath; a sister whose youth and adulthood travel arm in arm; a numb and emptied mother; a young girl then grown woman living pierced on the periphery.

This book is about the people in my life and yours whose very essence is pinned d I can't review this book by thinking about the plot or about theme and diction, for it is only and truly a series of snapshots, candid and sore, that piece together the lives of living people. This book is about the people in my life and yours whose very essence is pinned down to a spot in time and space--these lovely bones, growing in a soft-shelled skeleton around our lives.

It is by turning the pages where these bones grow, that I could reflect on the wheel of life--what a joy can you call it joy when it's sad? I am at peace to think that this sweet family, though scarred, will smile at another sunrise.

To touch the living is a precious thing. View all 28 comments. Aug 24, Julia Ash rated it it was amazing Shelves: paranormal , ghost-fiction , suspense-thriller. Souls…who have unanswered questions or unfinished business. Fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon is a watcher. Although Susie knows that Mr. Harvey whose house is in her neighborhood raped and murdered her, none of the living know.

Trouble is, the police have no evidence to implicate Mr. All law enforcement knows is that the eccentric widower answers all their questions. Should she spend her time watching Mr. Harvey, in hopes that he will be stopped? Or should she watch her family as they struggle to accept her death and move forward? Which focus will heal Susie so she can leave the Inbetween and transition to the Heaven intended to bring her peace? The story, however, is much more than its surface.

Should we focus on plucking out the weeds like vile Mr. Or…should we focus on growing the corn or wheat or soybeans which when healthy, will choke out the weeds? This seems to be the very question character Susie Salmon struggles with. I can empathize with this internal conflict, as I wanted more than anything to have Mr.

Harvey plucked from the Earth and thrown into burning Hell. To be frank, it was this desired outcome that compelled me to flip the pages. Harvey lived on and on and even became secondary in the story. Harvey, but it feels more by chance than by intention. The movie made it seem like a deliberate intervention, but I didn't get that from the book at all.

About growing and finding peace despite evil lurking in cornfields or neighborhoods or parks or buses. Not sure about you, but this focus and practice are difficult to achieve. Which is why the message is so important. Which grows peace faster…growing goodness or weeding out evil? The answer is certainly worth thinking about! As usual, Grandma Lynn was wrong.

I highly recommend this 5-star read about finding acceptance and peace among the vilest of weeds. Note: This book contains triggers regarding rape and sexual violence toward children, girls, and women. View all 27 comments. May 28, Bill Kerwin rated it it was ok. This is a fine novella which some enterprising editor persuaded Sebold to transform into a novel. And the novel is not a good one, featuring unbelievable twists and turns and a super creepy ending but not super creepy in a good way reminiscent of the movie "Ghost.

If I had done that, I might have given it four stars. View all 9 comments. View all 14 comments. May 29, Jessica rated it really liked it Shelves: read-in I always seem to be a few years behind, for whatever reason.

Sometimes this works to my advantage, as it allows me to avoid a degree of hype that surrounds certain books. I do remember seeing the blue cover of The Lovely Bones on shelves in every bookstore "These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections — sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at a great cost, but often magnificent — that happened after I was gone.

I do remember seeing the blue cover of The Lovely Bones on shelves in every bookstore when it was released a few years ago and seeing mentions on best-sellers lists. I prefer to go in with low expectations and let myself be surprised with greatness. Not at all. Anyway, I was visiting my tiny local library for the first time, searching for a book to check out, when I saw the blue spine peaking out from the shelf.

It was the raw human emotion that she so perfectly conveyed through each character. The characters felt real—both their positive qualities and their shortcomings. The pain, confusion, regret, and maybe even hope that they each felt in their own ways really impacted me. The Lovely Bones is the story of a young girl who is raped and murdered in her neighborhood. She speaks to the reader from her version of heaven it can be different for each person , and looks over her family as they unravel after the tragic event.

Perhaps it had something to do with my already delicate state I was home sick while reading but the book managed to make me cry. More than once. View all 7 comments. Jun 10, Steven rated it did not like it Recommends it for: masochists. This was the book that made me realise the serious flaw in the theory that if lots of people you see on the tube are reading a book, it must be good. I would say with some confidence that this is the worst book I've ever read in my entire life.

The only thing that kept me going to the end was sheer bloody-mindedness; a determination not to be defeated by any book no matter how brain-deflatingly awful it is.

Allow this favorite library to be seen by others Keep this favorite library private. Save Cancel. Find a copy in the library Finding libraries that hold this item The spirit of fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon describes her murder, her surprise at her new home in heaven, and her witness to her family's grief, efforts to find the killer, and attempts to come to terms with what has happened.

Reviews User-contributed reviews Add a review and share your thoughts with other readers. Add a review and share your thoughts with other readers. Tags Add tags for "The lovely bones : a novel". View most popular tags as: tag list tag cloud.

Teenage girls -- Crimes against -- Fiction. American fiction -- 21st century. Family life -- Fiction. Girls -- Fiction. American fiction. Murder victims' families. Teenage girls -- Crimes against. Homicide -- Fiction. Teenagers -- Fiction.

Psychological fiction. Domestic fiction. User lists with this item 77 from a book to a movie items by bstar updated All rights reserved. Please sign in to WorldCat Don't have an account? Remember me on this computer. Cancel Forgot your password? Alice Sebold. Print book : Fiction : English : 1st ed View all editions and formats. There are now over ten million copies in print.

Sign up here. Ready for your next read? See more book details 01 January Moving and compelling.