I am not sure quite why but this year my favourite fiction books have all been by first-time writers. When I first read the synopsis of this book – a young girl is raped and murdered by a serial killer – I said to myself, "This is not for me." Fortunately, I was on an airplane and this book was the only one in my briefcase. This tour de force is like nothing you would imagine. It is compelling, beautifully written and a page-turning mystery. After you read it you will want to recommend it to everyone.

In Canada almost 2000 cases of children and youth homicides were recorded from 1974 to 1999 and more have been occurring every year. The Lovely Bones written by Alice Sebold is about a 14 year girl named, Susie who is brutally raped and murdered in the early 70’s. She begins her journey in heaven and must watch her friends; family and her killer cope with her disappearance. Susie Salmon is a 14 year old girl who is raped and killed. A characteristic about Susie is she is a loving person. She loves her family and close friends. In the novel she acts motherly towards her younger brother Buckley. A character trait about Susie is that she is a creative person. She loves to take photos and view life differently. Susie is a character that we learn about and tells us the readers, what is happening on earth. The novel contains different themes throughout the book. Grief is a theme shown in the book from the disappearance of Susie. Many of the characters deal with this and go through the process like her family. Thirdly, a major theme in the novel is “good vs. evil.” The innocent girl, Susie, is murdered by the neighbour Mr. Harvey. These are the types of the themes most readers like to read. Evaluating, the book, I liked the suspense aspect. There were close times where the killer tries to strike again or is close to getting caught. The thing I disliked about The Lovely Bones was the ending. I thought the ending didn’t really tell me about what happens to the family. Generally, there were things about the book that made me want to read the book even though there were some boring parts. Overall, the book is decently written with the storyline being a bit disturbing for younger audience. Additionally, they made a movie which I thought wasn’t good because they didn’t include some parts from the book and I thought the actors weren’t good representations of the characters. I give this book a rating of 3 out of 5.

There is just nothing more I can say. No delight in this book of doom.

The reason I bought and read this book was because I fell in love with the movie. Normally after watching a movie I do not find myself thriving to dig into the details. After losing a close friend of mine, and having been touched by the movie I purchased the book. I found the style in which Alice Sebold wrote kept me interested. She was descriptive but not over whelming. This book is brilliant and stands out from others.

I just finished reading this book for the first time and I can't really even put into words how it made me feel. It's a heartfelt story told almost as a memoire by a murdered young girl as she looks down on earth from heaven. This book will tug at your heard strings as you follow her family (along with other people in her life) and watch them deal, each in their own way, with her death. It's beautifully written and will captivate you from the first page.

Honestly, there are no words. This is one of those novels that can't really be categorized--my favourite type. It's a mystery, but reads sort of like a memoir, and there's the whole fantastical element.... It's for young adults but it's not, it's for adults but it's narrated by a 14-year-old.... It's stunning. It's incredible. I can't believe I didn't read it sooner.

Lovely Bones is a wholly original story of a teenage girl murdered by a serial killer living in her neighborhood, her family's quest to find answers and pick up the broken pieces of their lives, and her efforts to solve her own case from beyond the grave. Outstanding and a must read for everyone!

This book is truly an incredible emotional rollercoaster you are left teary eyed, or smiling. There is more to this book then just its content. It’s about the present and the afterlife. The Lovely Bones is the story of a young girl named Susie Salmon whose life was taken when she was raped and murdered at the age of 14. From heaven she narrates her family and the murderers’ life as they continue on life without her. Mrs. Salmon; Susie’s mother, continues to push her family away as she tries to deal with the grief. Her father, Mr. Salmon; who is the most emotionally stable person in her family uses this stability to start off on his own investigation. He believes he knows who the murderer is but is unable to prove it. As Susie watches her family fracture over her death she finds herself living vicariously through her family she will never age physically but is growing up emotionally.

I picked up this book a few years back and have read it three times so far. I really enjoy it. It's a story told from the perspective of a dead girl watching over her family and friends. Different. I'm giving it four stars instead of five because there is one part that I really didn't like and I skip over it every time I read it. Not to ruin anything from the book, but it was the only part I found to be unbelievable.

http://insubstanial.blogspot.com/2010/08/lovely-bones-by-alice-sebold.html Blog for Book Reviews.

On her way home from school on a snowy December day, 14-year-old Susie Salmon is lured into a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer. Susie struggles to accept her death while still clinging to the lost world of the living, following her family's dramas over the years. 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. 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". This book was soo difficult to put down.Although we know who Susie's killer is, one is constantly hoping her family and the police will figure it out. The novel alternates between the characters point of view and this helps to make a well rounded story. We are able to see/feel how everyone deals with Susie's death differently. You hurt right alone with the characters, only being able to imagine what they must all be going through. Although Alice Sebold's novel has some difficult issues to deal with she gives us a very well written story!