It was great!I loved reading it..The movie is really different from the book..I loved the movie so I decided to read the book and I found it amazing.I love Lindsey and Ruth.They are powerful characters.Jack Salmon and Samuel Heckler were great!The only part I hated was..Abigail shouldn't have cheated on her husband just because her daughter died.I love the part were Ray and Susie reunite...It was just divine! ( )

I had heard of this book years ago when I was much younger, too young to read it. I remember somebody in my life, my mother or brother or somebody older than me, telling me I was too young to read it. It stayed with me for years until I finally got a copy from a clearance box somebody left out on their front garden.

I loved every thing this book did.

It portrays grief in such a unique way, something I'd never seen done before. Without revealing too much, it truly goes into the nitty-gritty of what dealing with loss and how to grow from it happens for different people, how people move on from the death of their loved one and the conflicting feelings that come with it. I loved the framing device of the dead girl from heaven watching her family and friends go through life after her death. I also really resonated with Ruth, who didn't know Susie very well but still is deeply affected by her death. This part struck me specifically because I have experienced the loss of an acquaintance that really affected me; even though we weren't close, I still think about him often and think about his untimely death.

I feel like this book truly does explore all avenues of grief in a really interesting way. The only part of it I didn't really like was the supernatural element towards the end involving Ray, but other people have written at length about why that part was problematic. I just thought it was highly unnecessary. ( )

Here's what I wrote about in 2008 about this read: "Haunting. Young daughter disappears and watches over family with yearning, from heaven beyond. Her family tries to cope even as they come to terms with their loss. From online amazon.come review: "The Lovely Bones is luminous and astonishing, a novel that builds out of grief the most hopeful of stories. In the hands of a brilliant new writer, this story of the worst thing a family can face is transformed into a suspenseful and even funny novel about love, memory, joy, heaven, and healing." Probably worth a re-read to consider these themes again. Author's other book is non-fiction, and an outcome of her own rape; this is probably worth a read as well. And here's what I write in 2023 (about why I should re-read): "Because you said you might when writing about this in 2008, still remember it well in 2023, and then there's Matthew." ( )

I don't even know what I just read. The first chapter was intense. Horrible. Disgusting. Made all the worse from the innocent narration of a fourteen year old girl. But a lot of the book was boring. I kept reading because I wanted to know if she got justice. I wanted her to get her revenge. But it was sad. And it was weird. Extremely weird. Because as much as it's obviously paranormal - I mean it's narrated by a dead girl - I wasn't actually expecting what happened. With Ruth. And Ray. And Susie. Seriously WTF! She takes over Ruth's body? What crap is this. I don't care if she apparently wished it. She did not give consent. It's basically as bad as what happened to Susie to start with. And the ending are you freaking kidding me? Yes he deserved to die. But I waited the entire book to see everyone know for sure what he did and nada. This book sucked. I don't know why it has such good reviews and is so highly thought of. ( )

When I first heard about this book I knew it wasn't my kind of thing. However, it's one of those books that don't seem to go away so I've ended up reading it. I enjoyed it more than I expected to, even though I knew quite a lot about it already.

Some aspects of it are original and well-done and it is very readable. Others are somewhat irritating. I wasn't mad about heaven, but I hadn't expected to be and it wasn't as bad as I was afraid it might be. I didn't like the Ruth character and while I guessed she must have a role in the story, when it was revealed, it was a definite low point for me. I agree completely with other viewers who found that scene confusing. I did too.

Ray Singh's mother was another character who seemed superfluous, somebody who's nearly important, but actually isn't at all. I also felt more energy could be devoted to looking for/catching the killer. That was the most exciting part of the plot but it often drifted off in favour of insights into the various ways of dealing with grief.

Because Susie, the narrator, is dead, she can see into everyone's thoughts. This works well to a point but it can become too much at times. All the same, I admire the author for taking on such an ambitious concept and having the courage to write about such a difficult and contentious topic. ( )