Alice Sebold

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 show more 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. show less

This story is about the mental illness of an entire family, not just a mother. Everyone in the family is a victim, something I think many of those who have reviewed "The Almost Moon" on LT do not understand. Since it is written from the point of view of the daughter, Helen, it is easy to become lost in her memories of her childhood and miss the illness of her father, whom she idolizes. It is a horrifying, dark, and achingly sad book, but compelling, especially for anyone who has experienced show more caring for a mentally ill parent. The big question for me is, "Why does she stay, why does she continue?"; the same question I have had for myself. But the second important question is, "How could she not stay?"
This is an important book for anyone who is honest enough to admit their love/hate relationship with a parent, and who can relate to the desire to end the suffering. show less

It's a funny thing--generally, I stay away from books that are said to be about grief or grieving, as I've simply had enough of it in my own life that I'd rather not escape to a book and find it there. Going into this book, then, I was skeptical of enjoying it or even staying interested. The brief inside-cover reviews I read didn't raise my expectations in their comments, even when one mentioned that you may well end up reading the book in one sitting (as a heavy reader, I can profess to show more having read more than one 300+ page book in one sitting, but I laughed at the comment being here). Simply, though, I was wrong.

From the very beginning of this story, I was absolutely engrossed. Yes, the beginning is hard to take, but the style of the novel and the very believability of the characters and voices make it fast and engrossing, only adding to the suspense of the plot. The freshness of this story, and the breadth of its ambition, made it well worth the read. In the end, I loved it, and if you're remotely curious, I strongly recommend it. I can't imagine how they turned it into a movie (since I haven't seen it, I can't see whether the movie sticks to the book's narrative or not), but I have no doubt that the book is itself worth the time. Absolutely recommended.

Start it, force your way through the beginning, and then keep going---it's a wonderful journey and time well spent. show less

I should preface this by saying that I have never read a book with an accumulative star rating this low before. It also confirms that star ratings are ridiculous - or maybe that one star ratings are compliments in disguise.

Can someone explain to me why a story has to have likable characters? Why someone who is clearly loosing it should act in a way a sane reader finds believable? I'm pretty sure when I read fight club I didn't think I would act that way... but she's a woman, so she has to be show more in fiction that can be quickly accessed and then resolved with a nice bow on top.

Let me be clear: this book is poisonous. It's hits hard, especially to anyone who understand complicated issues between mothers and daughters. But that's what it's supposed to be, it's supposed to be poisonous, it's supposed to disturb the reader and make us feel bad and I thought it was very well crafted.
To me, the character made perfect sense, and I even liked her as much as that is possible. She did the best she could for a long time and then she snapped and did something she couldn't take back. I thought the book depicted that situation beautifully.

Now, I have thing for Alice Sebold: I thought The Lovely Bones was good and entertaining, but my special interest is in those books that were generally described as disappointing, like Lucky and this one. Maybe her way of seeing the world just makes sense to me, and maybe that doesn't bode that well, but just because she describes the world out of the viewpoint from characters who may not fit exactly in the nice, uplifting story with a bow on top formula so predominant in so-called "women's fiction" doesn't mean it's bad writing. show less