In the first sentence of The Lovely Bones, we learn Susie Salmon’s name. In the second sentence, we learn that she was murdered at the age of 14. This book wastes no time, and dives directly into the chilling plot. The first few chapters were difficult to get through. Gory details of her murder filled the pages, and I couldn’t help but hope that maybe the second sentence was a lie—maybe Susie would make it out alive. Once I realized that Susie Salmon was truly dead, I settled down a little bit.
One of the many things that I enjoyed about this book was reading about the different ways that individuals coped with the death. Some chose to shut everything out, while others clung to people for support. It was painful to read the section where the dad took the ships in bottles that he made with Susie and smashed them on the ground, but I feel that this scene accurately represented how people deal with loss differently. Because the characters were so upset throughout the book, it gave me a deeper look into their personality and revealed who they truly were. Not all books allow the reader to look into the darker side of the human mind.
To me, the most striking part of this book was Susie’s description of heaven. Alice Sebold, the author, decided to stray away from the biblical description of heaven and created something that was entirely her own. At points, this heaven seemed a bit cheesy. It was full of fashion magazines and ice cream, and anything that Susie wanted she show more could have. But overall, I liked that she was able to watch her family from her heaven. It gave an interesting vantage point to the narration of the book. Even though Susie’s voice couldn’t be heard by anyone except for the reader, it built up excitement as to what would happen to those left behind on Earth.
To those looking for an action packed murder mystery book, I’m sorry, but you haven’t found it. The first few chapters keep the reader on the edge of their seat, but then the plot slows down and begins to drag on for what seems like forever. I’m not at all saying that I didn’t enjoy reading it, but I do think that some parts could have been cut out to shorten it up just a little bit. However, the long plot allowed me to get close to Susie; I grieved with her and felt her longing to reach out of her heaven and touch her family just one last time. But let the following stand as a warning to future readers of this book—the ending of The Lovely Bones will really disappoint you. show less
One of the many things that I enjoyed about this book was reading about the different ways that individuals coped with the death. Some chose to shut everything out, while others clung to people for support. It was painful to read the section where the dad took the ships in bottles that he made with Susie and smashed them on the ground, but I feel that this scene accurately represented how people deal with loss differently. Because the characters were so upset throughout the book, it gave me a deeper look into their personality and revealed who they truly were. Not all books allow the reader to look into the darker side of the human mind.
To me, the most striking part of this book was Susie’s description of heaven. Alice Sebold, the author, decided to stray away from the biblical description of heaven and created something that was entirely her own. At points, this heaven seemed a bit cheesy. It was full of fashion magazines and ice cream, and anything that Susie wanted she show more could have. But overall, I liked that she was able to watch her family from her heaven. It gave an interesting vantage point to the narration of the book. Even though Susie’s voice couldn’t be heard by anyone except for the reader, it built up excitement as to what would happen to those left behind on Earth.
To those looking for an action packed murder mystery book, I’m sorry, but you haven’t found it. The first few chapters keep the reader on the edge of their seat, but then the plot slows down and begins to drag on for what seems like forever. I’m not at all saying that I didn’t enjoy reading it, but I do think that some parts could have been cut out to shorten it up just a little bit. However, the long plot allowed me to get close to Susie; I grieved with her and felt her longing to reach out of her heaven and touch her family just one last time. But let the following stand as a warning to future readers of this book—the ending of The Lovely Bones will really disappoint you. show less