The Lovely Bones

Raymei · Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 11:43 pm Post subject:

Most people who've heard of this book heard about it in the same manner.
"don't read it"

If you've read it, then you know why they'd say this.

It's a good book o.o it's just....pretty graphic on a subject we'd probably all sooner wish never existed than hear about it.
It's very sad and every so often can make you so angry you just want to put the book down and walk away for a while (because you know this happens).

Below is a short description. I'm coloring it white to save both spoilers and save the sensative from reading it without warning.
Highlight with your mouse below to see:

The book's about a girl and her life (or really, the life she would have lived had she not been raped and murdered).
Throughout the story it's her perspective as she watches her friends, family, her community, and her murderer deal with her disappearance and go on with their lives.

It's incredibly sad to watch her family deal with their own lives with that huge hole missing. Her brother was very young and even as he gets older, doesn't quite understand why the subject is still a painful one.

I liked the book, as in, it was well written and had a really strong storyline. But it's really hard to say "it was a great book" with a story like this (if that even makes sense.)

So I was wondering if anyone else had read this to get their opinions and whatnot.

Rebus · Very bored Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 224

I read some of it, but didn't finish it.

To be honest, I thought it was too impressed with its own cleverness, and wasn't as original as it clearly thought it was.

And secondly, it was clearly aimed at the conservative housewife. I don't mind umpleasantness in books, but I do require sincerity, which I just couldn't find in this book.

It got Richard and Judy's book of the year I believe, which say's it all - they're a middleaged white couple who do cosy presenting at teatime.

Raymei · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 12:58 pm Post subject:

Never heard of the Richard and Judy's thing o.o
T_T;; but I can assure you I'm not a conservative housewife lol

I don't think it's offensive, I just think some people couldn't handle it (like my mom -- she can't handle kids getting hurt and that sort of thing)

i still don't really like that whole possession thing that went on (the brief moment where she inhabited the body of that girl [forget her name at the moment] and had sex with that guy? T_T;;; I think the story would have been a lot better without that whole bit)

Raymei · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 1:29 pm Post subject:

yeah, that always bothered me.

Also the fact that it was just kinda "out there" in comparrison with the rest of the story. Everything else that had to do with anything somewhat supernatural was subtle (like the "hairs rising on the back of your neck" sort of thing) you know? This was outright "miracle-esque" lol

ragingflea002 · Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:59 am Post subject:

I didn't read it, I heard it.
I thought the plot was very original, and the author certainly has a lot of imagination. I felt sorry for the girl. All she really did was watch people go about trying to solve the mystery of her death(her father knew who, of course) and she watched them time and time again just miss out.
I'll have to read it sometime.
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