I don't like to reveal plots in my reviews, but, basically, Susie Salmon is a 14 year old girl who is raped and murdered, and telling her story from heaven.

The story is Susie's to tell, with parallel stories of her family and friends. Susie also comes of age in heaven.

It is a very different ghost story. Susie watches her family and friends as they react to her death. A twisted "It's a Wonderful Life", this story tells about what chain of events happen when a young girl is murdered.

An interesting read.

Readers that enjoy ghost stories that are completley different, readers who like stories of family in conflict and how they overcome a horrible event.

I liked the first two thirds of the book. The first chapters were excellent, and probably how the author managed to get this book published.

Descriptions of simple things in a family's life, like sibling relationships, dinners eaten, school woes, what it is like to be a young teen in the 1970's.

The book is VERY GRAPHIC when it comes to the murder and rape. There is also all kinds of sex including ghost/human. The mother is a totally unlikable creature who has an affair with a stupid cop.

I did not like the last third of the book. I thought it was boring and stretched too far. I did not like Susie assuming the body of a groupie of hers and having sex with an old boyfriend.

Write this review so people will think twice about reading it. Get it from the library, read the first part, then bring it back to the library. I do not recomment this book for children AT ALL.

Depressed, angry at the end I wasted my time on a book that had such a promising beginnning.

Needs to work on middles and ends of books.

Only if you want a very different ghost story.
And a strange view of Heaven.

Graphic, boring middle and end.
Very realistic in the beginnning, fantasy in the end.

Read it for yourself and make up your own mind.
When I review professional items for my career, my reviews are very inpersonnel and objective.
When I review books I obtained to read for my pleasure, I tend to become SUBJECTIVE!

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of The Lovely Bones: A Novel   from Amazon.Com!

Created Mar 31, 2004 at 7:42pm • Submit your own review...