The Lovely Bones, Bestselling Novel By Alice Sebold
Based on her own real-life experience of rape, Alice Sebold takes a shocking and upsetting theme -the rape and murder of a child, and from this dark background weaves a poignant, thought provoking and uplifting tale of enduring love, acceptance and redemption.
The novel is essentially a coming of age story (bildungsroman). The narrator is Susie Salmon, a 14 year old girl from an ordinary family with the ordinary hopes and dreams of a teenage girl on the brink of adulthood.
Tragically Susie is murdered by a neighbour in 1973 and her body is never found. Her family endure unbearable pain and despair, yet from her own particular version of heaven, Susie watches the lives of those she left behind unfold over a period of years. She watches as her friends and family grieve for her and she sees how her parents grow apart, as the way they deal with her loss sends them in different directions. She also watches the man who took her life and the lives of many other young girls and she bides her time...
Although the story is at times heartbreaking, it is never morbid or maudlin. The tone is always of hope and optimism. Susie although understandably wistful, eventually accepts her fate and learns how to be happy despite what she has lost.
As the years pass, Susie's family and friends find the strength from within themselves to accept what has happened and to carry on with their lives without Susie.
...and as for the murderer?...well, a cold heart deserves the cold hand of fate...
"The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold - Table of Contents
- "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold
- Summary Of "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold
- Your Opinion - "The Lovely Bones"
- Blog Posts About "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold
- Buy "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold On Amazon (USA Customers)
- Buy "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold On Amazon (UK Customers)
- Who Was Your Favourite Character In "The Lovely Bones"?
- Did YOU Enjoy "The Lovely Bones"?
- More About The Author Of "The Lovely Bones" - Alice Sebold
- Alice Sebold Links
- If You Liked The Lovely Bones You Might Also Like...
- "The Lovely Bones" - Feedback
- Word of the Day
"The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold
From Wikipedia...
The Lovely Bones is a 2002 novel by Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being brutally raped and murdered, watches from heaven as her family and friends go on with their lives, while she herself comes to terms with her own death. The novel received a great deal of critical praise and became an instant bestseller.
A film adaptation of the novel is currently in production and is being directed by Peter Jackson, who personally purchased the rights.
Summary Of "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold
Plot summary of "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold
"The narrator of The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon, is a normal fourteen year-old girl. She has just received her first kiss and is looking forward to going to high school next year. She is on her way home from school when she is stopped by a man who wants to show her something in the cornfield. Susie thinks she can trust this man because he is a neighbor who knows her parents. Unfortunately, this man, George Harvey, is a serial killer who rapes and murders Susie.
Susie is quickly taken to heaven, where she meets Franny, her guide in the afterlife. Heaven can be whatever she wants, and Susie chooses to create her heaven in the image of her hometown high school. However, the only thing Susie truly wants is to be back on Earth, growing up with the people she loves. This is the one thing Susie cannot have in heaven, but there is one way Susie can keep up with her family. From heaven, Susie can look down and watch her family as they struggle with their own feelings about her murder.
The Salmon family is forever changed as a result of Susie's murder. Susie watches as her parents drift apart and her siblings and friends grow up and have experiences Susie can only witness. Her mother, Abigail, wants to run away from her feelings, whereas her father, Jack, wants to confront those feelings head on. Jack Salmon, unsatisfied with Len Fenerman's investigation, begins his own investigation of Susie's murder. This investigation leads Jack to suspect George Harvey. However, police cannot arrest Harvey because there is no evidence linking Harvey to Susie.
Susie follows her sister Lindsey's life from heaven. Lindsey experiences major life milestones witnessed vicariously by Susie. Susie cannot herself grow up, but can have a basic understanding of the process by watching her sister. She watches as Lindsey grows into a strong young woman who also shares her father's determination to find Susie's killer. Lindsey learns from Grandma Lynn the name of the man her father believes killed Susie. Lindsey begins watching Harvey's house, committing his schedule to her memory, and waiting for her opportunity.
Family members are not the only people affected by Susie's death. Ray Singh, the first and only boy Susie kisses, is at first a suspect. He is quickly ruled out by police, by remains haunted by the memory of Susie's death. Ruth Connors, an unpopular girl in Susie's class, is also impacted by Susie's death. She is the last person Susie touches as her spirit leaves Earth. As a result, Ruth becomes obsessed with death and even begins seeing the dead on Earth. Ray and Ruth become forever linked in their shared grief and understanding.
George Harvey, Susie's killer, is also watched by Susie. In heaven, Susie meets and learns the stories of all of his victims. She sees Harvey hide her body, lie to her father and the police, and run from the crimes he has committed. Susie wants to help the living apprehend her killer, but can only watch as the police and her family try to gather evidence and find her murderer.
Through the experiences of the Salmon family in The Lovely Bones, readers can examine their own feelings and reactions to loss and mourning. Can something good come from a horrible tragedy? Can healing come from a place of tremendous violence and despair?"
Read the whole summary including descriptions of all major charaters and individual chapter summaries at The Lovely Bones - From WikiSummaries
Your Opinion - "The Lovely Bones"
What do you think of "The Lovely Bones"?
The Lovely Bones - Worth All The Hype?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byA good read
CDT says:
The Lovely Bones is a good story in my opinion, but I'm sure that some people will think it's over-rated and possibly a bit in the sugary-sweet side.
It ticked my boxes though, it sustained my interest, the characterisation was good (apart from Ruth) and I enjoyed it.
I hope the film version does it justice :)
Posted May 23, 2008
Overrated
Blog Posts About "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold
Bloggers write about "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold
Buy "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold On Amazon (USA Customers)
The Lovely Bones: A Novel
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Buy "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold On Amazon (UK Customers)
I sat down in the morning to read the first couple of pages; five hours later, I was still there, book in hand, transfixed.' - Maggie O'Farrell, "Sunday Telegraph".
Time
'The breakout fiction debut of the year . . . a stiff cocktail of David Lynch and Judy Blume, served with a distinct chill . . . knockout'
Hardback
Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
'A deeply affecting meditation on the ways in which terrible pain and loss can be redeemed - slowly, grudgingly and in fragments - through love and acceptance'
Jonathan Franzen, author of The Corrections
'Sebold has given us a fantasy-fable of great authority, charm, and daring. She's a one-of-a-kind writer'
Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
'Painfully funny, bracingly tough, terribly sad, it is a feat of imagination and a tribute to the healing power of grief'
"Bookclub-in-a-Box" Discusses the Novel "The Lovely Bones"
(Bookclub in a Box Discusses)
Who Was Your Favourite Character In "The Lovely Bones"?
Did YOU Enjoy "The Lovely Bones"?
More About The Author Of "The Lovely Bones" - Alice Sebold
Alice Sebold (b. September 6, 1963 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American novelist. She has published three books: Lucky (1999), The Lovely Bones (2002) and The Almost Moon (2007).
Alice Sebold Links
More about the author, Alice Sebold
- almost_moon8
- Alice Sebold official website
- Powells.com Interviews - Alice Sebold
- Interview with Alice Sebold
- The new Alice Sebold novel | the Daily Mail
- Interview with Alice Sebold
- Fernham: Alice Sebold Interview
- Interview with Alice Sebold
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