Book Review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Written By: Hope Jennings

Rating: *

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. My murderer was a man from our own neighborhood. My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once about fertilizer."

This is Susie Salmon, speaking to us from heaven. It looks like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counselors to help newcomers to adjust, and friends to room with. Everything she wants appears as soon as she thinks of it - except the thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved on Earth.

From heaven, Susie watches. She sees her happy suburban family implode after her death, as each member tries to come to terms with the terrible loss. Over the years, her friends and siblings grow up, fall in love, do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But life is not quite finished with Susie yet."

This is my first book review on this blog, and I really wanted it to be a positive one, but the whole point of reviews is to be totally honest and as this was a book I have just finished, I thought I may as well just review it.

I always try and finish books, even if I am not enjoying them, as sometimes the ending is amazing and redeems the book...that didn't happen here for me. I will admit I didn't see the last slight twist coming, but it wasn't spectacular enough for me to give the book more than just one star unfortunately.

I always try and find something positive, even in things I don't like...so the positive parts of this book for me was that some of the characters were lovely, and there was the odd few pages in the middle which were a bit more gripping than the rest!

But I really didn't enjoy this book if I am honest, which is a shame as so many of the reviews and people I have asked about it, have said how great it is! I found that only one or two of the characters were even remotely interesting, and the writing style was very confusing in parts! All just seemed a bit jumbled together.

For me, I love it when you have to keep reading and don't want to put the book down, where as this one was the opposite and I was just trying to get it finished in hope something good happened at the end and was then disappointed when nothing really did.

I do know a lot of people do love this book though, and all this review means is that it wasn't for me; you may love it! :)