Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

21 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Okay, why the hell did I think this was a young adult book?? I swear that it was mis-shelved at my  library growing up because what was I doing reading this as a pre-teen??? I was just in love with this. It moved me and disgusted me and made me feel for these characters like entire whole people. Emotions are extremely complicated, as is grief. And there are so many beautiful lines in here. What a triumph of a novel about how survival is the most innate human urge. I wish I could speak in beautiful words like Ms. Sebold.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Rape, Abandonment, and Bullying

Minor: Animal death, Blood, Sexual content, and Stalking

pumpkinmasterug's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Not the best novel I’ve read, but definitely not the worst. It presents grief through a range of perspectives and is definitely dark and uncomfortable at several points. I enjoyed majority of the book, however

the possession scene spoiled the tone of it all for me, especially since the argument for Susie sleeping with her crush instead of tracking down her killer is her reclaiming what was taken from her during her murder, but after she hopes her father dies to be in heaven with her TWICE she let’s her family suffer in grief when she could’ve caught her killer or unveiled the location of her body and helped them. Of course that would’ve been very cliche so I understand why Seabold avoided this, but it just made Susie come across very selfish and quite unlikeable.

It’s a bit corny in some places and I don’t think the writing style will suit everyone, and some of the characters are so flat and predictable they read more like AI trying to blend in than actual human beings, but I honestly didn’t mind that too much in this case. Overall though, it’s a good read with a hopeful message and I did enjoy it for the most part.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Kidnapping, Body horror, Gore, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, and Cursing

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Mental illness, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Death of parent

jessicacoh's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

Minor: Abandonment and Sexual content

serein42's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment and Violence

Minor: Animal death

kristasorocks's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Rape, Child abuse, Murder, and Child death

mariavdl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Abandonment, Infidelity, Alcoholism, and Animal death

tigerkind's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

people being human. loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Stalking, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Eating disorder, and Drug use

jennie78's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Infidelity

jollymama's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Rape, Abandonment, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual content and Pedophilia

espressoreader's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Interesting take on how Heaven works.  Definitely a secular view on heaven.  The story was interesting.

Author like the sound of Len, Lindsey, and Lynn, quite a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Pedophilia, Torture, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Self harm and Stalking