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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is the story of Susie Salman, a teenage girl who is murdered. She moves on to heaven and observes her family from afar for some time because she is not ready to move on. It is the story of her family trying to come to terms with Susie's death, as well as Susie trying to come to terms with it. The book shows how the different members of her family and her friends grieve, each in their own way. It is a sad story, but moving, and I felt it was quite good.
I see it often listed in the genre of crime or mystery. I would say if you are a fan of crime or mystery novels, that may not be a good characterization of the book. Yes, there is a crime element to the story, but that really isn't the main part of it, and if you are looking for a whodunnit with a satisfying concise ending, you might not find it here.
I see it often listed in the genre of crime or mystery. I would say if you are a fan of crime or mystery novels, that may not be a good characterization of the book. Yes, there is a crime element to the story, but that really isn't the main part of it, and if you are looking for a whodunnit with a satisfying concise ending, you might not find it here.
A follow up to her best selling memoir, Sebold's fictional look at how tragedy affects a family for a soberingly original perspective
“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections -- sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent -- that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events that my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body had been my life.”
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections -- sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent -- that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events that my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body had been my life.”
Had a hard time putting it down. but i was disappointed in the ending.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
The first fifty pages were beyond painful to read. I still get creeped out when I see areas that remind me of the setting of the book.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really liked the premise of the story and the unique perspective; the girl narrating it from her heaven. The beginning was very strong, although I found the telling of the crime graphic and extremely challenging to read (it was never going to be easy to read about that). I liked that we follow along with what happens to the family and how they process her death in different ways. However I didn’t enjoy the more “mystical” aspects of the story - particularly events happening near the end -as this isn’t my cup of tea. I would have preferred it remained gritty and raw and realistic.
Another side note, I find it a bit problematic that the one character presented as gay only has a [sort-of] relationship with a straight guy … and don’t get me started on how her body is used towards the end.
Another side note, I find it a bit problematic that the one character presented as gay only has a [sort-of] relationship with a straight guy … and don’t get me started on how her body is used towards the end.