Content of Book

[Hope]

Faith thought I would think the book was too graphic and would not enjoy it. She loved it. I think it is soon to be released as a movie.

[Jeannie]

Wasn't the premise incredibly interesting? It reminded me of this book called Elsewhere (which is juvenile literature), but very interesting.

[Tiffany]

I thought the premise was very interesting as well and also very sad. I don't know how someone could come up with something like that. I heard it was coming out as a movie as well. I am not sure how they would approach that.

[Carol]

I didn't find it to be that graphic...Of course, I read a lot of thrillers, but....despite the content of what the plot was, it certainly could have been More graphic than it was. But I'm glad it wasn't. I felt it was well written. Great perspective.

[Stickinsect]

I loved it. I have heard Alice Sebold interviewed on
ABC radio (Australia) in which she not only discussed the book but the horrific experience which preceded it. I would not be interested in a film because I can't see how afilm would do it justice.

Have any of you read 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven' by Mitch Albom. He presents a totally different idea on heaven.

[Hardcover]

Sarah- I totally agree. I was so thrown by that ending that I threw the book away in disgust. Ridiculous.

[Heather]

I'm totally with you, Sarah! I just couldn't comprehend why THAT was what she would do/needed to do. A young dead girl who has been following her family's painful ordeal of losing her has a small window of time back in a body, interacting with people and spends it having sex? Not likely! I loved the rest of the book but was furious at that part!

[Eva]

I totaly agree. She was raped and lilled and all she wanted is to have sex with her crush. Still, I loved the book and reaed it over and over again. I loved the very ending. Did you know that the author of lovely bones was raped in college. Read her book lucky. It is really cool book and will teach you a lot.

[Carol]

I just don't think this was about 'having sex' at all... It was merely about her wishing to have the life she left....to be able to experience what she missed out on...not the physical aspect- the emotionality of it. People that have been abused, or miss out on an important event in life, often feel continuousely that the have 'missed something'- I don't believe that this event would happen, but it's interesting to see the perspective that a teenager who dies young - and such a violent death- would want to come back and experience real 'love' versus the rape that preceded her death. I think its beautiful.

[Lori]

This book was soooo sad---it really moved me, and was well written. Character development was excellent---but I also did not like the way the story ended. Maybe they will change that in the movie.

[Mary Todd]

I agree with Carol...she wanted to have some bit of normalcy and sex that wasn't rape. I thought the ending was unexpected and inspired.

[Rachel]

Right on Carol! I agree.

[Carol]

I really did like that book...maybe I'll read it again sometime.. Is there really going to be a movie? I'm afraid they'll ruin it...

[Heidi]

Maybe because I was the mother of two young children at the time the book was released, but after reading the first chapter on my community's library site, I realized there was no way I could handle the whole book.

I respect that it may have been a wonderfully written book, but it was just so depressing (and I figured way too graphic) that it will remain on my "unread" list.

As for the movie, I'm not sure-- two hours may be easier to take than hundreds of pages.

Anyone else feel the same way?

[Brenda]

I had heard so much about this book that I was anxious to read it. I read the first chapter...and could hardly get through it. I put the book the down and kept trying to pick it up to read. And no matter how many times I tried to read I just could not.

I am not even sure if it was the content. The book just did not grab me and I did not enjoy it and could not get through it! So it ends up on my "unread list" and in my box of books to give away. The movie was ok but mainly because I like Mark Whalberg.

[Shanesha]

WHn I first started reading this book i thought i wasnt going to like it because of how the movie turned out. Turns out the movie doesnt really tell Suzie story right if you read the bok you know what i mean but i truly love this book it is sad happy and romantic. and very very thriling

[Michelle]

How can a book start out so intense and interesting and then just turn into nothing??? Just to then surprise you with an awkward sex scene and disappoint you with a bad ending.

[M0rningstar]

This book is very uneven. The highs are great; the lows make me cringe. Many of the little vignettes involving the girl's family, friends and killer are excellent. The parts about heaven, however, are invariably dull. They break the momentum built up by the other parts of the narrative and either don't do anything, or heap on the melodrama. I don't mind the sex scene, because it's less about the sex than about the girl's final grasp at the adult life of which she has been robbed. The whole "we're a big happy family again" affair at the end, though, does not ring true -- it's too tidy, too Hallmark.

[Valerie]

I hated this book. I only read it because it was a book club selection. I think the content was better suited for a younger audience but regardless it was not a good book.

[Ruth]

I thought the book was ok. I didn't run out to see the movie. I also gave the book away ( the ones I love I keep )

[Shanesha]

I definetely agree with Carol and Mary she only wanted to experience that very thing that was taken away from her.she wanted that love back after years of warching over her family why shouldn't she do the last thing people would think when they're back on earth. I actually really loved this book not because of the mystery but the sorrow, love and closure of it.

[Allie]

the content wasn't too bad once you got past it, it was good ,so......

[Shruthi]

the book was a bit scary for me i thought

[Karen]

I liked the book over all, but I didn't like the way the killer died by being stabbed by a falling icycle. That was ridiculous. And some of the characters were a litter far fetched and to good to be true.

[Elaine]

wow that's all i wanted to read the book for was to see how the killer died. Thanks now I don't have to buy the book.

[Valerie]

It is so amazing to me the number of people who really liked the book. When I read it I was counting the pages until the end.

Isn't it wonderful how we can have so many diverse opinions about the same book!

[Thea]

Bella wrote: "This book was soooo sad---it really moved me, and was well written. Character development was excellent---but I also did not like the way the story ended. Maybe they will change that in the movie."


I'm a sucker for great character development and I thought it was well handled in this book too.

[Tasabih]

Michelle wrote: "How can a book start out so intense and interesting and then just turn into nothing??? Just to then surprise you with an awkward sex scene and disappoint you with a bad ending."

i agree with Michelle the book started off so good-intense then headed to a bad direction then the author just killed it with the sex scene

[Heidi]

I found this book terribly written, horribly developed and failed utterly to captivate me. I read it through to the end because I have a rule that I finish what I start. It started out ever so promising and she hit on something extremely fascinating, but she didn't seem to have the talent to bring it to fruition. I wish I still had the book to quote a few sentences that I had begun to edit as I read. This was a complete distraction and was the fatal blow to the story for me.

I wanted to send Alice a package. It would have been a thesaurus, not a bomb. I swear! There are many books that I've read that the quality of writing was lacking, but the story was powerful enough that I could work through it because I still wanted to know what was coming next! This book, surprisingly from its interesting beginnings, was not one of those.

Someone commented nearer to when this thread began in 2007, that it may be more suited for the Young Adult population and I'll agree with that.

On a side note regarding the movie: If I had not read the book, I think that I could have had some mild enjoyment with the movie, but as it was, what merits the book had the movie voided them. I think I am in agreement on that point with a few of you, especially the ending. And, the actress sometimes looked like a cherub, like 11 years old and she was having sex with a 18 year old guy. It was creepy.

After saying all that, I should mention that there are books that I love and find few faults that others trash with accusations of poor character development, weak plot, terrible word structure and a down right pathetic plot. So, I respect all of you who thought the book was great, because I certainly am no expert as my experience testifies.

[Heidi]

Valerie wrote: "It is so amazing to me the number of people who really liked the book. When I read it I was counting the pages until the end.

Isn't it wonderful how we can have so many diverse opinions about the..."

It never ceases to amaze me the plethora of opinions out there. I also kept looking to see how long it was going to take to get to the end. I even began re-evaluation my "rule" to always finish what I start. But I am reminded of a recent read that I had to will myself through, but in the last 100 pages it was worth every bead of sweat.

[Heidi]

Tasabih wrote: "Michelle wrote: "How can a book start out so intense and interesting and then just turn into nothing??? Just to then surprise you with an awkward sex scene and disappoint you with a bad ending."

i..."

Agreed.

[Melanie]

I can't believe that people enjoyed this book. It really was the most boring book I've ever read. There was no plot. There weren't even (really) important events. I was disappointed with the ending: she totally took advantage of Ruth's body. The characters were underdeveloped and it was a crazy hodgepodge of ideas that were scattered throughout the pages. This book was an utter disappointment.

[Michael]

Melanie wrote: "I can't believe that people enjoyed this book. It really was the most boring book I've ever read. There was no plot. There weren't even (really) important events. I was disappointed with the ending..."

No joke! This book was absolutely terrible. With a capital R. The first one. teRrible. Yeah, just as much sense as the book. Seriously, skip it. Atrocious.

[Lisa]

I've had my senior English class read the book for the past 3 years. Each year I want to have them read something new but my students protest because they heard my other students raving about it. We have class discussions on infidelity, the 5 stages of grief, sexual assault, death, our perspectives on heaven . . . I could go on and on. I loved the book when I first read it and each and every year I have at least 20 students who feel the same way. So far, I've only had one student who did not like it. (I do teach at an all girls school. I don't think boys would enjoy it as much.)

[Lena]

I liked the tone of the book, set from the first line. I saw the movie first, and it was weird but made more sense after I read the book. The scenes in heaven confused me a little, but in the end, they made sense. It wasn't the most amazing book I've ever read, but I wouldn't call it terrible by any stretch. I've read MUCH worse.
The actress in the movie was 14 or 15, not 11.

[Farwa]

I think the concept of the book was good and the writing was great, but it wasn't the best book I had ever read. Before I read it my friends did and they hyped it up, saying how AMAZING it was. And it was an amazing story, but -honestly- it kind of bored me.