The Lovely Bones
By Grace Shefcik
The Lovely Bones is by Alice Sebold. She wrote this book off of her memory when she was eighteen years old. She was raped in a tunnel to an amphitheater. On her campus, she saw her rapist when she was going to class. She called the police immediately.
The Lovely Bones is about a girl named Susie Salmon who was raped when taking a shortcut home. She was persuaded to go into a den underneath the the cornfield where she was rapped and then stabbed to death by her neighbor Mr. Harvey. He cut her up into pieces and put her in a large bag. He disposed of her by putting her in a safe and getting her dropped into a sinkhole. There are remains of Susie Mr. Harvey is unaware of that point to her murder. A murder case is set up and they try to find Susie's murderer. This book is about being able to bring a fallen apart family together. It is hard for them to get over and accept her loss. The story is told from Susie's perspective in her Heaven.
The Lovely Bones has a lot of characters, like the following... Susie is the main character. She is a bit chubby. She isn't very smart, and was the oldest child in the family. Her dad's name is Jack, and he has a hard time accepting her death. He works for an insurance company in Pennsylvania. Susie's mom is Abigail, and she has a hard time handling the whole situation. Lindsey is Susie's younger sister who dates Samuel and it makes Susie happy to see them together. Lindsey also throws up when she hears about Susie's death. Buckley is Susie's four year old brother who sees Susie watching him sometime. Abigail's mom, grandma Lynn comes to live with them after Susie's death to help them handle it. George Harvey, or Mr. Harvey is the rapist and he leaves the town when they try to find him because he is a suspect for the murder. Clarissa was Susie's best friend on earth. Holly is her best friend and roommate in heaven. Ruth writes about the dead people she can see, and was Susie's friend on earth but they barley knew each other .Ray was the first and last person to kiss Susie. Len is the head of Susie's murder case who later has an affair with Abigail, and Franny is Susie's counselor in heaven.

This book is for people that like a different type of narration. This book jumps from heaven, to memories, and watching her family and friends on Earth. It is sort of confusing but it is a smooth transaction. This book would not be enjoyable if you are a reader who does not like detailed description because it may alarm and disturb you. This book also has medium foul language and may not be suitable for someone younger aged. I would rate this book a 9/10 for the great description and the different narration. I could not really relate to this book but the emotion created through the book I could also feel. The characters are very likable and you really get to know them.

This book was a lot better than I thought it would be after reading the first few chapters. It is really grabbing and it is really hard to let go of. Overall, I would recommend this book for female teenagers who can handle descriptive deaths and sad emotions.