Book Review: The Lovely Bones.

When I picked this book up, I was excited. I saw the movie, and it was good. I've read multiple reviews about the book, and everything I read said that the movie didn't come close to being as good as the book. So yeah I was definitely reading this.

It's no secret that I'm a speed reader, I flew through Breaking Dawn in about 13 hours, and The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare took me all of 4 days to read all of them. But when I read this book, as small as it is, it took me over two days. The reason is, this book was boring. I had to draggggg myself through it. And that took forever.

When I sat down to read it I was like ok, here we go, a great book. But soon after I was extremely disappointed. I don't know what book those other reviewers were reading, or if they even read the book, or just watched the movie, but this book was bland. That's something you will rarely ever hear me say, a movie was better than the book. It has a great story plot, great characters, and could be an amazing novel, but the presentation was lacking a lot.

In a quiet suburbia in the 1970's a girl was abducted and murdered. Things like this didn't happen then, Things like this didn't happen there, in this neighborhood, maybe in big cities, but not there. Susie was a regular girl, had a mom and dad, a little brother and sister. She had dreams and goals, and was going to grow up and be something someday. Until Mr. Harvey violently took it all away from her. The police scoured the surrounding area, looking everywhere they could think of. The cornfield, where she was murdered, the neighbors houses, backyards, gutters, everywhere, but not a trace of her body was ever discovered. Until a neighbors dog came home one day with a body part in his mouth, an elbow, Susie's elbow. After that all their worst fears were realized, Susie was in fact dead.

From Heaven, Susie watches her family grieve, each in their own way. She watches her mother turn inside her self and then start to lean towards escaping, she watches her father cling to everything that could have ever reminded him of his first born baby girl. Her sister turns to steel and keeps everything inside, never letting anyone see how it effects her, and her baby brother is too young to understand why Susie isn't coming home anymore. She watches through the years as they grow up, and grow apart and then finally grow back together, like they should have always been. She sees her family struggle and she tries to protect them the best she can. The way they all wish they had been able to do for her. In the end Susie realizes that her family is finally safe and finally healing, it's time to go.

See what I mean by a good story plot, it could have been a wonderful book, such a shame, really. I'm not sure who I would recommend this to, if anyone. It has nothing offensive in it, but due to the emotional aspect of it, I would say that it's a teen or older book.

Ratings:Number 2 and 2 stars

The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold