The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0330485385 Global Overview for this book
Registered by marie-therese of Kirkintilloch, Scotland United Kingdom on 10/2/2005
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com
11 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by marie-therese from Kirkintilloch, Scotland United Kingdom on Sunday, October 2, 2005
The Lovely Bones is narrated by Susie, a fourteen year old girl who has been murdered. From heaven, she describes her attack and her family and friends' attempts at dealing with her loss in such a simple, matter-of-fact way that the reader will surely melt into puddles of tears.

I forgot to register this book before I read it. It really is a wonderful, well written book. I recommend it highly.

Journal Entry 2 by marie-therese at on Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Released 18 yrs ago (11/23/2005 UTC) at

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to andthings today as part of a trade. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did Suzie : -)

Journal Entry 3 by andthings on Thursday, November 24, 2005
This is an example of a trade where Craig's wish list has come in useful. I am looking forward to reading this and will update again soon.

05/12/05 - Just finished reading this last night and wasn't disappointed. Gives a good impression of what familys must go through loosing someone in a tragic way.


Journal Entry 4 by andthings on Monday, December 12, 2005
Bookring instructions (Thank you Catsalive)
1. SIGN UP for this bookring by sending me a Private Message. Order of participants will be juggled between geography, date of request and shipping limitations. Late additions may be added to the end of the list.
2. When the person before you on the list finishes reading the book, they will send you a Private Message for your postal address. If you no longer wish to read it or want your place in the list moved, let them (and me!) know and I will move you down/off the list.
3. WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE BOOK please make a journal entry so everyone knows it has safely arrived.
4. WHEN YOU FINISH THE BOOK, make another journal entry telling us what you thought - did you like it? Did you think it was well-written?
5. CONTINUE THE BOOKRING by sending a Private Message to the person after you on the bookring list and request their postal address. Please check back here for the latest distribution list. If the person doesn't respond within 7-10 days (use your judgement), please PM the next person, and then me, so I can update the bookring list.
6. END OF THE RING, Back to me


Here is the order for the bookring: red = finished, green = yet to read, blue = reading.

Amberkatze - Austria
Frangipani04 - lisbon - eu if poss
RonOren - uk - uk or eu
WelshHelen - UK
safrolistics - uk - uk if poss
cnfotp - uk - will ship surface

ldpaulson - us - us if poss
CheriePie - us - int
c-a-m - australia - australia
lapin-blanc - france -eu
.....
Withoutwings - us

Journal Entry 5 by Amberkatze from Wien Bezirk 10 - Favoriten, Wien Austria on Thursday, January 19, 2006
This arrived in the post today. I had forgotten all about this one coming so it was a nice surprise!

I am reading another ring book at the moment but will start this one when I am done with it. I hope to have it finished and posted out to the next person by sometime next week!

Journal Entry 6 by Amberkatze from Wien Bezirk 10 - Favoriten, Wien Austria on Sunday, January 22, 2006
I finished reading this the day I started it but didn't have time to post anything until now. I wasn't feeling to well on Friday so after an hour in the tram, work, another hour in the the tram I really wanted to not only curl up and be ill but finish this book!

I remembered the first few chapters because I did start reading this sometime a few years ago. I really wanted to know where the story was going because to me it seemed like everything was over already. However it was nice to know how everyone elses life carried on and what happened over the years. It upset me at times (not just crying upset but annoyed upset) but I can't really say how and why without ruining the book for everyone else.

I will say that I had some tears in my eyes at the end but I had kinda guessed that it was going to end that way. I also had a little bit of a weep when it was her 1st Anniversary.

Well I hope the rest of the people taking part in this ring enjoy the book! I have the address for Frangipani04 already so this will be going in the post tomorrow! Thank you again andthings for organising this ring!

Journal Entry 7 by Frangipani04 on Tuesday, January 31, 2006
It arrived safely yesterday! I hope to start reading it in some days!

Thanks Amberkatze!

Journal Entry 8 by Frangipani04 on Friday, March 17, 2006
I don't really know what to say about this book. It is very well written and it gets you really "glued" on to it until you get to the last pages. I was a bit surprised by the way the book begins. I was expecting that the book would be about who was the murderer, but all the suspense in this domain was "killed" right in the first pages. I usually don't like very unhappy endings, but this book had the most unhappy beginning I've ever seen!! After such a sad sad beggining, I thought "now what?" I didn't really see how the author would lead the plot. That came as a gradual surprise, as I understood that I was really getting deep into the book.

I think what we can say about this book is that the narrator has a very unique point of view.

Thanks for sharind Andthings (and sorry for keeping the book for so long!). It will be sent to RonOren on Monday.

Update on 28/03 - only today I was able to send the book. Sorry for the delay!... I hope the book makes a fast and safe journey to the UK.

Journal Entry 9 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Sunday, April 2, 2006
Had a pressie waiting for me when I got back from Mallorca! I'll polish off the book I'm in the middle of and will start on this one soonish. Thanks for getting me this one!

Journal Entry 10 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Monday, April 10, 2006
What an impressive book! I'm not one to be moved to tears easily; although I didn't actually cry, I got pretty close a few times. It's not so much the death of Susie that hurts (after all, that something you know beforehand will happen, and she does tell about it in a very detached sort of way), it's what she starts missing afterwards.

Somewhat like Frangipani04, I expected it to be a murder mystery; not that the reader would find out who murdered Susie, but that the people on Earth would figure it out. I hope I don't spoil the book for anyone by saying this didn't end up as really important.

One more thing: I really liked Hal! The only other person in the book not directly connected to Susie is Samuel, and he clearly is with the family because of Lindsey. I simply loved Hal, the tough biker-dude, playing with Buckley, for no other reason than... for what reason anyway? See what I mean?

Thank you for exposing me to such a book andthings! I'll get WelshHelen's address and send her the book ASAP.

Journal Entry 11 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Friday, April 21, 2006
Just sent it off to WelshHelen.

Journal Entry 12 by WelshHelen from Ponthenri, Wales United Kingdom on Monday, April 24, 2006
Arrived safely today. I have a ring book to finish then I'll start on this one. Thanks for shring.

Journal Entry 13 by WelshHelen from Ponthenri, Wales United Kingdom on Friday, May 5, 2006
Finshed this book about an hour ago, and it's one that's going to stay in my mind for a long time. It wasn't what I expected, or what I expected heaven to be. Susie seemed to be so melancholy, looking down on her family, knowing that it was her death which was affecting them all so much.

I loved Ray and Ruth and Ray's mother and I think the strength of this book was in the way the characters were written. It was very easy to sympathise and empathise with them... well, apart from the murderer, of course.

safrolistics has asked to be skipped so it's going into the post in the next half hour or so to cnfotp. Thank you for sharing, everyone.

Journal Entry 14 by cnfotp on Monday, May 8, 2006
Arrived today - thank you to andthings for starting the ring and WelshHelen for sending it on :)

I'll start on it right away...

Journal Entry 15 by cnfotp on Thursday, May 11, 2006
Wow. What an amazing book. On at least two occasions I was caught unawares by a sudden sob rising from my stomach. I was deeply moved by the Christmas scene between Buckley and his Dad.

Apologies for the short JE but I'm feeling pretty poorly. This book has been a good bed companion the last 2 days :)

I'm pming ldpaulson for their address and will journal again when the book is moving. Thanks again for sharing.

Journal Entry 16 by cnfotp on Tuesday, May 23, 2006
In the post today :)
~~safe travelling little book~~

Journal Entry 17 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Found in my postal box. Will join the ever-growing pile of rings and rays to be read.

Journal Entry 18 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Friday, July 28, 2006
Contacting the next reader in line.

Journal Entry 19 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Friday, July 28, 2006
I had signed up for this bookring not knowing anything other than that the book has enjoyed quite a bit of popularity. I'm glad I had no preconceptions. The story unfolded in beautifully terrifying and unexpected ways.

What a literary coup to actually *have* a sympathetic omniscent narrator.

If a book can be both brutal and poignant, then this is that brutally poignant book. It is also wholly absorbing. I read it in three sittings. There were times I wished I could pass this along immediately for friends to read, but I'm bound by this bookring.

Journal Entry 20 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Posted to the next reader in line.

Journal Entry 21 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Posted to the next reader in line.

Journal Entry 22 by CheriePie from Campbell, California USA on Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Arrived today. I've got a few other rings to read ahead of it, but I'll definitely be able to start it within the next few weeks. :)

Journal Entry 23 by CheriePie from Campbell, California USA on Friday, August 25, 2006
Though not my usual genre, this was a good read nonetheless. The story is told from the first-person viewpoint of Susie Salmon, a murdered 14 year old girl who died at the hands of a neighbor whom nobody suspects. Nobody that is, except her father who's got a nagging feeling that George Harvey is behind Susy's disappearance.

So Susie's looking down at her family and friends from heaven, watching her death split her family apart, remembering events that happened in the past, and trying as hard as she can (even though she can't affect things on earth) to point her family and the police in the right direction of her murderer. An old classmate Ruth, and former boyfriend Ray, become close, and Ruth is somewhat of a medium, able to communicate with spirits, a skill she doesn't realize she possesses until Susie brushes past her and actually touches her as her soul transcends to heaven. Ruth becomes important later in the story too with some of the things she can do.

Though I don't believe in the Christian concept of heaven, I do believe in a similar place where our souls go to await reincarnation. So I could still relate to this story just as easily as anyone else, especially since they didn't use Christian divinity concepts. As a matter of fact, Susy's heaven seemed much more like the Pagan Summerlands than what I've seen heaven portrayed as.

I've messaged c-a-m to verify she still wants this and will get it in the mail to her shortly.

UPDATE 07-SEP-2006: Mailed to c-a-m in Australia on 08-Sep-2006 via International Surface Mail.

Journal Entry 24 by rem_ATM-325045 on Sunday, September 17, 2006
Recieved today.

thankyou

<3

Journal Entry 25 by rem_ATM-325045 on Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Finished reading this book about 5 minutes ago.
Will be PMing the next person for their addy shortly.

thanks for the opportunity to read.

Journal Entry 26 by Roxxy84 at Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Got the book from a friend 2 weeks ago, will read it as soon as I've got time. This book has been on my to read list for a while so it's nice to have it here!

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