YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

The Lovely Bones is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder -- a murder recounted by the teenage victim. Upsetting, you say? Remarkably, first-time novelist Alice Sebold takes this difficult material and delivers a compelling and accomplished exploration of a fractured family's need for peace and closure.

The details of the crime are laid out in the first few pages: from her vantage point in heaven, Susie Salmon describes how she was confronted by the murderer one December afternoon on her way home from school. Lured into an underground hiding place, she was raped and killed. But what the reader knows, her family does not. Anxiously, we keep vigil with Susie, aching for her grieving family, desperate for the killer to be found and punished.

Sebold creates a heaven that's calm and comforting, a place whose residents can have whatever they enjoyed when they were alive -- and then some. But Susie isn't ready to release her hold on life just yet, and she intensely watches her family and friends as they struggle to cope with a reality in which she is no longer a part. To her great credit, Sebold has shaped one of the most loving and sympathetic fathers in contemporary literature.

Tana--if you see this, I've finished the read and can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!

(view spoiler)[My review is here. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ i really adore the ways Alice sebold made this story unique. The fact that from page one we know what happened to susie and who killed her, while still maintaining that mystery for the rest of the characters, was well done and is not something I've seen before. It helps bring hinge the fact that sometimes, we don't get the answers we seek. Sometimes life just goes on. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ some of the build up during the second half had me really worried one of susies family was going to die. of course eventually they did, i know that, but I'm glad it didn't happen for us to see where i thought it might (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ it's so weird to think about loved ones who have passed on looking down on us the way Susie does. Like...i know i have done some things I wouldn't want my loved ones seeing. I'm sure Susie saw some things she wishes she hadn't. It was interesting to read this (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[i love love love that the foreshadowing on the ice asa weapon happened!!! (hide spoiler)]

Elizabeth wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I thought she had the perfect blend of suspense and mystery. I agree with you, she knows how to keep us engaged throughout the book. She makes us think about the situation and how we can learn from the book. (hide spoiler)]

Elizabeth wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I thought the story building was great. I liked the fact that she brought the faith aspect into the book, as Susie was watching over her family, while the killer was still out there. (hide spoiler)]

Elizabeth wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I think all of loved one once they have passed are looking down on us because they want to protect from any harm even though they are not physically here, but that is just my opinion. (hide spoiler)]

Elizabeth wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Hell yeah! The best weapon is ice!! (hide spoiler)]

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Date Changed. Restarting February 11th 2016. Happy Reading ☺

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Thank you :)

(Just commenting to get notifs )

I will join you guys in Feb!

I'm starting! Hopefully it won't be a drag!

Same!

End of chapter 1
(view spoiler)[Yikes, I would definitely question following an old man somewhere... And he gave me the creeps. I was so disgusted. (hide spoiler)]

[Chapter 1]
(view spoiler)[Oh wow! That wasn't creepy aaaat all!!! >.< (hide spoiler)]

I'll be starting this a day late because I'm behind on a book that needs to be reviewed by tomorrow.

will join you guys for this :)

Christina wrote: "Same!

End of chapter 1
[spoilers removed]"

Ditto

Chapter 1

(view spoiler)[Okay, so from the moment that man said "Don't let me startle you." I knew he was bad news. That's just creepy. (hide spoiler)]

Great start though.

Chapter 2 (view spoiler)["my mother's eyes were oceans, and inside them there was loss" this was a beautiful quote (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[I feel sad for Suzie's father :( (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4 (view spoiler)[did he cut her body? >.< (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ this Harvey is so creepy.. Sophie or Leah? which one was his wife? could they be his victims?!! (hide spoiler)]

Through Chapter 4

(view spoiler)[The fact that this man feels no remorse is sickening. I feel like her focus on this man is so intense that her father is now drawn to him too. I hope that because of the charm he kept, they find out that he's responsible. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[Gosh that was just cruel to stuff her body parts in a safe and dispose of it.. He must've done this before (hide spoiler)]

End of chapter 9
(view spoiler)[Ginny and Lindsey's grandma is quite interesting. It's just very sad that so many lives are affected by one death. Why is George Harvey sticking around? What a sick man (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[awww! Ray and Ruth <3 love this quote i'm down there waiting, I'm up here watching (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[so Harvey's mom was killed in front of him by his father, horrible! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[I can't believe Harvey came to the Suzie's funeral (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10 (view spoiler)[it's really painful to read her reflecting what happened to her to what everyone is experiencing (hide spoiler)]

Christina wrote: "End of chapter 9
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[the grandma is what kept this family together and she's really awesome.. (hide spoiler)]

Ending thoughts (view spoiler)[I nearly cried reading the last line.. Even if I thought it's a bit too fantasy but the emotional turmoil these peoples' lives were going through, I can't help but feel really sad..

I'm glad Lindsey got a happy ending with a great guy and a baby girl named after Suzie.. Glad her parents got back together & Suzie got her night with Ray and ultimately Ruth and Ray ending up together.. satisfying (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 12
(view spoiler)[I can't believe her mother is cheating with Len and she has to watch it happen... And add that to the fact she doesn't believe George Harvey had anything to do with Susie's death (hide spoiler)]

End of chapter 14
(view spoiler)[Lindsey was seen by Harvey! That man is a nightmare. She was so brave to break into his house and find evidence. So proud of her.

It's comforting that Susie can speak with other victims in her heaven (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 16 (Snapshots)
(view spoiler)[So the stupid mother left her family after she committed adultery. Ugh

Took 3 years to find Susies body and then another 5 for it to be connected to her case!!
(hide spoiler)]

Ending
(view spoiler)[So George Harvey got killed by an icicle. Well good riddance at least and no more victims. It was sick how he slept next to a dead girls grave. He's one twisted man.

I found the scene where Susie possessed Ruth's body a little weird, especially how accepting Ray was (hide spoiler)]

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Reading from May 3rd 2016

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I really am a little apprehensive about reading this book because I know it's gonna be a tear jerker... but I do know it's gonna be so much better than the movie...

Starting!

Chapter 1

(view spoiler)[ Omg, it was already a difficult chapter to read. I've watched the movie, and I don't know why I've never suspected that he raped her, I thought he was just a maniac who liked to kill girls. Maybe they didn't explain this in the movie because it would be pretty heavy? I think they should've. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 4 (view spoiler)[.So different. It's like working backwards in a sense since we already know who did it. (hide spoiler)]

Starting....

Starting.

Chapter 1: (view spoiler)[ I absolutely love the creepy writing style and how true the author is to the voice of a girl of that age. I also like How detailed the book is; especially the details about heaven. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3: (view spoiler)[ I really like seeing the flashbacks of when she was a little girl and what she did and like to do. Seeing her passion for photography and the fact that she liked building ships with her father is really cool as it helps me connect with her as a person and empathise. I also really like seeing her point of view as she observes things happening on earth and as she tries to move on herself. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4: (view spoiler)[ I can't believe he would even talk to her father knowing full well that he killed Susie! What kind of a person is he? Well, to be fair, I guess that was answered early on in the book. Still… (hide spoiler)]

21% end of chapter 6: (view spoiler)[ the dad made me cry... How do you really explain to a 4 yo his big sister is dead? I feel so bad for Lindsay too she is grieving and has no one to really help her with that. (hide spoiler)]

Cinthia wrote: "21% end of chapter 6: [spoilers removed]"

I know! (view spoiler)[I also felt horrible when the dad broke all of the ships. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7: (view spoiler)[That story about her saving her brother almost made me cry! It was absolutely beautiful. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 8: that was quite a short chapter. (view spoiler)[Liked seeing into his mind and past. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14: (view spoiler)[I really like their grandma and what she has brought to the family. Seeing Susie's growth in heaven is also a very interesting thing as I enjoy seeing how she grieves for her family while still growing herself. I also enjoy seeing Lindsey, Buckley, and her dad grow as people too. The love her dad has for her is so touching. (hide spoiler)]

Tayane wrote: "Chapter 1

[spoilers removed]"

I should go back and watch the movie as I saw it when I was really little and didn't understand much. (view spoiler)[If they didn't explain that part, they definitely should have as it's an integral part to the story. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 16: (view spoiler)[Reading this is bitter sweet because I like seeing Lindsey and Buckley grow, but I don't like the effect her death had on her parents. I feel like the pacing is better now. (hide spoiler)]

Finished: I really liked the book.

67% (view spoiler)[ jeez!! Whose foot is it now. Damn Harvey I can't believe he got away. If only the police would've have a closer eye on him. (hide spoiler)]

Pg 298. (view spoiler)[ what a creep. How does he go back to the neighborhood and not get caught? (hide spoiler)]