2.13 - Lovely Bones!

jenny11.9 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 08:56 AM

2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I must be the first person at work!

So many great questions - I guess we should just jump in! I like this one....

Why does Ruth become Susie's main connection to Earth? Was it accidental that Susie touched Ruth on her way up to Heaven, or was Ruth actually chosen to be Susie's emotional conduit?

nylisa Posted: Feb 13, 2003 09:58 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

Why does Ruth become Susie's main connection to Earth? - I think she does because they are of the same age and she sees what is going on still in her world even though she is gone. Also, because she was really the only one who became Ruth's friend.

Was it accidental that Susie touched Ruth on her way up to Heaven, or was Ruth actually chosen to be Susie's emotional conduit? - I think that Ruth was chosen to Susie's emotional conduit because I think that she needed someone her age to lean on while she is in heaven.

JENHOS Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:02 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I didn't think that far into that part. I didn't think she got to choose. She just touched whoever was there on her way to heaven. This is what made her be the link.

jenny11.9 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:10 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I thought so too.

I thought it was purely accidental who she brushed on her way up. And the irony was that she 'touched' a person that she would have never embraced that way before her death. I thought is was so interesting to think that your spirit may continue on with a perfect stranger – that you can transfer over to a living person like that.

(did anybody see that scary movie with Denzel Washington when he’s searching for some killer and the soul of the killer can be passed from person to person by touch? I CANNOT remember the name..but I remember the killer always sang Time Is on my side – like every time he was 'transferred') – it reminded me of that.

Suzanne Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:19 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I also think it was accidental how she brushed up against ruth..

Jenny the movie with denzel i think is called Fallen...

One thing that was strange is that Her real name was Suzanne she died 7 days before i was born and her best friend in heavens name was holly and thats my Dogs name!!! it freaked me out a little and frank thought i had lost my mind!

Sonicstef Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:22 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

The Ruth connection was my least favorite part of this book. It just reminded me that this book was complete fiction while the rest of the book had me so engrossed, I completely forget it was made up.

jenny11.9 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:28 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I liked the idea that Ruth was given an opportunity to somewhat come into her own as a result of Susie’s death.

Suzanne Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:30 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

Jenny I liked that too, and i liked that she got close to ray and they built a good friendship together..

OctBride03 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:30 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I liked the idea of the Ruth connection as well... but it was a little over done... JMO

natasha Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:33 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I didn't think it was accidental. I think Ruth was the only one who would have been able to appreciate something like that, and what it meant.

Suzanne Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:47 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

The one thing i didnt like was that her body was never found.

jenny11.9 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:47 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I didn’t think of that Natasha. That there is a bigger power involved that chooses the person that might be the most 'in tune' – so it wouldn’t be Susie’s 'choice' of people per say, but rather a god-like force that chooses where the positive will come from a negative. A birth from a death in a way.

jenny11.9 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:52 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I think her body not being found was important actually. Our searches for bodies after death – particularly murders – only seem to serve very reality based purposes. When in fact the person has spiritualized and moved forward and away from those kinds of needs (if you believe in that sort of thing). I think maybe we were supposed to understand from the outset that it wouldn’t be found. And that there was a reason for that. It would have turned it from it’s eerie, uncomfortable at times nature to something too sensationalized and too tangible. I personally felt uncomfortable through the entire book and often put it down wondering why I was reading it. But I think that was the desired effect. I kept thinking that I would 'feel' better if they found the body. I guess that’s what we are used to trying to do

JENHOS Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:57 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

Jenny I had the same thoughts while reading the book. It disturbed me on several levels. I did find comfort in how she described heaven and being able to watch your loved ones and that your heaven is filled with all the things you love.

While I realize that this was obviously only the interpretation of the author I liked the way it was described.

jenny11.9 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 10:59 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

gosh - I thought the heaven seemed terrible!

Suzanne Posted: Feb 13, 2003 11:00 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

One reason i didnt like the heaven was because she only got to see her grandfather once.. and she hadnt gotten to see her grandmother.. but i did have tears in my eyes when her dog died and he came to her heaven,..

dkga1026 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 11:08 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

Here are my thoughts - (LONG)
I agree that the Ruth part of the book didn’t work. Although I enjoyed the rest of the story, I found that the book had many flaws. For one thing, it was not written in the voice of a 14 (13?) year old. I found the narration and the author’s revelations to be meaningful and well thought out much too 'mature' for this to be believable. I also could not believe the part where the father hinted to the sister that she should go into the murder’s house to uncover info about Susie’s death – totally unbelievable. Another thing I found farfetched was her relationship with Ray. When did 2 young teenagers ever have the time to develop such a deep and lasting bond? I thought that if this part was omitted then other parts of the book (i.e. the reaction, coping and survival of the family) could have been better developed. I also thought it so strange that the mother picked up and left for 8 years to work in a winery??? I understand why she left, I just thought her story should have been better developed. Finally, the ending was too nicely wrapped up for me. It felt like the end of a sitcom. I know this sounds like I am bashing the book, but I actually did enjoy reading it. It’s just that having heard so much about it, I was expecting a ‘work of literature’ not just a good read.

nylisa Posted: Feb 13, 2003 11:08 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I liked her heaven in that it slows that everything you love appears in your heaven and that you can see everything that is going on down below in your eyes.

OctBride03 Posted: Feb 13, 2003 11:10 AM

Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!

I also wondered why she did not see her grandfather and grandmother... I guess their heaven was not the same as hers... I did however feel comforted about the whole heaven thing too...

Did this book make anyone MORE aware of the possibility of ghosts? Or am I the only one?

BTW - Well said DKGA!