Totally agree with the voice of the book. I actually didn’t like the 'writing' of this book at all. Not to say I am not happy I read it. It was an interesting idea. A different perspective, and I guess in many ways, somewhat inspirational. But the sound of Susie …..I don’t know. It seemed like the voice was too mature
michele31
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
This book is not an easy read. It actually 'hurt' when she was being murdered and knowing that her family was devastated. The truth is many families have lived through this for real. Look at that pregnant women Lacy in CA. She was supposed to have her baby the other day. Her family might never know the truth about what happened to her.
What I found so fascinating was how Susie watched from above, and as she become more 'okay' with what happened to her, so did her family. She needed Ruth in order to move past what her life 'should' have been. I think we all feel that if we were to die today, there would be sooo many things we would miss out on. I am not sure if you can 'live' through another person or not, but I can see why Susie needed to.
JENHOS
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
Well said Michele!!!
Octbride-I have always thought about this ghost thing and the book spraked lots more thoughts about it. Since my mom passed I beleive in it even more. I could tell you stories that would give you goose bumps...But that is a whole different thread.
Jenny what was terrible about the Heaven? The grandparent thing was a bit strange. But to be surrounded by everything that you loved forever? I think that sounds good. And if I could look down on my loved ones all the time.....I hope my relatives that have passed can see me all the time and that they have all the things that made them happy in life.
I also have to agree with Michele that it seemed as she became comfortable with what happened it helped her family deal and start to move on.
jenny11.9
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
It made me upset that people came and went in the heaven. I know that sounds really immature, but it felt so extremely sad that she sort of had to keep losing people (the way people had lost her) every day there. Even though she accepted it, I felt it came as sort of a surprise to her that it worked that way. I think I was overly sentimental when reading the book though- I read it right after my wedding, going into the holidays, had been so overwhelmed with so much generosity and love that I felt so incredibly close to my family. Any kind of separation or sorrow just was breaking my heart. I think the heaven isn’t anything I ever imagined. Or maybe I realized that I had never taken the time to imagine what would be an ideal heaven. I think for me it would be to never know that I was gone.
natasha
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
Let's talk about how the family dealt with her lost.
I felt for the father. I could understand his pain especially since he knew deep down in his heart who killed his daughter; and the person lives down the block.
I was disappointed with the mother. I understood her pain, but I felt she was very selfish. In most of her actions, she only considered herself. As her result of her actions, she caused more suffering to her children.
JENHOS
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
But if you never knew you were gons then what would be your existence? Since you wouldn't be existing on earth or in heaven.
I think about this all the time since my mom died. I wonder if she can see me, is she with her parents and sister and our dog that she adored.
While the ruth thing was a bit strange did it not make sense that we have the chance to touch our loved ones and maybe help them through the loss of ourselves?
JENHOS
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
Did anyone else not like how the book ended?
nylisa
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
I give with you. I totally felt for the father. I thought that even though he was going after his daughter's killer that he still was the backbone of the father. Someone needed to be after the mother just left. After the father got attacked, I think that the Grandma then became the backbone. What do you think?
jenny11.9
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loved Grandma!
michele31
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I will say that I hope everyday that my grandparents are waiting for me in Heaven- whatever heaven is. I think she was given different things in Heaven to help her through her own lose. I do believe that as she came to accept her death, she was able to move more freely and see people more easily in Heaven.
The family- how does one deal with something like this? Some families change laws because of their grief, think of Meagan's law, others sleep for days and wish the world would end, while others like John Walsh fight back the only way they know how- by spending time with others who suffer the same hell. And then there are those, who never deal with it. The people who just go on day in and day out as if to feel nothing, but in reality cannot even breath without something inside hurting. I honestly and truly do not know which person I would be if this God fordid happened in my life. I know I would obess over it and I would want to hunt down this mad man but in the end, you have to make a choice- move on with life or die.
jenny11.9
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
Interesting how this ties into Topping from Below Michele!
Sonicstef
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
What I thought was interesting in a good way is that Susie never alludes to a God but she does have a heaven. Sort of disentangling the two theories which are so closely bound in most peoples minds. If I had to make a guess, I think the Alice Sebold is an atheist.
jenny11.9
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I would agree stef. I like that idea as well. It was a spin on tradition.
Becky
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
I actually liked the Ruth connection to the extent that it showed how profoundly one simple act on earth can affect the life of another person. But I thought it was over done and I was very disappointed when Suzie suddenly 'entered' Ruth's body to experience sex. It made me think of the chapter in Jane Eyre when Jane 'hears and sees' Mr. Rochester calling her and stumbling around blind. A little to much. I could not suspend reality enough to buy into the idea of a spirit possessing a human body.
I actually liked her heaven and the idea that as she became more comfortable in her heaven, it expanded and she began to see more people she had known in life. I understood her heaven to be a place where she would see her grandparents freely, once she was ready to.
yabbobay
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
I really did not like this book at all...while I thought the idea was interesting...
I agree with many of the points that dkg brought up...especially that this was not the voice of a 13 year old...and I don't buy that she matured in heaven. I feel sebold was trying to prove to the reading audience that she is intelligent
sebold may not be your traditional Christian, but I definitely don't think she is an atheist...maybe agnostic...and I think this is the main reason I could not relate to the book - therefore didn't like it...but was hard for me to imagine susies heaven, as a non-Christian....and that is what makes a book...the reader can see what the author is imagining...
while I was reading it...I felt trapped in a children's book...
112903
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Re: 2.13 - Lovely Bones!
While I enjoyed the book I must say it kept going back and forth alive/dead/alive and so on that I did find my self reading certain sections over again. Has anyone else found this also?
