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The Lovely Bones Audiobook
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(3.00) - 854,940 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."
So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.
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"I have seen the movie but never read the book for this story. At first, I had a hard time listening to Alice Sebold narrate. I found her voice a bit grating in the beginning. But, as the story went on, I began to enjoy it more and more. I am glad that I stuck with it and know that I will listen to it again. "
— April (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Careful and courageous, original and profound, The Lovely Bones spins the most painful subject imaginable into pure gold.”
— Karen Joy Fowler -
“Such is the author’s skill that from the first page the premise seems utterly believable.”
— New Yorker -
“Sebold has taken a grim, media-exploited subject and fashioned from it a story that is both tragic and full of light and grace.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Teens will immediately be drawn into this account of a girl who…tells her story from ‘heaven.’”
— School Library Journal
Awards
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Winner of the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel
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A #1 New York Times bestseller
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A #1 USA Today bestseller
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Recipient of the Barnes & Noble Discover Award
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Recipient of the 2005 Abraham Lincoln Award
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A 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year
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The 2003 American Bookseller Association Book of the Year for Adult Fiction
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New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books, 2002
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A 2002 Time Magazine Top 10 Book for Fiction
The Lovely Bones Listener Reviews
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" The ending could have been better.... "
— Laura, 2/20/2014 -
" Definitely a disturbing read, but like "Room," it's handled with sensitivity and insight. "
— Holly, 2/13/2014 -
" Disturbind, interesting, love, sad "
— Rubi5, 2/6/2014 -
" The book is even better than the movie "
— Marieke, 1/31/2014 -
" A great book. Afterlife. But also ugliness in human sin "
— Deon, 1/22/2014 -
" Pretty creepy for my 8th grade self to read. Very good book, teaches you life skills and how a young girl should think ahead and be guarded in modern society "
— Dana, 1/17/2014 -
" I just can't make myself finish this book. "
— Kris, 1/11/2014 -
" I liked the ending, it kept me thinking. "
— Mayra, 1/8/2014 -
" Disturbing...but well written. "
— Michelle, 12/31/2013 -
" Wow some haters out there, I loved it and I loved the film. Perhaps I didn't care about a plot or the grammar or the descriptions and just went with it, just let myself go in it. Lovely bones, lovely story, I hope my heaven is like that! "
— Ian, 12/20/2013 -
" This is one of my favorite books. "
— Danielle, 12/17/2013 -
" I loved how it was written. and although it was sad it had an inspiring message of love triumphing over all "
— Aimee, 12/14/2013 -
" Some people won't pick this book up because it deals with a girl who is murdered. That's their loss. "
— Judi, 12/10/2013 -
" Good read, hard to put down. Emotional. "
— Angelina, 12/5/2013 -
" Great book - unnerving but well written and intriguing. "
— Nancy, 11/17/2013 -
" I have a tough time reading book where horrible things happen to children, so I couldn't finish it. "
— Dougj, 8/15/2013 -
" Hmmmm.... I didn't love this book or hate it. I think the perspective that it was written from was a neat idea. However, the book is so depressing most of the time. I think my opinion on this one is indifferent. "
— Tracy, 7/6/2013 -
" One of the best mysteries I ever read it was more than a mystery it was heart wrenching. "
— Diane, 3/10/2013 -
" Quite good writing for a first novel. I did enjoy it (audiobook) "
— Suresh, 1/24/2013 -
" Why? Why do I have two copies of this? Why did I read this even though I *knew* I wouldn't like it? Why? Why? Why? This was my first book of 2013. I guess I wanted something different. I got it and remembered why I don't like books like this. "
— Chandra, 1/4/2013 -
" Great book. Not the case with the movie. "
— Alice, 11/25/2012 -
" Read the first chapter and promptly returned the book. DID NOT LIKE. "
— Geme393, 10/1/2012 -
" Loved the book. Movie sucked though. "
— Paris, 9/14/2012 -
" It was good up until the strange supernatural body possession part "
— Elle, 8/26/2012 -
" OK. It was actually really bad. "
— Autumn, 6/20/2012 -
" This book was good, but it made me cry! I couldn't stand some of the dark scenes. I felt like yelling "Run!" while I was reading it, but of course, that didn't help any. It was so much better than the movie. But that is the case with most movies based on books. "
— Laura, 5/12/2012 -
" I didn't hate the book as it seems a lot of others did. I found it to be a pretty decent read, with no major faults. "
— Samara, 2/25/2012 -
" I thought it was very well done and well-written all until the ending when it all became this muddled mess. "
— George, 2/24/2012 -
" Intriguing point of view, very insightful. "
— Ms.Feldmann, 6/30/2011 -
" Would have gotten four stars had it not been for the ending. "
— Allison, 6/30/2011 -
" The book was much better than the movie. Such a sad story. I read this in my early 20's before having kids. I think now that I am a mom I couldn't read it again! "
— Tracy, 6/30/2011 -
" This is one of those books that I assumed I wouldn't like --sexual abuse and murder being sort of difficult to be enthusiastic about but, oddly and beautifully, this is somehow more about hope and is funny as well as painful "
— Oceansofie, 6/29/2011 -
" This is a great book, ruined by a far to whimsical movie. "
— Frances, 6/29/2011 -
" I could not finish this book. Almost everyone I've talked to who had read the book loved it. Maybe I will go back someday and try again but for now my too read list is way too long. "
— Kalin, 6/28/2011 -
" I wish I had never read this book. It creeps in and settles like darkness. Disturbing, and yet I couldn't put it down. It is well written with many graphic details that I couldn't seem to get out of my mind. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with children. "
— Misty, 6/28/2011 -
" yuk. hated it. I'm left with some disturbing images of a little girl being raped and killed and though the middle of the book did get a little better the ending was stupid. What a waste of time. "
— Kathryn, 6/26/2011 -
" Great book, next going to read Lucky. I saw the movie before reading the book and found them very different, of course I like the book better! "
— Cortni, 6/26/2011 -
" I didn't think it was possible for a book to be even worse than a movie. <br/>I was wrong. <br/> "
— Ang, 6/26/2011 -
" Well written. A good read if a little challenging for those who aren't that comfortable with the concept of death. "
— Maryanne, 6/26/2011 -
" This book was really good.I couldn't put it down. "
— Tamara, 6/24/2011 -
" I liked the beginning but the ending was a little bland. "
— Jenn, 6/24/2011 -
" Some parts were a bit precious, but the overall story was good. Sad and good. "
— Ellen, 6/24/2011
About Alice Sebold
Alice Sebold is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Lovely Bones, The Almost Moon, and Lucky, a memoir. She won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel in 2002 and the ABA Book of the Year Award in 2003, both for The Lovely Bones. The book was also made into a movie starring Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, and Saoirse Ronan. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, the University of Houston, and the University of California, Irvine.