Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

53 reviews

mrslarsen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There's few books that'll likely stick with you in the way Susie Salmon has stayed with me.

I originally saw the movie first, and was compelled to read the book. The book is a bit more graphic than the movie as to what happened to her, and it makes it all the more emotional.

We travel a cycle of grief, pain, and injustice of the world. We travel also through Susie's anger, loss, and the uncounted victims of one serial criminal so close by under everyone's nose. Despite tackling a grand multitude of emotions and topics, the book caresses each one gracefully and with care. 

The icicle will bite back. The ending will make you feel a bittersweet justice, as you remember a story from early on. These sorts of people, always get it one way or another. Even if we do not understand God's plan for everything.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Child death, Death, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

aliciamarvinetz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Child death, Death, Grief, and Stalking

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Pregnancy, Animal death, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, and Injury/injury detail

rainbowpridepin's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Pedophilia, Grief, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Minor: Racism

katiej's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Interesting read, can understand why some people really enjoy this and why it is often studied in school. 

Felt the writing was a bit confusing at times and went off on a tangent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Grief, Child death, and Death

hrserrano's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Medical trauma, Rape, Child death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Animal death and Pregnancy

madmichele's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

this was so heartbreaking. really really good, but heartbreaking. 

I really liked the choice in perspective & I love how it dealt with

Spoiler

susie’s mortal life as well as her journey beyond.

after reading this & seeing the movie - I like both versions but I prefer the book. saorise was absolutely phenomenal in the movie and I loved her as susie

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Child abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Injury/injury detail, Grief, Death, Child death, and Sexual content

ann40's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Child death, Grief, and Murder

ronniek's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Pedophilia, and Child death

Minor: Animal death

loggskywalker's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Super sad idea but great execution!! Makes you think about loved ones who have passed away! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, and Pedophilia

juleskr02's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

i wanted to love this book. i really did. however beautiful the beginning and end were, what filled the middle section of the novel moved at such an odd pace i found myself often bored and uninterested. alice sebold is able to connect heaven and earth in such a unique fashion, which is fun to read about. however, i wasn’t a fan of her vernacular and use of run-on sentences, as they left me often confused.

i have always loved the movie, but this is one book where i enjoyed the movie adaptation a lot better than the novel. i think the murder was so well written, but it happened so quickly, that everything that came after it had so much unmet potential in terms of entertaining writing. 

i will say though the middle chunks of the book were quite dull, i enjoyed experiencing ruth’s and ray’s relationship and their conversations about susie, as well as the family dynamic after losing a member. there were many highlights but not enough to save the overall enjoyment of this novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, and Child death

Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape