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samdalefox 's review for:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
2.0
mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

It's a no from me. Boring. Short review with no content spoilers.
 

Personally, this book did not interest me at all. It focuses predominantly upon a grieving family and how they all come to terms and learn to live with loss of a loved one. I don't think it was particularly insightful, beyond an obvious, but well described portrayal of a woman trapped by society's strict role of motherhood. The narrator is telling the story from the point of view from heaven, which again, I didn't not find novel or interesting. There is a lot of 'fluff' or 'filler' material that doesn't drive forward the plot, because essentially there is no plot, which I suppose is an accurate representation of the emotional healing it's trying to explore. The murder investigation and subplot following the murderer is very much an afterthought and underwhelming. I honestly do not understand why people emotionally connect with this book. It strikes me as someone who hasn't experienced this level of trauma, trying to romanticise it. It was honestly, so boring.