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The Lovely Bones cover art

The Lovely Bones

By: Alice Sebold
Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
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Summary

More than 2 million copies sold by Picador, more than 8 million around the world - now a film by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, Heavenly Creatures)

My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. My murderer was a man from our neighborhood. My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once about fertilizer.

This is Susie Salmon. Watching from heaven, Susie sees her happy suburban family devastated by her death, isolated even from one another as they each try to cope with their terrible loss alone. Over the years, her friends and siblings grow up, fall in love, do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But life is not quite finished with Susie yet . . . The Lovely Bones is a luminous and astonishing novel about life and death, forgiveness and vengeance, memory and forgetting - but, above all, about finding light in the darkest of places.

"A stunning achievement." ( The New Yorker)
"A novel that is painfully fine and accomplished." ( Los Angeles Times)
©2002 Alice Sebold (P)2002 Recorded Books LLC
Coming of Age Literary Fiction Crime Fiction Mystery
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Critic reviews

"Spare, beautiful and brutal prose . . . The Lovely Bones is compulsive enough to read in a single sitting, brilliantly intelligent, elegantly constructed and ultimately intriguing." ( The Times)
‘This is a wonderful book, served well by a beautiful narration. It has pathos, drama and subtlety. It comes with a warning, however, it might not be a good idea to listen to it while driving as that becomes a dangerous exercise when tears are streaming down your cheeks.’ ( Material Witness.com)
‘It’s an astonishingly real and poignant portrayal of a broken family, and Alyssa Bresnahan’s narration is remarkable for its sensitivity.’ ( The Observer.)
‘Aside from its compulsive plot, exhaustive exploration of grief and avowed rejection of the false resolution offered by most murder mysteries, Sebold’s novel is a great read because the voice of its teenage narrator is so completely convincing. And in American Alyssa Bresnahan’s soft, slightly wry reading, you get the full intimacy of that voice. The murder, too, becomes more shockingly invasive in this format.’ ( Time Out)
The Lovely Bones Audio book was also reviewed on ( Open Book Radio 4.) It was described as having ‘a lot of attitude…a wonderful concept…chilling… and simply fabulous.’
‘Impressive for its careful telling.’ ( Sunday Times Culture)

What listeners say about The Lovely Bones

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Audible.co.uk reviews

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jean

breathtaking

The book so very different to what I expected. I expected it to be sad and full of sorrow, as it told the murder of a young girl. I was mistaken.It was truly wonderful how the author told the 'dead' years of a pre pubescant girl, who was robbed of her fruitful years of love for her family, and first boyfriend. But the joy it lead onto, to conclude and wholly complete the story. I wept, talked back, and laughed throughout the story. What a joy, thank you Alice Sebold.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Charon Nix

Quack,honk,sqwawk,squeak, rasp...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Sadly, no. Imagine a constipated frog with a sore throat doing a Donald duck impersonation after inhaling some helium and you might have some idea of what it's like to listen to Alyssa Brenan for nearly a day. Her voice is truly awful her "acting" is dreadful and she just doesn't have enough distinct voices for the many characters in this book . Ruined an otherwise beautiful and moving story.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

See above ...

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Nadia

Lovely Bones

Great book but reader has a really annoying voice.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for H.C

Thoroughly enjoyed this audio!

I read this book 7 years ago and loved it. I've been looking forward to reading it again and just devoured the audio. 5/5 stars

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Sarah

beautiful and sad

lovely book beautiful, sad and different.
Definitely recommend, for an interesting read.
Good voice acting by Alyssa Bresnahan.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Alison Miller

confronting and comforting all at once

The narration is not the best but the story shines through. A tear jerker but a great book

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for robert

Lovely book!

I loved this book! Convincingly and sensitively read, the story haunted me for three days. I had to ration my listening - the temptation to complete the story in one session was very strong indeed. Never having \"read\" the book previously, I found the storyline startlingly emotive: charged with a childlike intensity yet delivered with a calm detachment which I found at once inspiring and unnerving. This is a story which requires very little suspension of one's disbelief. Though I found some of the final sections a little \"romantic\", I cannot, in all honesty, rate this super book at fewer than 5 stars.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for CA Weir

I'm hooked....

One of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a long time...and i've listened to hundreds. A haunting yet beautiful story superbly narrated...

I'm a couple of hours left to go and savouring every second.

If you're reading this don't even hesitate to download.

C

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12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Lynda

a beautiful piece of prose

This is a wonderful book which I read several years ago. I love the audio version even more. Alyssa does a wonderful job of the narration and really brings the book and the characters to life. Thank you Audible

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Anonymous User

It’s amazing

The heart breaking story truly does capture the readers attention and take them down a route of emotion.

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