Preview
  • The Lovely Bones

  • By: Alice Sebold
  • Narrated by: Alice Sebold
  • Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (2,127 ratings)

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The Lovely Bones

By: Alice Sebold
Narrated by: Alice Sebold
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Publisher's summary

Now read by the author, this edition also includes an interview with Alice Sebold and the first chapter of her new book, The Almost Moon.When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public-service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed things like that didn't happen.

In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death and her own adjustment to the strange new place where she finds herself. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets.

With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with their grief: her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor, and they begin the difficult process of healing.

This story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful and touching narrative about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

©2002 Alice Sebold (P)2007 Hachette Audio
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Critic reviews

"A stunning achievement." ( The New Yorker)
"A keenly observed portrait of familial love...a deeply affecting meditation on the ways in which terrible pain...can be redeemed." ( The New York Times)
"A personal and artistic triumph." ( Time)

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What listeners say about The Lovely Bones

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent Story - Poor Narration

This is an excellent story though the author should not have been the narrator. As we all know, narrators bring the entertainment value to the books, but this author explained in the beginning she likes reading her books a loud before she publishes so apparently feels she is qualified to narrate to the masses. I have to say though that the story is excellent, the entertainment value was hurt by her desire to not pay a good narrator.

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56 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Book

This is my second time with this book, though the first time I think was a different reader, I enjoyed it thoroughly in every way.

I appreciated the neutral reading by the author though many here seem to have disliked it. After I listed to The Lovely Bones I heard Stephen King's Under the Dome wherein the reader literally performed the entire book, with exaggerated accents and interpretations that weren't necessarily in the writing.

Having experienced the two extremes side-by-side, I much prefer Siebold's low-key approach.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

An OK Listen, but Could Be Better Read

This book starts off with a real bang, but fades off into sentimentality about two thirds of the way through. It is not helped by the fact that the author reads the book. With a few notable exceptions (e.g., Neil Gamin), I find that authors are not the best readers of their own work. That is the case here. While the author's monotone has a certain charm, it also has a certain sedative effect. I enjoyed the book, but it is not great fiction nor great reading.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Truly Beautiful Tragedy

The book itself was an amazing work of art. Alice Sebold is an amazing writer. Her narrating, on the other hand, needs a little bit of work. I felt she needed to bring more emotion to the words she was reading. The Lovely Bones is an extremely emotional book that contains both beautiful and tragic moments. A narrator who specializes in going back and forth between these two would have been more preferable.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Please get a reader

Not the best narrator. The author needs to let it go to a pro. sometimes it was hard to know who was speaking because everything was in the same monotone. I liked the story...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting tale from a dead girl's point of view

What made the experience of listening to The Lovely Bones the most enjoyable?

I bought this book to listen to during my drive to a funeral. It was an interesting perspective of a dead girl watching what her family did after she went missing and what the afterlife might be like. I most enjoyed the suspense of the story and it was a proverbial page-turner.

Any additional comments?

The author narrates this book and other people have commented on it. I thought she was fine - sort of like an author book-reading. She is somewhat monotonous and uses a similar tone for the characters, but has a good sense of when to pause and the story is easy to follow.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This book touched me.

I am a believer and this was the best book I have ever read. Written exquisitely and made me feel every moment. Thank you.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting take on the afterlife

This is great story and I listened twice. I know Alice wanted to read this herself but I think she might should have hired someone for that. Thankfully, it didn't matter. I enjoyed her vision of the bonds between the loved one passed and those that loved her.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting book, bad narration

I read how so many ppl said the author was a bad narrator and took away from the book but I decided to try it anyway. The book was pretty good, a unique perspective and written in an unorthodox way but the other reviewers were right. The author isn't the best narrator for this. She is ok for narrating what Susie says but is bad at any of the dialogue between other characters

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I very much liked the narration

I don't agree with the others who didn't care for the narrator. I really thought the author's narration added to the story. I got a little lost toward the end of the book, but I thought this was a very touching story. It left me wanting more at the end, but it wrapped up beautifully.

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