Book Discussion: The Lovely Bones

[GODDESS6]

i'm buying a copy tonite, i'll read the chapters over the weekend~ the lady at border's said it was a great book~

[GODDESS6]

i finally got my copy, border's had it in hard back in their bargin bin for 6.00~ i read the 1st 5 & can't wait for the discussion!!!~

[skcin]

Bumping this thread up for tomorrow's discussion.

[Rickypt]

Can't wait! I purposefully slowed down reading so I could discuss the appropriate chapters.

[GODDESS6]

Originally Posted by Betsy

I got the first 5 chapters re-read last night. I don't know how you guys run this discussion...but I am happy you're going to let me be a part of it. (You are, aren't you? LOL)

Did anyone have a problem with the main character's name.... Susie Salmon?

salmon is a bit funny i thought too~ i love her little brothers name buckley tho~

[JazmenFlowers]

ok. this book has been an easy read for sure. it hasn't quite captivated me the way I expected it to, but it's very good. I love the way the author writes, but I find myself getting lost in the narrative sometimes. like when she goes from talking about her heaven (which, by the way, irks me that she always refers to it as my heaven...I'd like to see a little variation) to talking about her family to talking about the kids at school. sometimes, I get lost and have to back up. I don't like the name "Salmon" at all, but I'm hoping it plays a part later.

[skcin]

How dare you try to join our very private book discussion, Betsy! You have some nerve lady.


Of course you're welcome to join us! This is the first time we've done anything like this, so it's new to all of us.

I guess your question about her name can get us started. The answer to your question is yes! I was like "Salmon? Really? Why not Trout or Bass then?" I typically don't love double initials either, so yeah, it bugs me a bit. And Susie - I guess it was still a somewhat common name in the 70's when the novel takes place, but still. Perhaps the author wanted to imply that she was very normal, very plain, a "regular" girl. Ann or Jane probably could have worked too. But then, there aren't good fish names to go with those names. I guess she didn't want to use a really exotic name. Like Paula.

Plus, it's a good name to allude to her age & mindset with - her comment that she wanted to go by Susan next year in high school - the fact that Susie was still being used lets us know how innocent & childish she still was in some aspects of her life, still a kid in many ways.

It's obvious that at 14, she was still very naive. Also, very trustful & respectful (and a bit afraid?) of her elders, which I think had much to do with the reason why she went with Mr. Harvey. It's like she didn't want to offend him, or seem disrespectful.

I love the idea of "my heaven." And the fact that everyone's is different, but they can overlap/ fit together. I'm struck by the fact that she hasn't seen any family members who've already passed. Maybe she will later in the book. Love that you can deciede how it looks, how it smells, etc.

The writing really gets to me. "Mr. Harvey wore his innocence like a comfortable old coat." Her mother bracing herself to hear "inconsequential details that others investing meaning in." (So what? So you found her book? That doesn't mean anything!) There was a riot inside My. Harevy, but it is calm. Very descriptive (a piss poor word, I know, but it's all I can think of. I really need a thesaurus.)

[Rickypt]

I found a pretty big error in the book, but I forgot to bring it with me today to point it out. I'll describe it tomorrow.

I'm really enjoying the book. I am troubled by the "heaven" Susie is in. Like Paula, I thought she'd be reunited with deceased family members. That is the "other side" that I'm hoping exists if there is one. Instead, she has an "intake counselor" (which means that we have jobs when we die, yuck). I also don't know what I think about the fact that she's so focused on what happened to her and wanting Harvey to be caught. I'd like to believe that the minute our soul leaves the body, we really don't care about such things. Perhaps we'll find later in the book that she does let go.

I'm particularly intrigued by Ruth and how she fits in with all of this.

Finally, I wonder if the story would be more interesting if we didn't know right off that bat who committed the crime, and that it was more of a murder mystery narrated by Susie. I can't decided--what do others think?

[GODDESS6]

so far i am loving it & had to restrain myself from going further than chapter 5~ i was uncomfortable w/ the subject matter of how susie died, maybe because a friend of mine's daughter was killed in a similar fashion in real life sans the hole, it was so real for me & that was sad~ i got teary eyed when susie's father was trying to explain to her little brother buckley that she was dead~ i too wondering about "susie's heaven", why there were no one from her family to greet her when she passes~ the intake person fanny reminded me of the lady helping the couple realize they were dead in "beetlejuice", i'm sorry, but she was the 1st person i thought of~ i do love how the writer writes, i like her description of things, i like a book that you can imagine it playing like a film in your head~

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

Finally, I wonder if the story would be more interesting if we didn't know right off that bat who committed the crime, and that it was more of a murder mystery narrated by Susie. I can't decided--what do others think?

honestly, this is the main motivating factor for me to read the book. I'm like you...I think there was too much told at the beginning. I could change my mind a few chapters from now though.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

I'm really enjoying the book. I am troubled by the "heaven" Susie is in. Like Paula, I thought she'd be reunited with deceased family members. That is the "other side" that I'm hoping exists if there is one. Instead, she has an "intake counselor" (which means that we have jobs when we die, yuck). I also don't know what I think about the fact that she's so focused on what happened to her and wanting Harvey to be caught. I'd like to believe that the minute our soul leaves the body, we really don't care about such things. Perhaps we'll find later in the book that she does let go.

I'm particularly intrigued by Ruth and how she fits in with all of this.

Finally, I wonder if the story would be more interesting if we didn't know right off that bat who committed the crime, and that it was more of a murder mystery narrated by Susie. I can't decided--what do others think?

1 - Wondering if it's another nod to her age - perhaps if she had been killed when she were older, she would be more at peace? Or, because it was a violent death & her family is in so much pain, she just can't let it go yet?

Originally Posted by GODDESS6

so far i am loving it & had to restrain myself from going further than chapter 5~ i was uncomfartable w/ the subject matter of how susie died, maybe because a friend of mine's daughter was killed in a similar fashion in real life sans the hole, it was so real for me & that was sad~ i got teary eyed when susie's father was trying to explain to her little brother buckley that she was dead~ i too wondering about "susie's heaven", why there were no one from her family to greet her when she passes~ the intake person fanny reminded me of the lady helping the couple realize they were dead in "beetlejuice", i'm sorry, but she was the 1st person i thought of~ i do love how the writer writes, i like her description of things, i like a book that you can imagine it playing like a film in your head~

That's awful.

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

honestly, this is the main motivating factor for me to read the book. I'm like you...I think there was too much told at the beginning. I could change my mind a few chapters from now though.

I know what you guys mean, but I think the author may have done it this way on purpose - to make sure it did not feel like a "murder mystery", but more of a dramatic fiction work. Plus, to tell us who did it so soon is more unexpected, don't you think?

[GODDESS6]

Originally Posted by skcin

I know what you guys mean, but I think the author may have done it this way on purpose - to make sure it did not feel like a "murder mystery", but more of a dramatic fiction work. Plus, to tell us who did it so soon is more unexpected, don't you think?

i do agree with that~ knowing who did it didn't bother me as much as her saying that a new familly now lived in his home, also mentioning the blood stain on the garage floor, the realtor thinking it was grease, & that she wasn't his 1st~
him having moved makes me wonder if & how are they gonna catch him?~

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by skcin

I know what you guys mean, but I think the author may have done it this way on purpose - to make sure it did not feel like a "murder mystery", but more of a dramatic fiction work. Plus, to tell us who did it so soon is more unexpected, don't you think?

no, I think you're right. it is interesting to have a sort of omnipotent POV...and to see things from varying angles. I just think she's going to have to really work to keep me into the book without me going every few pages. there are only so many snowy nights, Xmas mornings and fluffy first kisses I can stand, ya know?

[danax6]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

I found a pretty big error in the book, but I forgot to bring it with me today to point it out. I'll describe it tomorrow.

I'm really enjoying the book. I am troubled by the "heaven" Susie is in. Like Paula, I thought she'd be reunited with deceased family members. That is the "other side" that I'm hoping exists if there is one.

I wondered about that also, but I really think that's going to change, because right now it seems like she is focusing on the people she left behind on earth. We've had plenty of talk about that, but little time has been spent in her 'heaven'.

Instead, she has an "intake counselor" (which means that we have jobs when we die, yuck).

Well, isn't one of the main perks of heaven that people can all choose what, where, when and how they do things? I got the impression this lady wanted to be that person. Some people do love their jobs.

I also don't know what I think about the fact that she's so focused on what happened to her and wanting Harvey to be caught. I'd like to believe that the minute our soul leaves the body, we really don't care about such things. Perhaps we'll find later in the book that she does let go.

I don't know. Wouldn't it be logical for people to want closure? Or at least have closure for the people they leave behind? I don't think you suddenly become this little selfish person who doesn't care anymore what goes around on earth. Isn't that also why ghosts stick around, because they have unfinished business to take care of?

Finally, I wonder if the story would be more interesting if we didn't know right off that bat who committed the crime, and that it was more of a murder mystery narrated by Susie. I can't decided--what do others think?

Exactly what I thought also. A few chapters in and we already know everything that happened and how it affected her family. I wonder what we'll get faced with throughout the rest of this book. But I am just a sucker for mystery, so I would have loved to solve that puzzle.

[jannieC]

I'm having a hard time deciding how to respond in this thread, because I have read the whole book. I may need to NOT post until we're all done because I don't want to give anything away.

Originally Posted by skcin

It's obvious that at 14, she was still very naive. Also, very trustful & respectful (and a bit afraid?) of her elders, which I think had much to do with the reason why she went with Mr. Harvey. It's like she didn't want to offend him, or seem disrespectful.

I love how the author chose this particular age for Susie's death. She is right on the edge of maturing and changing and she isn't given the chance to do that on earth.

I also enjoyed the idea of creating our own heaven. I will say that I was somewhat disappointed in some of Susie's heaven choices, but I had to remember that she is only 14 and her heaven would have to be based on her own experiences.