The Lovely Bones: Summary

The Lovely Bones is a 2002 novel by Alice Sebold. It tells the story of Susie Salmon, an young girl who is murdered and watches over her family and her killer from heaven. The main themes of The Lovely Bones are grief, justice, and love. Grief is a major theme of the novel. As Susie's family struggles to cope with her death, they must also confront their own feelings of guilt and helplessness. Justice is another important theme in the novel; the book follows Susie's family as they try to find her killer and bring him to justice. Love is another theme of the novel; throughout the story, Susie continues to love her family members even after she has died, and they continue to love her even though she is no longer there.

1. What did you think of Susie's journey through the afterlife?
2. How do you think Susie's family coped with their grief over her death?
3. How does the book portray justice, and how does it compare to our own understanding of justice?
4. What visual imagery did you find most striking in the novel?
5. How would the story have been different if Susie had not been able to observe her family from Heaven?
6. What themes emerged throughout The Lovely Bones?
7. In what ways does Susie's death bring the Salmon family closer together?
8. How does the author use setting to build tension and create atmosphere in the novel?
9. What is your opinion on Susie's murderer, and how do you feel about his punishment/absence of punishment?
10. Was there anything in The Lovely Bones that surprised or challenged you as a reader?

• The Lovely Bones is an incredibly powerful story that explores grief and loss in a unique way.
• Susie's journey to the afterlife is captivating and thought-provoking.
• The plot is complex and successfully captures the reader's attention.
• It is remarkable how Alice Sebold manages to make the reader feel a range of emotions throughout her novel.
• The themes of family and justice are explored in an honest, yet sensitive manner.
• It is interesting to see how each character deals with their loss differently, as it reflects real life experiences.
• The idea of Susie being able to observe her family from the afterlife is fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time.
• It was moving to witness Susie's growth in understanding as she learns to accept her death and move on from it.
• The Lovely Bones is an emotionally complex novel that will stay with its readers long after they have finished it.
• Alice Sebold tackles difficult topics such as death in a poetic way, making the story both poignant and uplifting.

1. "It was my strange and haunting story and I would tell it."
2. "But I was still here, a ghost with a view of the living; invisible, silent, floating."
3. "The events of that day were like stones cast into the middle of a smooth pond; the ripples had been forever spreading."
4. "My father said there were only two ways to live your life. One was as though nothing was a miracle. The other was as though everything was a miracle."
5. "And in that moment, I knew our connection was more powerful than death."

1. Film: The Lovely Bones (2009) - directed by Peter Jackson and starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, and Michael Imperioli. 2. TV Series: The Lovely Bones (2020) - an upcoming Amazon Prime television series based on Alice Sebold's novel of the same name. 3. Radio Drama: The Lovely Bones (2013) - a BBC Radio 4 adaptation written by Anneliese Mackintosh and starring Claudie Blakley as Susie Salmon and Haydn Gwynne as Ruth Connors. 4. Theatre: The Lovely Bones (2012) - a stage adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel by American playwright Bryony Lavery that was presented at the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton in 2012. 5. Podcast: The Lovely Bones (2020) - a four-part podcast series produced by BBC Radio 4 which looks at Alice Sebold's novel through the lens of trauma, love and loss.

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