The Lovely Bones
2 journalers for this copy...
Sebold has come up with an extraordinary story of pain, loss, love, appeasement and reconciliation, told by Susie, a girl raped and killed at the age of 14.
It seems courageous to get it over with the rape and murder in the first chapter. And I assume that the fact that the author is female allows for a sober and matter-of-fact tone, which might be taken offence with if coming from a male author.
It's Sebold's wonderful style of writing that from the beginning makes this book about such a depressing topic a wonderful experience, in which beauty delicately mixes with a touch of pain. The author has a talent to describe things like heaven or a memorial in a way that makes you want to be there, even if you don't believe in or would normally be put off by them, and even if a kind of melancholy increasingly sneaks in as the story goes on.
The style this book is written in is all the more astonishing considering that Sebold herself is a rape victim. And yet, she abstains from judgements and reproach. It is difficult to guess, what elements of the book are founded in her own experiences, and how much derived from an undoubtedly great capacity for empathy.
There is however a slight low point of the story to be found in the body switch towards the end, which in my opinion somewhat cheapens the book, because it seems very Hollywood-like and totally uncalled for. On the other hand I noted that Sebold even appears to go to some length to eliminate anything remotely resembling a cheap thrill, assumably in order to be able to keep the focus entirely on the characters.
It is hard to believe considering the topic, but this is a beautiful and rewarding book, that I would recommend to almost everybody.
It seems courageous to get it over with the rape and murder in the first chapter. And I assume that the fact that the author is female allows for a sober and matter-of-fact tone, which might be taken offence with if coming from a male author.
It's Sebold's wonderful style of writing that from the beginning makes this book about such a depressing topic a wonderful experience, in which beauty delicately mixes with a touch of pain. The author has a talent to describe things like heaven or a memorial in a way that makes you want to be there, even if you don't believe in or would normally be put off by them, and even if a kind of melancholy increasingly sneaks in as the story goes on.
The style this book is written in is all the more astonishing considering that Sebold herself is a rape victim. And yet, she abstains from judgements and reproach. It is difficult to guess, what elements of the book are founded in her own experiences, and how much derived from an undoubtedly great capacity for empathy.
There is however a slight low point of the story to be found in the body switch towards the end, which in my opinion somewhat cheapens the book, because it seems very Hollywood-like and totally uncalled for. On the other hand I noted that Sebold even appears to go to some length to eliminate anything remotely resembling a cheap thrill, assumably in order to be able to keep the focus entirely on the characters.
It is hard to believe considering the topic, but this is a beautiful and rewarding book, that I would recommend to almost everybody.
On the wooden bench close to the left river bank
I found the book almost directly after it was left on the wooden bench at the Kapell-Brücke in Lucerne. I love to read books so I'm very excited about reading this one (I already started reading it actually). This is the first book I've found of Book Crossing and I like that it will travel around the world and that you can share it with people who will find it. I guess I will like the book and it won't take long for me to read it. :)
Journal Entry 4 by rem_XJD-435361 at Krabbendijke, Zeeland Netherlands on Friday, September 16, 2016
I'm now halfway through the book and I'm really liking it.