I am a fast reader, and tire of reading easily...I move through books so quickly that they start to seem all the same. The Lovely Bones is different - the subject matter is difficult, but it's possible to absorb it without horror and tension due to the perspective used. There is hope throughout and justice in the end, and while it is satisfying, it's not the justice we are accustomed to wanting.

Just read it.

First off, I said that I would recommend the book for clubs, based largely on the fact that our group had a great discussion about it. However, I was very disappointed in the book itself. It wasn't particularly well written, which I could have been okay with if it had other redeeming qualities. I wanted to get to the end and feel encouraged and inspired. I wanted to see some sort of transformation in Carolyn and Sean Savage - some evidence of personal growth or enlightenment on their parts, but I never got that. What was the point of telling the story if the only thing to be gleaned from it is "we had a bad thing happen to us"? Most of us have had bad things happen to us; the real story is our reaction.