Lovely Bones

By Alice Sebold

Reviewed by Blyss McCann

In the book, a girl named Susie Salmon gets killed in a very sad and tragic way. As she goes on with her life in Heaven, she tries to lead her family down on Earth to her killer. The killer is someone they have known, maybe they are not the best of friends, but when they find out who killed this loving, helpless girl it is very heartbreaking and raging. The author of this fantastic book, Lovely Bones is Alice Sebold.

The main character is Susie Salmon, her killer is also a main character, but you will have to read the book to find out who it is. All of Susie’s immediate family has something to do with the investigation. I think all of the characters had great roles and parts and I think the author had a great way of developing the characters. This book takes place in the 1970’s it has a time period of over many years.

The basic plot of this story is that a 14-year-old girl gets murdered on December 6, 1973 and tries to help her devastated family find her killer. Since she is in heaven she cannot actually talk to them, so this book is an adventure of her leading the ones close to her to clues that involve her murder.

The author, Alice Sebold, has a writing style of going back to different times, as in maybe she will be talking about Susie and how she is meeting new people in heaven, then she will flash over to her family down on Earth trying to regain their strength, or maybe she will flash over to Susie’s killer and how that person is going about their life with no shame at all. The book Lovely Bones is an excellent page turner.

In conclusion, the author had a great story line and did a fantastic job with every detail. I would recommend this book to anyone. Though it may be a

little to intense for kids, but I greatly recommend it to readers over 13. I would definitely love if the author wrote a sequel to Lovely Bones and I would read

that one in a heartbeat. If you like a lot of suspense and different twists and turns, Lovely Bones is the book for you.

Chapter 13 LOTF

Friends or Enemies

Ralph was now safe at home with his family, and they were all catching up on what he had missed while he was stranded on the island. Apparently the war had ended and the British had won. The bad thing was that his mom was overly protective now, and very clingy.
“Mom, calm down please. I am not going anywhere.” Ralph told his mother for about the fifth time today.
“But Ralph honey, you don't understand. When I figured out that your plane had crashed I just about had a heart attack. You are my only child and I love you more than anything in the world. I do not want to loose you!” She told him. It sounded like she was going to cry.
“Okay, okay. I love you and I missed you a lot.” he reassured her.
He seemed like he was starting to get annoyed. He had been home for about a week and a half, but every second of the day he had to remind his mother that he was perfectly fine and that he wasn't going anywhere. He wondered if his mother would ever calm down.
*
“Jack!” Jack's mom called. “Come here please!” Jack was very happy to be back home again. When they were on the island he didn't think about his family or his home, so he didn't realize that he missed them.
“Yeah mom?” he asked her. Ever since he got back home he had been extra nice to his family, his mother especially. She seemed so upset about what had happened.
“Oh nothing, I was just checking to see if you were all right.” she shouted back. His mom had been acting differently, but oh well. He was glad to have her back. Jack hadn't forgotten about Ralph though. He had been worried. Had Ralph forgiven him? Had he forgot about him? Surely no one could forget a person that quickly. Jack new that he had to talk to Ralph. But how? Would Ralph let him?
*

Ralph was exhausted and ready for bed. It had been a long week. He got to meet Piggy's Auntie, but that didn't go so well because we had to come with the naval officer to tell her that Piggy had died on the island. When we left she was in hysterics, and she probably still was. As he got into bed he thought about everyone on the island. Jack especially. What was Jack doing? Is he thinking about me too? Suddenly he was too tired to think anymore and he drifted off to sleep.
That night he had a dream about when he was on the island and how it would be if Piggy and Simon hadn't been killed. Maybe all four of them could be friends, but that could never happen now. Maybe it was time for him to get over it though. Piggy and Simon were dead, and nothing could change that. He had to get over that, and he was going to make sure he did.
*
Jack was debating whether or not to write Ralph a letter. If he did the worst that could happen was that Ralph would not respond to his letter, but if he did respond then maybe they could sort this whole mess out. How Jack longed for that. Then maybe they could become friends again. Jack had decided. He was going to write Ralph a letter.
*
It was a couple days later when Ralph received a letter in the mail. It said that it was from Jack Merridew.
“That’s odd.” He said to himself. “Why would he be writing me?”
He went to his room and sat on his bed staring at the letter. Should he open it? I wonder what it says.” He mumbled under his breath. He took a deep breath and started to rip the envelope open.
“Ralph,” the letter said. “I know we have been through some of the worst possible things that could happen to us, but I want you to know that I am really truly sorry. I think we should talk about everything. Please write back to me. I would greatly appreciate it. Sincerely, Jack Merridew.”
Ralph closed the letter and laid back on his bed. What should he do? Ralph was going to take a risk. One he had never had to make before. He was going to confront the boy who had tried to kill him.

Lord Of The Flies 8

Ralph's Journal

My tribe and I woke up this morning very cold because we had no fire. It was also really hard for Piggy to get around because he didn't have his specs. I blew the conch in the morning and told everyone that hadn't joined Jack's tribe yet, that the only way we could basically survive was if we joined Jack's tribe, or atleast tried to make peace with them. When we arrive at the Castle Rock, we see Jack had gotten some of his tribe members to be guards. I immediately see Jack, and next thing you know were face to face. I tried really hard to tell Jack why we needed to have a signal fire and not fight over Piggy's specs. Jack obviously doesn't care and he orders some tribe members to tie Samneric up. Jack and I begin to fight again, Jack took his spear and jabbed it in my ribs. Piggy was trying to yell over all the comotion and remind us of the importance of everything. At the top of the hill, Roger was putting all his weight on this lever thing and then a big huge boulder flew in the air, hitting Piggy and making the conch smash into a million little peices. Now Piggy is dead and I am all alone. I ran into the forest to get away from all this horrible stuff as my ribs were throbbing in pain. As I was walking through the forest I found the LOTF and i knocked it over and the skull breaks in half, I take the stick to use it as my weapon against Jack. That night I go down to Castle Rock, I find Samneric being the guards, they tell me that tomorrow Jack is going to send the entire tribe to hunt and kill me. I found a thicket, I slept in that because nobody could see in it. In the morning a group of Jack's tribe finds the thicket but it is to thick for them to get in and I am able to get them away. Then I smell smoke, then I realize Jack let the entire island on fire and he is trying to find me by letting the fire lead me away. As I was running I saw Jack and his tribe, I some how managed to get away from the tribe and I arrived at the shore of the ocean where I collapsed of tiredness. When I look up I suddenly see... an adult... in a Navy uniform. The officer tells me that because of the huge fire, the ship came to see what was going on. I was to excited, overwhelmed to even explain. I started crying as almost all the other boys did too.

Lord Of The Flies 7

Jack's Journal

I invite everyone to my feast. We have a great pig. I get my tribe together, and we dance and chant our tribal chant "Kill the beast, cut his throat spill the blood." We get into the whole thing. I announce that i am letting anyone who wants to join our tribe, they can. but i really didn't want that corpulent kid, piggy. he just slows us all down, and his as-mar, and he cant see anything with out cleaning his glasses every 2 seconds. then in the middle of our chant and what not, someone, the beast in disguise of Simon (it was really Simon) comes running down the mountain to out feast on the beach. since my tribe is all happy, and they see it, thinking that it was the beast, they all go and stab him with their spears, and he was yelling something about the beast on the mountain and a parachute, but i couldn't really understand him. so the littleuns and some of the bigguns go and run, and stab and everything. Simon tries to run away from all of the stabbing, and i was in on it too, but i thought it was the beast. just disguised as Simon. i was yelling once i found out it was actually Simon, but they couldn't hear me with all the chanting. so Simon started running towards the water, and my tribe killed him, it was barmy. his dead body floated into the ocean, and out to sea. and little glowing fish with phosphorescence swam around him. My tribe and i have a meeting, and say that we really do believe that the beastie can disguise himself into anything he wants, but he is still not dead, because that was Simon that we killed. I illuminated the boys that Simon was killed, and it was not the beastie, so the beastie is still on the island. I am mad at my tribe for no reason exactly, except i do wish that Simon was not dead, but anyway, he was in Ralph's group, not my tribe. Some of the bigguns are not nice to the littleuns, and tie Wilfred up. i helped, because i don't really like Wilfred either. we are staying at castle rock right now, and we can see Ralph's group. They had just gone to bed, and we don't have a fire, so we want to steel Piggy's specs. So me and two other boys went over to their camp, and went into one of their shelters, the one that piggy was sleeping in, and I grabbed his glasses off the floor next to him. then Piggy, Ralph, and Sam n Eric wake up, and start try to fight back, but i think they just hit themselves or each other. not of us (my tribe) got hurt or hit or punched or anything. so we walk back to camp with a purged feeling.

Lord Of The Flies 6

What I saw today I can’t even explain in word what I saw. Did what happen really happen? Have I gone crazy!? That’s it I have gone crazy because of this island! Wait maybe it was all fake. It was a dream. Wait then I would have woke up by now. Why can’t talking pig heads be tabooed from this earth? There is no need to see a dead pigs head talking.I know what is suppose to happen in life I went to a prefect school. So I should know what happens in life but this was something nobody can see coming. There was a talking pig head on a stick. One thing I did wonder was why did it call its self lord of the flies? It’s not a fly why not lord of the talking pig heads. In need to go back to my place and think about this. was it trying to tell me something or was it just my mind playing tricks? Oh well some trick. should I tell everybody, no they will think i am not being demur they will think I am being demoniac or something.

Lord Of The Flies 5

Piggy's Journal

I can’t believe the hunters they thing that they can just go out and kill a beast. They are so foolish the beasti is probably leviathan, and 3 times there size. But it still could just be fake but I am not the one that wants to find out.
Why do I have to take care of the littluns. They know that no one listens to me. And they can’t even control them. Watch when Ralph comes back he is going to be mad at me because all the boys didn’t fallow all the tasks she said we needed to do. But it is better then Jack being a leader. All he would want to do is just hunt and kill and be waxy interminable. I would hate to be in an embroil with him. I bet we would all be died in the first week if he was leader but I mean that in the diffidently way. Or that he would start to hunt us.

Lord Of The Flies 4

Ralph's Journal

On the way to the assembly I was thinking about Piggy's ideas but I don't even want to tell anyone because no one listens to me because of how I look. At the assembly I got kind of frustrated so I tried to tell everyone that they refuse to build the shelters, they never get drinking water, they never pay any attention to the fire and there is always barely any people watching it, lastly they don't even go to the bathroom... where there supposed to which is really disgusting. Then I remind everyone how important the signal fire is and why we need to be paying more attention to it. Also I talked to everyone about the "beastie" and how we shouldn't get all caught up in it and I was talking mistly about the littluns because they never stop talking about it, this one little boy said he thinks it comes out at night, from the water. He even says he has actually seen it before! Jack was getting bored and tired of the beastie stuff so just said me and my hunters will kill the beastie and they all went off chanting something leaving Simon, Piggy, and I left. All of this nonsence and nobody listening was getting on my nerves so I thought I should just give up on being the leader of the group, but Piggy and Simon told me that the group would fall apart without me. As everyone falls asleep, the sounds of littluns crying echo in the distance.

Lord Of The Flies 3

Jack's Journal

Right after I was done making my spear, I went off into the forest to kill a pig. Unfortunatley I was unsucessful. When I arrived back to shore you could tell I had had a vicissitudes of a day so I went to clean off. After cleaning off, Ralph came over to me, looked malevolently at me and started complaining on how my hunters and I were "putting off" making the huts, or doing really fast to get it over with just so we could go hunting. He said I was to rapt in trying to kill something.
The littluns keep talking abou the beastie, it is getting very annoying. They keep on saying at night how its going to come and get us if we don't be careful. Some one needs to show them who's boss. Later on, Roger and Maurice stomp on a sandcastle that the littluns had built, I hope they now know who's boss. Roger threw rocks at the littluns too, but missed on purpose. I went to the fire and told all the hunters to leave the fire and come with me, we WERE going to kill a pig, tonight. We all found a pig and we agreed that the hunters would form a circle around the pig behind the bushes and on Jacks signal we would charge with great belligerence. After we had caught the pig, Jack would leap in the circle and slit its throat. Are plan was indeed successful. On are way back to the island we had are pig on a stick and we were all chanting victory chants. As soon as we arrive to shore, Ralph starts yelling at me with great compulsion. He was saying how could you let the fire die out?! Why did you let the fire die out?! We could have been rescued! He said that they had seen a ship, but when they looked over for the smoke, it was gone. I told him that we needed meat and we could catch it easier with all the hunters. Then Ralph argued back, but we could have been rescued! We could have gone home! I was tired of all this yelling so I mimmicked something Piggy had said and punched him in the stomach. All the kids were cracking up by now, then Piggy sussurred and I was very angry at him so I knocked his specks right off his face. As Ralph was still yelling at me, Simon went over and picked up Piggy's specks for him. Then Piggy gave me a malevolent glance. Ralph then told me the least I could do was apologize so I said I was sorry for making the fire die out. Then Ralph stomped off saying there will be a meeting tonight!

Lord Of The Flies 2

Simon's Journal

I think today went really bad for one of our fist days on the island. It was smart to build a fire, but it was horrible planning strategy everything was so inscrutable. We should have done it somewhere where we could have contained it more because it got rapt right when it caught on fire. we needed something better that would of caught on fie like a tendril. It was a bad idea to do it on the mountain because it can catch everything else on fire too. We should of counted everybody too so we new how many kids there were in the beginning, because it was a contrite that we lost one of the kids just because weren’t be responsible and that was a vicissitudes. One thing that is really smart that we did was that we will use the conch to decide who talks and how when we blow it it means there will be a meeting. I hope we can get off this island Ralph said that his dad will come to save us but Piggy says that no one knows where this island. I hope what they were saying about the queen has a map of all the islands so that they can find were we are.

Lord Of The Flies

Piggy's Journal

In the midst of a nuclear war, a group of boys was being evacuated to an unnamed place. Their plane crashed and was dragged out to sea, leaving the boys stranded on an unknown island. Because of the atom bomb’s devastation, it’s likely that no one knows where the boys are. Ralph is delighted to be on a tropical island without adults, but Piggy is less pleased. The two boys make their way out of the jungle and onto the beach. Ralph doesn't really like Piggy and does not introduce himself when Piggy asks Ralph his name. Piggy hopes that the boys on this island won’t call him Piggy like they did back home. On the beach, Ralph investigates a large platform of pink granite overlooking a long pool that had formed in the beach. After demonstrating his swimming skills, Ralph spies a conch, which Piggy says is a shell that can be blown as a trumpet. Piggy urges Ralph to blow into the shell, using it to summon any other survivors to the beach. Soon boys between ages 6 and 12 come out of the jungle onto the beach, assembling on the platform near Ralph. Last to come out was Jack and the choirboys. Beside the tropical heat, the boys from the choir still wear their black caps and long black cloaks and are clearly overheated when they reach the platform.