Title: Not so lovely
Product review: As many others have pointed out, this is a book that had great promise but didn't live up to its promise. Much of the writing is lovely, but there are serious problems with plotting and narration. Susie's heaven is too cute, her voice too precocious. Many of the chapters have no real reason for being there. Much, much too often it is very obvious it is Sebold narrating and not Susie. The beginning chapters are compelling, and Susie's degredation is undeniably powerful; but the story, as handled by Sebold, cannot sustain itself all those pages. I would disagree with a previous reviewer in only one respect. No creative writing teacher, none I know anyway, would have told Sebold to write that way. The novel is a very disappointing read, and I cannot understand why it was so well reviewed in the media.
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