Who Wrote The Lovely Bones, and How Does the Book Differ From the Movie?
Alice Sebold wrote The Lovely Bones, published by Little, Brown in 2002. Director Peter Jackson adapted it into a film released in December 2009. The film tells the same basic story but critics found it lacked the book's emotional depth.
Sebold is also the author of the memoir Lucky and the novel The Almost Moon.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | Alice Sebold, born 1963 in Madison, Wisconsin |
| Novel | 2002, Little, Brown; about 328 pages |
| Film | Directed by Peter Jackson; 2009 |
| Film stars | Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci |
| Film release | 26 December 2009 (New Zealand); 15 January 2010 (US) |
Who is Alice Sebold?
Alice Sebold is an American writer, born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1963. She studied at Syracuse University and later earned an MFA at the University of California, Irvine. Her memoir Lucky appeared in 1999 and The Lovely Bones in 2002, followed by The Almost Moon in 2007.
The Lovely Bones was her first novel and became an instant bestseller.
↑ Back to the topWho made the movie?
Peter Jackson, who personally bought the rights, directed the film from a screenplay he wrote with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Saoirse Ronan played Susie, Stanley Tucci played George Harvey, Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz played her parents and Susan Sarandon played Grandma Lynn. It earned about 93.6 million dollars worldwide.
↑ Back to the topHow is the film different?
The plot follows the book, including the fate of Harvey, but the film compresses the timeline and rearranges parts of the story. The book's climax, in which Susie takes over Ruth's body for a longer time with Ray, becomes a simple kiss in the film.
Jackson's film puts the weight on the afterlife, which it shows as a large, colorful CGI landscape. The novel keeps its focus on the family's grief and the slow years that follow. Many reviewers felt the film lost the novel's emotional depth and delicacy, and Jackson has said an adaptation is always a personal reaction to the book.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Lovely Bones
This guide covers the 2002 novel and the 2009 film. The subject matter includes the murder of a child, described without graphic detail.