Alice Sebold books

Alice Sebold is an American author best known for The Lovely Bones, the 2002 novel narrated by a murdered teenager watching her family from heaven, and her memoir Lucky, about surviving a violent assault.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Secret Society of Demolition Writers 2005 Buy
The Best American Short Stories 2009 2009 Buy
The Picador Book of 40 2012 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Lucky 1999 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Lovely Bones 2002 Buy
The Almost Moon 2007 Buy

Alice Sebold grew up in suburban Philadelphia and studied creative writing at Syracuse University, where she later returned to teach. Her debut published work, Lucky (1999), is a memoir about being raped as a college freshman and the legal aftermath that followed. The book takes its title from a chilling remark made to her by a stranger who told her she was “lucky” to have survived. The memoir established Sebold as a writer willing to confront difficult subjects with unflinching honesty.

Her follow-up, The Lovely Bones (2002), told the story of fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon, who narrates events on earth from her own personal heaven after being murdered. The novel spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and was translated into dozens of languages. Peter Jackson’s 2009 film adaptation starred Saoirse Ronan in the lead role. Her second novel, The Almost Moon (2007), explored a woman’s fraught relationship with her aging mother.

Beyond her own fiction, Sebold edited and contributed to several anthologies, including The Secret Society of Demolition Writers (2005) and The Best American Short Stories 2009.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Alice Sebold written?

Alice Sebold has written six books across three series.

What was Alice Sebold's first book?

Alice Sebold’s first book is Lucky, published in 1999.

What is Alice Sebold's most famous book?

Alice Sebold is best known for The Lovely Bones, published in 2002, which became a massive international bestseller and was later adapted into a film directed by Peter Jackson. Her memoir Lucky, published in 1999, also received widespread critical attention.

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