Type of bind: Paperback
Format: Bargain Price
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 272
Printing Date: August 31, 2002
Sale Popularity Level: 55977
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Enormously visceral, emotionally gripping, and imbued with the belief that justice is possible even after the most horrific of crimes, Alice Sebold's compelling memoir of her rape at the age of eighteen is a story that takes hold of you and won't let go.Sebold fulfills a promise that she made to herself in the very tunnel where she was raped: someday she would write a book about her experience. With Lucky she delivers on that promise with mordant wit and an eye for life's absurdities, as she describes what she was like both as a young girl before the rape and how that rape changed but did not sink the woman she later became.It is Alice's indomitable spirit that we come to know in these pages. The same young woman who sets her sights on becoming an Ethel Merman-style diva one day (despite her braces, bad complexion, and extra weight) encounters what is still thought of yesterday as the crime from which no woman can ever really recover. In an account that is at once heartrending and hilarious, we see Alice's spirit prevail as she struggles to have a normal college experience in the aftermath of this harrowing, life-changing event.No less gripping is the almost unbelievable role that coincidence plays in the unfolding of Sebold's narrative. Her case, placed in the inactive file, is miraculously opened again six months later when she sees her rapist on the street. This begins the long road to what dominates these pages: the struggle for triumph and understanding -- in the courtroom and outside in the world.Lucky is, quite simply, a real-life thriller. In its literary style and narrative tension we never lose sight of why this life story is worth reading. At the end we are left standing in the wake of devastating violence, and, like the writer, we have come to know what it means to survive.
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Rated by buyers 
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The differences between Sebold's memoir and fiction are vast. In "Lucky" as opposed to "The Lovely Bones" words are hammered in, staccato and short, understated. I liked both books, but I do have to point out it is as if they were written by different writers. In looking over the reviews people seem to hate one and love the other or vice versa, and I think it's a shame. Lovely Bones is like a poem: dreamy. Lucky is dry and aches like a bad knee. They're both excellent, just different.
Lucky is about Sebold's experience as rape survivor, her eventual court experience, and the sad aftermath of her very first two years of college. It's no secret that I've been raped myself and am in litigation regarding it up to my neck so it was interesting to see my own reaction. It's a helpful book to read in regards to coming to terms and being honest regarding rape. It's very grounding.
Sebold's almost obsessional use of detail throughout some parts of the book juxtapose with her complete blanks on other seemingly very important details quite realistically. Her harsh rhythm describes, in many ways, my own blank face when trying to plow through describing to lawyers exactly what happened to me. Certainly a book is a safer place to let loose than a courtroom is, and yet she treats her book like a courtroom, as if everyone is standing in judgment of her, particularly her own self to her own self.
What rang the most truthful was Sebold's masochistic honesty, her seeming wish to drive a stake in every relationship she had had prior to her rape. Likewise, her roommate's rape did the same.
Her sentence-style, syntax, etc, reminded me of Hemingway, each sentence an arrow, pointing to a destination, each point drawn taut and clearly. She hit a bull's eye, no doubt.
Rated by buyers -
From the opening pages, Sebold tells the reader a truly horrifying story of her rape in accurate and quite graphic detail. And whilst horrified at what she has endured, you want to read more - to see how someone survives an attack like that, and what life is like for a rape victim in the hours, days and week afterwards. I couldn't put this book down - a combination of great writing and admiration for the author, made this a compelling read.
Rated by buyers -
Lucky is a thought provoking book that helps readers understand rape from the victim's perspective. Written in an honest manner, it explores the rational and sometimes irrational reactions of everyone involved - whether victim, friend, or family member.
Seabold opens the book with a vivid description of her brutal rape. Initially, this makes it a difficult read because it forces readers to live through a brutal act. However, it also helps to expose a reader's preconceived notions and biases. Seabold describes her struggles to return to a normal life and she honestly discusses societal issues that favor the criminal and penalize the victim. This is a good read for anyone looking for some insight into a difficult issue.
Rated by buyers 
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I don't recommend this book to anyone who enjoys prose or literature. Sebold's use of a stripped down, matter-of-fact tone desensitizes her story. Though her rape was a traumatic event, I couldn't feel for her. Perhaps it was her intent not to draw out feeling to avoid pity but personally, I think it was uneffective in conveying her complete story because a memoir needs an emotional plot as well.
I wanted to put down this book before I was even half way though there were still many unfinished subplots like the conviction of her rapist.
I would expect this book in the children's/ preteen section if it weren't for the detailed account of the rape.
Rated by buyers 
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Lovely Bones led me to this book. I really didn't want to read a book about rape, but I'm glad I did because it is so much more. The story is delivered masterfully and written with skill. Read this book for the writing.
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