Before beginning this book, you should consider what you expect to get from it. The subject matter of this book is difficult. This is not a book to be read for entertainment or escapism; it is not fiction, nor is it The Lovely Bones II.

This book tells the story of a woman's rape and what happens afterwards. There is no neat and happy Hollywood ending. The beauty of the book is its honesty. I read this book at a time in my life when I was dealing with a personal trauma (NB not rape or a physical assault), and I found Sebold's sensitive handling of the subject of recovery superb.

In my opinion the real strength of this book is how she sets the 'recovery' from the rape in the mundane everyday activities of her family life in Pennsylvania and her social life in Syracuse. There is a lot of detail about the relationships between herself and her family, both before and after the rape. I am a bit biased in this instance because I am from the same area as Sebold, thus I suspect I may have been more interested in the details of her suburban life than other readers. However the way she tells the story articulates the often-neglected aspects of the recovery from a trauma. A 'recovery' happens within the social context of our (usually imperfect) families, friends and neighbors. She doesn't tell an action-packed gun-slinging story of revenge or redemption. She lays out the difficult details of her reality.

This memoir is beautifully written. It takes you to dark places, but in going there with her, somehow it makes you feel less alone. There are also important insights related to how others treat victims of violence. Highly recommended, however this is difficult subject matter and if you are a victim of rape or physical trauma you may want to look at numerous reviews before starting this book.

I got this book as a Christmas gift for my sister. She loved the Lovely Bones novel and has so far enjoyed this book as well. Great gift for a special reader or yourself!

After reading many of the great reviews here, I was eager to get my hands on this book - I rushed to Borders and bought it brand new. The first couple of chapters were great, but then I lost interest. Still, I continued reading in hopes that the story would pick up pace, provide more personality and emotions. Instead, I found the tone of the book to be dull and boring. I gave up reading after page 145 (out of 243 pages). I had more fun in traffic school than reading this book.

"Lucky" is a brutally honest, fascinating account of a rape and its aftermath. Sebold is a true hero in that she compromised her own chances for happiness to convict a serial rapist, thereby saving many others. Sebold's friend is later raped, in an attack which is unlikely to be a coincidence. Her friend has no interest in prosecution or in anything but forgetting the incident, and to Sebold, from the outside looking in, her friend's approach results in greater peace of mind.

Sebold is ultimately diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and apparently recovers, but the happier times occur after the book ends (see dedication to her husband and afterword). Sebold is helped by various friends during her years of travail, mostly male friends, but she cannot summon much warmth except for two professors; an assistant DA and others in the legal system; and an aged war veteran.

Although the subject matter drew me to the book, I was quickly drawn in by Seebold's honesty about her self-image, her family dynamic and her inner strength cultivated from childhood. A wonderful read, from a truly open and uninhibited writer. No matter who you are, reading this book will give you something tangible to take away from your reading experience. Kudos to Sebold in harnessing her talent and memory to present this gift to her readers!

After reading this book, I came to Amazon to read the reviews, and started with the one and two-stars. It seems that a lot of people picked up this book expecting a novel. Naturally, they got disappointed, because this is real life. So before you start reading this memoir, please set yourself in a "real life" frame of mind. The "characters" are not characters, they are real people. Their train of thought is not always going to be linear. The "storyline" is going to wave in and out. There will be no nicely wrapped conclusions and answers. This is, after all, the account of a rape and its aftermath, and needs to be taken at face value. If you read this book and are disappointed at the end, please stick to fiction from now on.

For those of you who liked it, kudos: you demonstrated great empathy and maturity.

Alice Sebold is an extraordinary person, despite all her flaws, and a lesser being could not/would not have survived this horror to the degree that she has.

In the first five pages Alice, a freshman in college at the time, is brutally raped. It's graphic, horrible and once I'd gone through with it her - I was in for the ride to find out what happens to a woman that might not have made it out alive that night.

I'm not sure you can "enjoy" a true story about rape and dealing with it's aftermath - but, this is a page-turning read that hurled me into her nightmare and subsequent struggle for inner understanding and justice. And, it left me thinking about it long after I was through.

Here's the upsides and downsides to me depending on what you prefer:
- Candid writing, that's not a pity-party
Sebold's direct style and candid look at this time in her life, combined with her writing skills are what drew me in. At the same time, she's not overly emotional or hysterical about it (even during describing her rape). She simply recounts it. I can't imagine that any woman wouldn't be simultaneously drawn into it and repelled by the thought of her experiences happening to them.

- It's not The Lovely Bones: Deluxe Edition
If you're a fan of her other book - and expecting that same kind of optimism in this one, you're just not going to like it as much. This is afterall a linear account,of a real life horrific crime with a living victim - not the fictionalized version.

- You might not agree with all of the choices, but it's still a story of tragedy and triumph
Some of the negative reviewers seem to dislike her choices and behaviour at times. Because her tale gripped me - it did make me think or hope sometimes that I would handle things differently. But, the fact that she's so candid about her thoughts and actions when she was just a young college kid - is what makes this one unique.

Bottom Line: Engrossing, direct, not overly emotional, roller coaster of a ride through another woman's tragedy and aftermath. Definitely worth a read.

I hate to say it, but I LOVED the lovely bones, not impressed with this book. Did not keep my attention and she skipped around A LOT. It is wonderful she can write with such clarity about such a painful experience; however, the actual book, not that great.

It was very good, although a little too graphic in details for it to be an appropriate read for teenagers. It was a good conversation starter. My husband read it, too.

It's hard to read, let alone review, a book about rape, but I think that this book it is an important one. Lucky is a memoir about a college student who was attacked and raped in the park by her campus. Despite its difficult subject matter, Lucky reads smoothly. I feel that this is an accessible book for people to read who would like to understand better how to deal with rape, and to see all the ways that it impacts someone.

For me there were four distinct parts of this book (although the writer did not designate them as such - it just felt to me to read like that). The first part was the beginning, in which the actual rape sequence is told right up front. It is hard to digest but is written very clearly and directly. I really felt for the narrator in the next scenes, which immediately follow the rape, in which she goes to the police and is examined and has to tell her friends and family members what happened. At one point she describes something that I imagine must be almost as horrible as the rape itself - having to live the rest of her life as a rape victim:

"I knew exactly what had happened. But can you speak those sentences to the people you love? . . . That question continues to haunt me. After telling the hard facts to anyone from lover to friend, I have changed in their eyes."

The second part of Lucky, for me, described the weeks and months following the rape. I found this part to be lacking because it seemed to me that the narrator wasn't really dealing with her true feelings. I suppose that that is how it actually happened, though, and she did a good job of making me feel like I was right there with her in that time and that space, even though I often wanted her to do things differently. At times it seemed like she was pushing the rape out of her mind completely, and writing about her college classes and other things that any book about any college student would include. I wanted her to focus more on the issue, but perhaps she dealt with it by not focusing on it. In this part the theme of writing was introduced, which I did enjoy. Sebold dealt with her emotions by writing poetry and fiction. She took classes and seminars by Tobias Wolff and Tess Gallagher. Tess Gallagher is actually a pretty central character in the book, who accompanies Alice to court when she has to confront her attacker (although she's disappeared by the end of the book without explanation, leaving me to wonder what happened).

The third part of the book, which I really liked, moved on to show how the narrator was intent on prosecuting her attacker. It was easy to cheer for her and she showed a lot of strength and wisdom. She describes the legal process well and at one point she mentions wanting to go to law school so that she can prosecute other criminals (she later decides to pursue teaching instead, and says it became her lifeline and salvation). It seems very fulfilling that the narrator finds some kind of justice and closure in the midst of all her suffering. At the same time, she is still human. I could tell that the rape had affected her and that in some ways it had changed her in a negative way. She seems to use men for own reasons and disregard what they must be feeling. She has a strange relationship with her father that she never quite explores in depth the way I wanted her to. (At times she has a close bond with her mother, who is always anxious and has panic attacks). Through all of these shortcomings, however, for most of the book she seems strong and like someone to whom most readers would be able to relate, despite the horrible thing that happened to her.

The fourth and last part of the book, though, takes a strange turn. I don't want to include spoilers so suffice it to say that the narrator is no longer the intelligent, strong fighter that the reader had gotten to know and admire. This made me feel like my hunch was correct that she hadn't been dealing internally with the aftermath of her rape. I was disappointed at her downfall but, more than that, it didn't seem to make sense to me. I thought that the writer should have spent more time on the last part of the book and less time with the mundane intricacies of college life. I felt there were issues left unexplored in the book.

Overall, I "enjoyed" reading Lucky, although that is a strange thing to say about a rape memoir. I thought it was well-written and that it dealt with some very important social issues. I especially liked how it explored the subject of how different women deal differently with rape, and the need for there to be open dialogue about it. The writing in parts is flourishingly poetic, which was a strange offset for the subject, but it usually worked. I would like to read another book by Alice Sebold to see whether the tone works even better with a lighter subject matter (although, from what I understand, her novel Her Lovely Bones has anything but a light subject matter). I give Lucky three and a half stars and would recommend the book, but be forewarned that the subject matter is obviously difficult.

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This is a wholly absorbing memoir by Alice Sebold. It begins with her last day of Freshman year at Syracuse University. It was that day that she was brutally raped in a tunnel near campus. I started this book early in the morning and finished five hours later, with a cold cup of coffee in front of me not having moved at all. I was so transfixed by the brutality of the event that changed Sebold's life and the brutal honesty of her writing I was incapable of doing anything else. Sebold is able to go on after that day and we wonder how. Her life though is permanently changed from before the rape to after the rape. She eventually goes to trial only to relive the whole brutal incident in painstaking detail when questioned by the defense attorny. It is especially hard to read after knowing what happened in that tunnel. Her attempts at coping involve "getting back to normal" which means returning to campus, dating boys, doing schoolwork and making friends and holding her breath each time to see if she is merely the "girl who was raped" or if she is really just Alice Sebold. This is a heavy burden for any person to carry and as Sebold writes about her family we realize she doesn't have the support system to cope with the emotions that need to come out for her to heal. Only once is she allowed to express the rage she feels when a poetry teacher encourages her to write about the experience. Even Alice is dumbfounded at the outpouring of rage and at the mixed reaction and uncomfortable feelings the students express when the poem is shared. In a gut wrenching turn of events her roomate is brutally raped. This alone is terrible in and of itself but once again brings all the pain to the surface. Alice finds herself needing to connect with her roomate to prove that she can be "ok" just like she was. Eventually Sebold seems to settle with the uneasy truth that you can "live in a world where the two truths coexist; where both hell and hope lie in the palm of your hand." An engrossing memoir that you won't soon forget.

After I had gone through some intense emotions over my rape experience, a friend suggested I read this book. The first chapter was very difficult to get through. I was able to picture it all very vividly, and it brought back some memories of my experience that I thought that I had forgotten. Somehow, even though I was crying, I was able to get through that first chapter.

The first chapter goes into great detail about a black stranger who drags her into a tunnel under an outdoor theatre in Syracuse and rapes her, leaving her to walk back to her dorm alone and get help. This book is about the long court process and her recovery.

Part of rape therapy is writing a story about your experience. This book shows a woman who had (and still has) a great deal of strength. She says in her book (and also on the back cover) "you save yourself or you remain unsaved".

This book left me with a better understanding of my emotions about my experience after hearing similar feelings from someone else.

If you can get through the first chapter, I would totally recommend this book.

As one who enjoyed "The Lovely Bones" (until the end, which struck me as more artifice than art), I was severely disappointed by Ms. Sebold's memoir. Like "The Lovely Bones," the beginning of "Lucky" starts strong, the events she relates are gripping and well told, and we are drawn into the narrative's chilling details because of her almost clinical point of view. However, the rest of the narrative is far less engaging. For the most part, "Lucky" struck me as an inauthentic, clumsy, and occasionally cliched reporting of an event that Sebold has yet to deal with and recover from emotionally. We are told a series of episodes in Sebold's life, some that are relevant to the rape, others that appear thrown in for no apparent reason other than they may have been associated in her mind in some way with the rape. Unfortunately, Sebold relies almost entirely on telling us the logical connections between events; rarely does she shows us the emotional connections and, more importantly, her emotional reactions to them. In short, I felt cheated by Sebold's lack of emotional engagement with her ordeal. The fact that she eventually resorted to heroin and a series of emotionally-detached serial sex partners makes me wonder how she could categorize the last section of the memoir as the "Afterword." Clearly she was still in the grips of PTSD, which was, from my perspective, where the memoir should have begun. Of interest to everyone, not just other women who have been raped, or, for that matter, anyone who has experienced a traumatic event (the death of loved one, the horror of war) is this: how did she recover her former self-respect and self-confidence to the point of being able to turn this traumatic experience around and use it not only as the focus of a memoir, but as the gist of a best-selling novel? By the end I was still wondering if Sebold ever recovered from the effects of the rape.

Perhaps I was left with this question because Sebold's irritating self-absorption killed any sympathy I may have had for her as both the central "character" and and the narrating author. Rather than take us into the fear, panic, loneliness, even alienation from others she must of felt during and after the attack, most of the time we hear Sebold's "author" voice summarizing and sanitizing every experience. Ironically, we could infer that in her own life Sebold failed in her roles as loving daughter, compassionate friend, and caring lover because in the memoir we see her exerting an almost obsessive, predicable, even mechanistic control over all of her relationships. Take her desperate need for Lila's friendship after the rape. When Lila eventually "dumps" her, Sebold takes pains to describe how she was snubbed publicly. Where is her private grief at the loss of her closest friend? In fact, who is Lila, apart from Sebold's "clone" or, as Sebold seems to suggest, her doppelganger? That Sebold can only describe Lila as a reflection of herself (literally, Lila is raped on Sebold's bed), would be repugnant if it weren't for the fact that Sebold seems totally unaware that she is abusing a real person for literary effect. Moreover, except for the inclusion of her poem "Conviction," which is emotional catharsis dressed up as a literary exercise (merely clever, but not convincing), Sebold would have been far more convincing had she quoted directly from her journals (which she frequently mentions) to show us authentic expressions of grief, loneliness, anger, depression in all its unmediated rawness.

Ultimately, like any fictional narrative, a successful memoir must exhibit the qualities of good story telling: include only what we need to know, show rather than tell, and most importantly, leave the reader with something experienced, felt, and learned "with" the author, not "by" the author. Sadly, Ms. Sebold's memoir failed to convince me that she lost more than just her virginity that night in the tunnel.

I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend but normally I wouldn't choose to tackle this subject matter. That said, I felt a lack of sympathy for the writer. I feel awful saying this as she went through something traumatic. But in her detailed description of everything, I for the first time thought, god forbid this ever happened I don't know that I would pursue justice. The reason I say this is because of the characters who were raped, which I counted four I think, the ones who confront the issue are the most screwed up. Obviously, I havent' walked in her shoes and you don't know what you would go through until you yourself are there, but I was soooo disappointed, yet not surprised, to learn that Sebold had turned to heroin. Also, as her life progressed after the incident, more 'bad things' happened and if you read carefully, you could see them coming. It was almost like she was putting herself in harms way, but she never acknowledges this self-sabotage. I agree with some of the other reviewers in that her writing style seems self-centered and that she hasn't acknowledged how horrible her parents are as she portrays them.

To sum it up, the story I thought was going to be one of triumphant over tragedy and it was anything but. It was sooo depressing and infiltrated my mind with negative images that were not erased in the end. I wouldn't recommend thsi book to anyone looking for a good memoir. As far as women who have been sexually assaulted, I guess I would read several reviews, because some rape survivors found the book helpful and some did not.

I do hope Sebold has made progress in her recovery and has found some sliver of happiness.

I've known of Alice Sebold for a few years now, but I never actually read a book of hers until now, when I read "Lucky," her memoir on her brutal rape and the subsequent prosecution of her attacker.

The rape itself lasts for eleven pages, and the remaining two hundred pages detail the difficulties that she experiences throughout the course of her recovery, from unfulfilling relationships to discovering that the policeman who originally documented her testimony was in disbelief for quite some time. The true power of this memoir comes not from Sebold's impeccable memory, though that certainly contributes to the hard reality of her life, but from her ability to recover from the assault and her resolve to convict her attacker despite the seeming impossibilities of it all. Her own roommate is raped while Sebold is gone, apparently in retaliation for her attacker's conviction, and yet, throughout the book, her dry sense of humor and courage shine brightly through every sentence that she writes.

Truthfully, I have never read a firsthand account of any sexual assault on a woman before this book, and having now read this, I can't imagine how any man could ever do this to a woman, but Sebold is unapologetic about the details -- and for good reason. The harsh reality of her experience is immensely powerful.

Great book! Alice Sebold's account is brutally honest and entertaining at the same time. I was rooting for her the whole way through.

This book was a real eye opener for me. Thankfully, myself and anyone I know have ever been raped. It is truly amazing to me what a rape victim must go though with police, family, freinds, lawyers, etc always questioning and accusing. Now I understand why many victims do not even bother to come forward after being raped. It doesn't even seem worth it. How heartbreaking!
How dare any of us give this book less than 5 stars, it would be nothing less than a slap in the face to this courageous victim.

Alice Seabold's memoir "Lucky" ex-plores the process of going through and recovering from rape. In the book there is a large demonstration of drama. Given that the book begins with the actually rape, which was very dramatic, vulgar, and detailed. Then the rest of the book explains the dramatic process that she actually goes through after.
Another element this book demonstrates is a lot of self- discovery. After the rape took place Alice had to try and rediscover who she was seperate from the rape. All the sudden she just became the girl who got raped and she was struggling to seperate herself from that girl and tried to redefine herself all throughout the book.
Lastly Alice uses a lot of reflection/ musing. To discover who Alive was as a person she reflected a lot upon her childhood and certain memories that struck her as significent and then she'd talk about how in the present how it made her feel.
Reading this memoir really helped me with writting details and using short spurts to reflect on what was a huge impact on my life. I believe it to be an incredibly good book and definately worth reading. It's incredibly daring and always keeps you guessing. Even though the the ending is very unfufilling. I still think it's a great book.

This book is amazing. The writing style is very unique and fresh. I found myself unable to put this book down. I do not recommend this book for anyone who has been through a recent trauma and has not yet taken the steps to get better. I wish I had access to this book sooner but this will help many survivors.

Benjamin Franklin once said "All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse." This quote surprisingly sets the tone for Alice Sebold's first work, Lucky. In this compelling memoir, Lucky, Sebold describes a traumatic event in her life and how society unconsciously judges raped victims in order to portray the life and the effect her rape had on her. With in-depth and graphic depictions, Sebold outdoes herself as she details specific scenes that get the reader involved emotionally and psychologically. The reader learns the depth of the author's soul and gets hooked into the truth and realism. Many can relate to Sebold's traumatic incident on a personal level, and understand the reality and ease in which a life can be changed forever. Such changes cause Sebold to reassess her life and limits, and to make horrible decisions. For instance, her addiction to meaningless sex leads to her so-called "loss of virginity" in order to feel like a normal girl. Another way that she tries to avoid the pain, and to ultimately rid her family of the pain and frustration they feel is through humor. However, readers see that even though she makes jokes, things sadly can never actually go back to the way they were. Sebold later comprehends that if she doesn't show fear, then her family can feel comfortable. Overall, this memoir is one of those books that you can not put down as you feel that you are with Alice through her experience of rape. You become attached to Alice, marvel at her success towards the end of the novel, and understand how Alice was truly "Lucky."

I actually had to buy this book for school and was happy to find it for under a dollar! I don't like to read much but the author's story is pretty interesting. It also was a short read which was a plus!

The book arrived in the expected time frame I was told. It was in very good condition. I am presently reading it and I am "totally glued" to it.

This book really opened my eyes to what it must feel like to be not only be a rape victim but close to a rape victim. If you know anyone who has gone though a horrible experience such as being raped, this is a must read.

I'm really ambivalent about this book.

On the one hand, I understand the impulse & need to write through & past such an enormously life-changing experience. On the other hand, I found myself skimming my way through chunks of the book about two-thirds of the way through because it just started to get disjointed & flat & jarring in some way that I just couldn't bear to read.

The first 100 or so pages are excellent, especially if you can get past the first chapter - an excruciatingly detailed explanation of what happened to the author. It's ironic that she notes at some point in the book that an essay she wrote for The New York Times Magazine about the experience was quoted in the "Trauma" part of a book on trauma & recovery & this inspired her to figure out more about what she needed to do to move forward - ironic because I think I'd still include her solidly in the trauma category & that makes me very sad for her & angry that this happens so often.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit I chose to read and review Alice Sebold's true crime memoir, Lucky, for personal reasons. Like Alice, I once lived a role in a true crime and have written a memoir about the experience years after the events, Luggage By Kroger: A True Crime Memoir. Like Alice, I have told my story in many venues, including as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Like Alice, my memoir is about a near-fatal attack on me by a member of the opposite sex. So, when I heard about Lucky, I wanted to read it both to learn about her experience and, as a journalist, to see how she tackled the challenging responsibility of reporting it to the rest of the world.

She didn't let me down on either count.

Lucky recalls the story of Sebold's harrowing rape as a 19-year-old freshman at Syracuse University in 1981. More than that, however, it follows the case through the investigation and the trial. If it were only a pure slash-and-burn true crime chronicle, Lucky really wouldn't merit much attention and likely would never have been written. The case by itself would have been too ordinary, the investigation too simple to captivate the true crime crowd.

As a true crime memoir, however, Lucky emerges as a literary experience that relates the author's transition through the kind of life-defining event that can either destroy or create, depending on the memoirist's response. On that level, Sebold confirms the hype that now attaches to her name, based more on the success of her later novel, The Lovely Bones, than from Lucky.

Unlike me, Sebold has no difficulty identifying herself as a "victim." She has the right, since she was an innocent victim assaulted by an unknown attacker. In my case, I knew my attacker and actually would have to admit that I went looking some of the trouble that came my way. So, I have always been sensitive to use of the word, sensitive enough to note that Sebold used it 33 times in Lucky.

But, her easy use of the word in recounting her story appears central to one of the key messages her powerful story can share. In its most basic theme Lucky covers her transformation from innocent victim to triumphant survivor. She actually stopped being a victim when she decided to reclaim her life.

Readers will find a clear declaration of that change on page 173 in this edition where Sebold recalls one crucial moment of transformation in sharing her preparation for testimony in her assailant's trial: "That morning, while I dressed, I had written a note to myself on my skin. `You will die' was inked into my legs in dark blue ballpoint. And I didn't mean me."

We cannot let these people ruin our lives. We must make our stands as individuals, and collectively we must tell the bullies and the rapists and the thugs: "You will not rule the world." That's what Alice Sebold reminds us in Lucky.

Alice Sebold is a great author, but when it comes to this book it lacks in excitment and is over detailed. The Lovely Bones is much much better to read. I don't really recommend this book.

Alice Sebold was raped while a student at Syracuse University. She depicts with brutal honesty the rape itself and how she sweated with fear. She was so panicked and out of it when she returned to her dorm that she didn't tell the other students. She develops a passion for revenge and brings her rapist to court.

For someone so young and without the societal support that rape victims have today, Sebold is remarkably in touch with her emotions pre- and post-rape.

She knows what she needs to do to preserve herself as a survivor and not a victim, and she does it!

The worst of all crimes is taking away another person's free will; that is what rape does to a victim. Rape is intentionally taking another person's free will away from them, sexually. In the novel, Lucky by Alice Sebold, the author actually talks about herself being a rape victim when she was barely a freshman in college. The book begins already with a very graphic and descriptive view of what happens to Sebold, as she is being raped and beaten in the park only a few blocks from her dorm building. It gives off an exact point of how a victim is feeling and thinking while she is being rape. Readers could get an insight on how difficult it was for the victim during the rape process and to understand the mind of a rape victim as she goes undergoes her new life. Because of the rape, her life changes drastically that could either be negative or positive. She not only has to tell her family and friends, who try to support her but not knowing what to say, she has to go through her college years being known as "the girl who was raped." She later not only finds her rapist but she also trials against him in the hope that he is given what he deserves.

V.L., Bolsa Grande High School

Alice Sebold tells the story of her rape at the age of 18, and the subsequent trial, and all that she endured and experienced in between. This story is so emotionally gripping, so powerful in its telling that it is almost impossible to put down, and it is so haunting that it stays with you long after the final page is turned. I salute this very brave lady for telling her story so openly and honestly as I am quite sure it still causes her a great deal of pain. While the telling is probably a carthasis for the author, no one can possibly read this book without being emotionally caught up in the painful turmoil. You cannot criticize this manuscript unless you yourself have been through what the author has endured. This is a book I highly recommend to everyone. It is well worth the time and the read.

this book was so well written and had such a powerful impact. alice sebold has outdone herself.

Received my order timely and the book was in excellent condition. Exactly what was ordered.

I really liked this book. It was raw and that is what it takes to truly tell this story. There is no other way to get around the harsh reality of Ms. Sebold's excruciating forcible violation. I would recommend this read with the understanding that it is graphic and it is awful but it is TRUE! Ms. Sebold is a remarkable person to withstand this tragedy, but I know it took her awhile to understand that herself. God bless!

Lucky is a remarkable piece of literature. Savagely raped near her college in a tunnel that had seen similar crimes ending in victim mortality, one police officer commented she had been one of the lucky ones. The title reflects Sebold's talent for irony and drawing deeper meaning. The writing is top-notch, stylish and vivid, but particularly impressive to this reader is how she managed to show the greater picture. The small show... the battle between her and the rapist toward conviction... served as the foundation, but the big show is how the world responded to Alice. She skillfully demonstrated that talking about her experience and even seeking justice for the crime was generally considered in poor taste making her undesirable company. A well done memoir.

Sebold is compulsive in her telling of her truth. She is courageous, open, relentless and unsentimental. I worked with rape victims for many years, she tells her story in the unflinching style of one who has grown tired of B.S. following a trauma. I loved this memoir.

Like the Lovely Bones, I like Ms. Sebold's direct storytelling. I found this story very intense, then sad as she tried to struggle to return to "normalcy" in the face of adversity.

While not always pleasant to read, I found Lucky more compelling and much more likeable than that drivel-fest book, The Lovely Bones. Lucky is a blunt first-hand account of surviving rape, and its long-term effects on the victim, including physical and emotional trauma and, consequentially, its indirect impact on the victim's loved ones. I'd recommend it to all women, if not for reading pleasure, then at least as an eye-opener.

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 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.

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.

I rarely find a book I just Cannot Put Down. One of the rare ones was The Lovely Bones--and it wasn't just the plot. It was the language, the crystal-clear voice-in-your-head narrative that spoke and spoke of pain and sadness and resolve. It was infused with a realism and was both beautiful and haunting. Like the lean, hard and seemingly lengthened muscles of a runner, Sebold's voice is discernable above the din of modern fiction yet it is not haughty or self-involved... Hearing her voice is like the moment you know you are going to be really good friends with someone you just met: comforting and clear, it makes you want to lean closer to absorb it. It made me a devoted fan of Sebold as I am sure you are, too.

After having read Lucky, I now feel I know where that voice originated from. This book is the literary equivilent of an armor-piercing bullet, and I found it beyond interesting that she took time out from writing The Lovely Bones to expunge her own memories from her narrative process--in other words, she felt she had to tell her full story in order to complete Susie's authentically in Susie's voice.

To say that this was a gripping narrative, to say that it was moving, to say that it was a good read seems trite. It was more like a shock to my system. It made me more careful with my decisions as a woman and a mother and made me realize the profound effect of such violence. Sebold's voice, like Melville's, is so full of astonishing truths that it cannot be ignored nor should it be missed simply because it isn't fiction. There are real truths in this book that everyone should know.

Keep in mind that this book is not for the faint of heart; it does indeed open with an extremely descriptive narrative of her rape and the subsequent trial. Sebold details the capture, trial, aftermath and survival of her rape in such detail it cannot be described in a review--it has to be experienced for oneself.

Please read this book: it is a revelation. Not a kind one, but a necessary one for both the author and ourseles. I am immensely grateful to have found it, and for Sebold for having written it. You won't be able to put it down.

I rarely find a book I just Cannot Put Down. One of the rare ones was The Lovely Bones--and it wasn't just the plot. It was the language, the crystal-clear voice-in-your-head narrative that spoke and spoke of pain and sadness and resolve. It was infused with a realism and was both beautiful and haunting. Like the lean, hard and seemingly lengthened muscles of a runner, Sebold's voice is discernable above the din of modern fiction yet it is not haughty or self-involved... Hearing her voice is like the moment you know you are going to be really good friends with someone you just met: comforting and clear, it makes you want to lean closer to absorb it. It made me a devoted fan of Sebold as I am sure you are, too.

After having read Lucky, I now feel I know where that voice originated from. This book is the literary equivilent of an armor-piercing bullet, and I found it beyond interesting that she took time out from writing The Lovely Bones to expunge her own memories from her narrative process--in other words, she felt she had to tell her full story in order to complete Susie's authentically in Susie's voice.

To say that this was a gripping narrative, to say that it was moving, to say that it was a good read seems trite. It was more like a shock to my system. It made me more careful with my decisions as a woman and a mother and made me realize the profound effect of such violence. Sebold's voice, like Melville's, is so full of astonishing truths that it cannot be ignored nor should it be missed simply because it isn't fiction. There are real truths in this book that everyone should know.

Keep in mind that this book is not for the faint of heart; it does indeed open with an extremely descriptive narrative of her rape and the subsequent trial. Sebold details the capture, trial, aftermath and survival of her rape in such detail it cannot be described in a review--it has to be experienced for oneself.

Please read this book: it is a revelation. Not a kind one, but a necessary one for both the author and ourseles. I am immensely grateful to have found it, and for Sebold for having written it. You won't be able to put it down.

Unlike any other book or memoir, Lucky is a book that is truly heart-moving.Haunting, (yet true) this book will be disturbing at times, but it shows us the true horrible nature of rape, pain, depressin, and other commonly found problems. Written well, Alice Sebold makes you feel as if you are really there and gives you a clear picture in your mind. This is a touching book that i think anyone mature enough should read. Trust me, you will enjoy it.

Author of
THE TRUTH
ABOUT CAFFEINE

I suspect I'm like most people who have read this book. I read an interview with Sebold and she said as she was writing "Lovely Bones" she was struggling with the rape scene. Because she had been raped herself, she wasn't able to write about it effectively in "Lovely Bones" until she had dealt with her own stuff. She put down "Lovely Bones", wrote "Lucky", and then picked up and finished "Lovely Bones." Very interesting.
Actually, I had read the above story, and then proceeded to pick up "Lucky" on a lark at Target one day and just read the first 10 pages or so while my wife finished shopping. I was hooked. I was not planning on buying it, but I did and brought it home and finished in shortly thereafter. It reads almost as a companion piece to "Lovely Bones" because you can see some of the family's muted emotional reaction to the rape/murder in "LB" played out in "Lucky." Obviously, "LB" is fiction, but there are some parallels.
That said, "Lucky" is a very gut-wrenching read at times, but Sebold does an excellent job of describing the aftermath of the rape. Her pained outburst to her sister and mother that "no good boy will want me now!" after the rape is so true and so real, yet rarely spoken of. I found the book terrific, although be prepared to read some distrubing and dark (but real) descriptions.

I was disappointed by the ending. It seemed quite hastily concluded. I wanted more details on her recovery process--how she was able to save herself. That would definitely help readers who have been through similar experiences.

The truth can be painful, but sometimes it must be spoken.
Such is the case with Lucky. This is probably one of the best books I have read all year, maybe even ever. This story is far from sugar-coated, but is raw, beautiful, thought provoking, oddly humorous in places, and in a sense, the essence of life.
The pages sparkle with personality, and "voice". I am amazed that Alice Sebold could write such a story, and I commend her for it.
I had read The Lovely Bones before this, and Lucky reads in the same fashion. At times, you are horrified and want to cry, and others, burst out laughing. It takes a very gifted author in order to instill such emotion in the reader, and Alice Sebold is definitely one of them.
I can say nothing bad about this book. I read it in two days, and seriously could hardly put it down.
The one thing the reader should take into account is that as said before, this book is far from sugar-coated. If you like happy, neatly packaged stories, this is not for you.
If you do decide to pick up a copy, you will not be disapointed. Above all, this is a tale of survival after tragedy, and a story that any person who has faced hardships should pick up. The message and the themes are so universal, that in my opinion, every reader will have some feeling which they are able to connect with.
After this, read The Lovely Bones, or the two of them together! Either way, you will be very satisfied!

I first became a fan of Sebold when I read "The Lovely Bones"...so I sought out "Lucky" with the hopes of finding another jewel in a sea of bad literature. When I skimmed the back cover to determine what it was about, I was surprised to find that it was an autobiography of her brutal rape while she attended Syracuse University. I was inspired to see how someone could write about something so tragic and personal, and soon learned that while she discussed her eventual travel through drug addiction and alcoholism. We see the rape through the trial, and the subsequent effects of these events as they relate to her life. However, the overwhelming theme throughout the novel is SURVIVAL and forgiveness.

This was undoubtedly a well written book, however I have to say that I was scarred by it and that it gave me nightmares for over a week. Maybe that's a testament to the author's skill in describing a scene and transporting the reader.

Unlike any other book or memoir, Lucky is a book that is truly heart-moving.Haunting, (yet true) this book will be disturbing at times, but it shows us the true horrible nature of rape, pain, depressin, and other commonly found problems. Written well, Alice Sebold makes you feel as if you are really there and gives you a clear picture in your mind. This is a touching book that i think anyone mature enough should read. Trust me, you will enjoy it.
My best friend bought me this book and another book called The Truth About Caffeine : How Companies That Promote it Deceive Us and What We Can Do About It. Since he knows I quit black tea recently, he's been really wonderful helping me in cope with my mood swings. This book is a labor of love I loved the book and don't miss coffee one bit. Buy it here or visit CaffeineAwareness.org for more info.

Lucky was a blunt memoir of the author's experience with rape. Alice Sebold writes very personally, as if she is verbally telling the story. The book opened my eyes to the effects of rape and the ways it can completely change a person's life and way of thinking. Not only is the book thought-provoking, it is a page-turner as well. I guarantee you will want to keep reading through the very end. Both terrible yet inspiring, I highly suggest reading Sebold's story.

I read this book in one weekend. It was impossible to put down, and though it brought back some awful memories, I was glad to have read it. Sebold writes very openly about aftermath of her rape and the ripple effect it can have not only on the victim, but the people around her.

I could not put this novel down from the minute I picked it up. I happened to be in a bookstore, and had read the lovely bones and decided to give this novel a try. One thing I'm curious about is where people got the idea that this novel was fiction (mentioned in reviews). It is a MEMOIR of the author detailing her true life tale. Anyone who has the stomach to read about a detailed rape will be sure to enjoy this book.