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Lucky
Lucky
Author: Alice Sebold
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...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780316096195
ISBN-10: 0316096199
Publication Date: 9/2002
Pages: 272
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 1372

3.8 stars, based on 1372 ratings
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Bibliocrates avatar reviewed Lucky on + 252 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 29
This book was so intense that I had to take breaks from reading it due to the realness of the subject matter. I can't imagine having gone through what Alice went through and then being OK psychologically. As it turned out, Alice wasn't as OK as she thought she was, as evidenced by her later drug use and other behaviors. I read the NPR transcript of her conversation with Terry Gross on 'Fresh Air' at the end of the novel and I liked what she had to say about therapeutic writing, that writing can be therapeutic, but that therapeutic writing shouldn't be published. I think I agree with that statement. I'm sure many memoirs are written as a form of therapy, but in Alice's case, her memoir came to be after she reached a point where she was OK. As she stated, reading her journals about how she felt after the rape after all those years was "mind-blowing" and made her realize that she "did OK." I also liked what she had to say about being able to find compassion for the man that raped her, that just because you can't forgive someone for what they've done to you, doesn't mean you can't find compassion for them.
Modaba avatar reviewed Lucky on + 75 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 17
A personal tale of the author's personal hell. Written by the author of The Lovely Bones, this book gives the chilling real life story of the author's survival...physically, mentally, and emotionally...of a brutal rape. Difficult to read at times...not because of the quality of Ms. Sebold's writing...it is superb... but because it is shocking in its truth and honesty. I lived in Syracuse, NY during my college years, so many of the places described are very real to me...a little too real for comfort at times.

I hope to read more from Alice Sebold in the future. She is indeed a gifted writer. Perhaps her literary talents have helped her to survive this ordeal. I highly recommend this book!
TarynC avatar reviewed Lucky on + 213 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 17
I read The Lovely Bones and it is a favorite of mine. This book is a totally frank account of how the author's rape impacted her life. I think it was a courageous book for her to write and share her story with us.I am going to insist my 19 yr old college freshman read this.
GowerMeower avatar reviewed Lucky on + 179 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 12
Riveting true account of the author's experience after being raped at 18. Truthful and compelling, it is difficult to imagine how she was able to write it down.
reviewed Lucky on + 106 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
An absolutely brilliant account of surviving rape, an indictment of the efficient legal system, and a critical look at the work of advocates that are part of Rape Crisis programs.
Read All 196 Book Reviews of "Lucky"

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reviewed Lucky on + 271 more book reviews
This true story of the author's rape is well written and very graphic. After awhile, the topic in book form was a bit much for me. I would not read it a second time. D.
reviewed Lucky on + 27 more book reviews
Reading these memoirs remind us how difficult some people's lives are and also how fortunate we have been.
babbs2you avatar reviewed Lucky on + 41 more book reviews
Very intriguing book.
Marcee avatar reviewed Lucky on + 14 more book reviews
This is a well written book. I liked the story a lot. I feel that the author did a great job of sticking to the story w/o creating unnecessary pages. This is a very quick read, but I did not find it all that engaging. Def. something I would get from the library.
reviewed Lucky on + 20 more book reviews
Very well written -
reviewed Lucky on + 2 more book reviews
Deep subject, a little hard for me to get into this.
reviewed Lucky on + 6 more book reviews
"In the tunnel where I was raped, a tunnel that was once an underground entry to an ampitheater, a place where actors burst forth from underneath the seats of a crowd, a girl had been murdered and dismembered. I was told this story by the police.

In comparison, they said, I was Lucky."
hallelujaheart avatar reviewed Lucky on + 96 more book reviews
Very good book. Author tells her story of rape.


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