Rating: 
Summary: A TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY
Review: Like her wonderful novel The Lovely Bones - which I've also reviewed and which you must read - Lucky is a harrowing, heart-wrenching book about the worst possible thing that can happen to a woman. Alice Sebold tells the raw story of her rape ordeal and her subsequent struggle for recovery with an honesty and warmth which is compelling. Lucky reads almost like a novel itself at times, with gripping moments of suspense, particularly during the court trial scenes.
Alice Sebold was the innocent victim of an unforgivable crime - but she doesn't ask for our sympathy or pity in these beautifully written pages. She earns our respect and admiration for the courageous way she tells how the traumatic events changed and shaped her life; how the naive college student would eventually become a hardened, determined aggressor herself in her brave fight for justice against her attacker. Sadly, this natural reaction to her personal violation came with a price - destructive behavioural damage that brought a later downward spiral into drugs. What the author didn't know at the time is that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder; an anxiety syndrome that emerges following a psychologically distressing traumatic event such as rape, which she battles to overcome.
Can someone really, truly, get over something so savage and brutal as rape is the numbing thought you're left with long after you put the book aside? The past can never be forgotten, but Alice Sebold has managed to crawl from the wreckage and move on with her life to a happier future that has brought her international fame and acclaim. That says something about the human spirit - and everything about this remarkable woman.
Rating:
Summary: physically and mentally abused
Review: The Truth shall set you free in this tell all honest look into the life in a terrible enviroment, the enviroment inside of a mind that has been physically and mentally abused.. The book delves into the pain that she had to live through similar to that of the reality based/courageous 'NIGHTMARES ECHO',has poignant,at times a bit of humor like that of 'RUNNING WITH SCISSORS', and a bit sorrowful like that of 'BEAUTY FOR ASHES'.
No matter what comparrison you make...."Lucky" is an exceptional look at abuse..........and as I have seen from the prior books I have read, abuse comes in many forms and scars what it touches!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book
Review: Julia Hunter, A reviewer, January 26, 2004,
Outstanding book
Ms. Seabold does an outstanding job with this book in getting the reader to see the crisis in her life and all that led up and through this book. It is a hard to put down kind of book that holds your interest.
Along the same lines of "Lucky" are some other books of interest: Nightmares Echo/Katlyn Stewart, Lost Boy/David Pelzer
Rating:
Summary: Overcoming Obstacles
Review: This book was beautifully written. The author uses the audiences attention by starting with the story first and then recapturing the events that took place afterword. She keeps the reader on their toes by her amazing description of events.
Alice Sebold shows how she overcame her rape and was able to survive it. She told what happened to her and how it effected the lives around her. She overcame what everyone else tried to forget. She got revenge and lost some friends for it and gained some new ones. She was handed lemons and made lemonade.
Rating: 
Summary: Lucky
Review: I enjoyed reading Lucky, I found it very interesting to see what Alice had to go through after the rape and how brave it had made her.
I thought the first couple chapters were really interesting,and I wanted to keep reading. As the novel continued it seemed like everything was drawn out, and I could predict what was going to happen next.
Overall I enjoyed the novel, but I wouldn't want to read it again.
Rating: 
Summary: Becoming the Victim
Review: This wonderful account of a teenage rape, "Lucky", is one of the best books I have ever read. It gives insight into this world of rape and the healing process that goes along with it. It allows the reader to actually feel as though they are the victim living in Alice Sebold's shoes. Although this novel is a memoir, it was very exhilerating to read and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out what was going to happen next. This idea of a real life rape victim helps the reader to acknowledge the real world and the problems that come along with it. It is hard to realize, but anyone and/or everyone has a chance at being this rape victim. It is a nightmare. I believe that every teenage/adolescent girl should read this to gain the knowledge about rape that will keep them safe in todays society!
Rating:
Summary: A reminder that we all have a reason to feel Lucky
Review: Lucky is author Alice Sebold's autobiographical account of the violent, brutal rape she experienced at the end of her freshman year at Syracuse University. The first ten pages describe what Sebold recalls of the rape, which very effectively allows the reader to get a sense of young Alice's experience. What follows is a detailed account of what happened next, from Alice's initial reporting of the rape and medical care to the reactions of her family and friends to the eventual trial of her rapist. Sebold tells her own story in the same detached, unemotional narration which she utilized in her novel, The Lovely Bones, yet as with that book, the emotions clearly shine through her simple prose. At one point, Sebold shared the following observation: "I was learning that no one--females included--knew what to do with a rape victim." As the book continues, it is obvious that this statement applies even to Alice herself, as she struggles to figure out what to do. Although she calls herself a "successful rape victim," Sebold is unable to escape the traumatic effects common to so many survivors of this crime.As a psychologist, I believe that some rape survivors might find support and optimisim in Alice's story, whereas others may be unable to relate to her particular experiences. As a reader, I wanted to know more about how Alice ended up; to me, Sebold's 10-page "Aftermath" section seemed to be a rushed, inadequate conclusion to Alice's compelling story. However, I still found this book to be a worthwhile read, especially given that I agree with Sebold's basic premise that one can experience horrible events yet still be blessed--I feel Lucky too.
Rating:
Summary: devastation
Review: true accounts of the devastational life one teen must live with after living through rape. It is sad, emotional and yet completely honest in its accounts. it also shows the reader that not all abuse is child oriented. Rape is also abuse. It lingers long after the initial act is over and destroys lives.
this is a must read like that of Nightmares Echo and A Child Called It.
Rating:
Summary: Harrowing and courageous
Review: As I read "The Lovely Bones" (also remarkably well-written by Sebold) I remember thinking how the author must have endured some kind of emotional trauma to give her such insight into the pulsing anger and isolation of being violated. Here in her memoir I am devastated to know just how victimized she was at such a young age. Yet despite the gruesome topic, details of her rape at 18, and subsequent emotional destitution, this book is a story of conquest. Her narrative is a discussion of her life's emotional storms and her vanquish over situations that gave rise to her pain. She incorporates wit and detail to paint her vivid narrative. The title "Lucky" is ironic. A police officer told her after her rape that she should consider herself "lucky" she wasn't killed because they had found a dead woman in the very same place she had been raped. That sentiment is a reflection on the awkward feelings people express to try to comfort a victim. Sebold explores how so many of those dialogues actually gave her more feelings of disassociation. We've come a long way in our attempts to support vitims but could never come close enough. The violation of penetration without consent will always be one of the most emotionally scarring events a woman can ever experience. Hopefully this book will be part of a kit given to victims to give them hope that although you can never go back to who you were before you were assaulted you can surmount the pain and regain your goals and aspirations and thrive despite the violence. What an amazingly well written book. I wish I could give this book more than five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Prying....
Review: I never finished this book to be honest... it felt like I was prying and spying on Alice. It felt like it was none of my business to know what kind of hell she went through... I honestly felt guilty reading it but I admit it did touch me in a way and made me a little more self conscience of what is going on in the world and how girls- women, young and old, need to know how to defend themselves or know what to do if ever faced with a situation such as her's...
I recomend you read The Lovely Bones... it comforts me knowing it's a fiction... Alice Sebold is truly a brave woman for sharing her story with the world.
|
