Rating: 
Summary: As Luck Would Have It
Review: You know when you are reading a book and you keep thinking "This is such a great story?" You wonder how anyone thought up such an intriguing story. I am reading Lucky by Alice Sebold. As I read, I want to say "That could never happen," or "Gosh, this is a good story," but then I realize it isn't fiction. This is Alice's story. WOW! I wish it were fiction. I wish nothing like that ever had to happen to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging, Brilliant, Informative
Review: LUCKY, a memoir of a rape and its aftermath by Alice Sebold, author of THE LOVELY BONES, is a remarkable piece of writing. Twenty-two years ago, the legal and health systems were not attuned to the rape victim and were positioned to make a terrible situation even more dehumanizing. Sebold was lucky, she was told, that the rapist left physical damage to back up her claims, that she was a virgin going into the experience and thus to be accorded more respect, that she wasn't in the same place some days before-in a park near her college campus-when another young woman was raped and killed. Sebold reports the events of the rape in unswerving, unsensational journalistic fashion at the outset of the book. From there she shares something of her childhood in suburban Philadelphia, to help the reader understand who she was and how that helped shape what happened next after the rape, the impact on her family, friends and college community, and on her own choices. Woven in and out of the narrative is the story of how Sebold encounters her attacker on the street months later and pursues him through the legal system. One of the shocking discoveries she makes is how unusual she is in that pursuit; most women were defeated in the process or did not have the wherewithal to initiate it. Sebold probably would not describe herself as courageous, but it becomes apparent, the further you read into the book, that she is very courageous on many levels. She is also downright likeable, though she isn't asking the reader to like her.It is also apparent that even if our health, emergency, college safety departments, municipal police services, and judicial systems have grown more sensitive to the rape victim in recent years, there remains the problem of how the victim and the people around her make sense and make progress after the event. Emotionally, Sebold was left very much on her own, and while she marches forward, graduating from college on time, accumulating some typical college experiences along the way, it is with some surprise years later that the internal healing process had really yet to begin. As she heads into recovery, Sebold closes the door to outside scrutiny and that's okay: she has already given us what we really need to know.
Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable memoir
Review: It took a great deal of courage for Sebold to write this memoir, which describes her brutal rape as a college student and the subsequent investigation and prosecution of the crime. In spite of the incendiary nature of the crime, Sebold remains largely an objective and composed storyteller, describing events in a detached and methodical manner. It's actually a very interesting true crime story that is hard to put down. The quality of writing is excellent, too. Overall, a very engrossing read. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I agree with the reviwers who say that this book is even better than the wonderful "The Lovely Bones," which was published after "Lucky." Sebold tells her story honestly and from the heart. It will keep you interested until the end. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to read, hard to put down
Review: This book opens with a terribly vivid description of the rape and beating Sebold endured as a freshman at Syracuse. Is it possible to say I liked such a book? Can you like a book that frightens you, challenges you and makes you fearful of modern America? I was riveted-maybe that's a more apt description. Sebold's writing is captivating, as is the story of the aftermath of the rape, including her attempt to prosecute the rapist. Lucky mostly deals with the very complicated business of getting on with your life after such a life-changing event. How do you act after a rape? How do people treat you? These are some the questions Sebold answers, and they are not easy answers. At the end of the book, you don't get the feeling that she's "over it,"-not by a long shot, but you do get the feeling that there is hope. So you won't finish this book feeling totally despondent and helpless, but you won't exactly feel good.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to Read but You Can't Put it Down
Review: Alice Sebold has a gift for not tiptoeing politely around raw, painful issues. Her opening account of the actual rape is stunning in it's brutality and while you want to avert your eyes, you don't. I love her honest creativity. She does what few writers can.
Rating:
Summary: Alice Sebold is amazing!
Review: What a strong woman who managed to overcome her past, even with considerable obstacles. I loved this book, it is even better than THE LOVELY BONES. It was very difficult to put down!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing first-hand account...
Review: I was captivated by this woman's story, and impressed with the courageous way she dealt with being raped. When most girls in her situation kept quiet and felt ashamed, Alice does the opposite. I felt a little cheated with how she described her life after the trial though. I finished the book wondering if her life is good now, or if she's depressed, alone, and suffering from substance abuse problems. I can't wait to read Lovely Bones now and see how that book compares.
Rating:
Summary: A VERY REALISTIC MEMOIR OF A RAPE TRAUMA.
Review: I'm a seventeen year-old student from Boston, Massachusetts and I read 'Lucky' by Alice Sebold as part of an assignment. Alice is a college freshman and the main character of this book. The first chapter describes how Alice gets raped in the entrance of an amphitheater. The author is very graphic and detailed and eventually she uses that narration form throughout the book. The story itself tells us how Alice had to deal with society's lack of comprehension towards her rape and how her life changed after such a horrible experience. A sense of irony is added to the book when people constantly remind Alice how 'lucky' she was that she survived the rape. I recommend this book; I found Alice Sebold's memories to be very courageous, strong and realistic. You definitely will end up admiring the author of this literary piece.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous
Review: This is an amazing book about an all too common and all too ignored crime. It is also about the continual victimization that may come along with it. Despite a review or two to the contrary I found it's writing to be superb and I could not put it down (finishing it in 2 days). Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and mine is that this book is excellent. This is not "the lovely bones" this is not fiction and the guts necessary to write and publish this book is beyond the comprehension of many.
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