So hard to read, and so worth reading. Brutal and brutally honest, this book is a must read for anyone who has survived abuse or trauma esp. at a young age. The more it is shared, the less alone we feel, and the triumph of one, as shown in this story, is a light to everyone. It must have been terribly difficult for the author to write this book and then to send it out into the world. It was a gift for her to do it.

The book arrived very quickly and so far I am very pleased with the book. It is as good as the review said it would be. Thanks :-)

Lucky is the truest portrait one can paint of tragedy and justice in minds, bodies, and spirits.

There are not many writers who can be extremely talented fiction AND non-fiction writers. So even though I had read "The Lovely Bones" and knew Alice Sebold to be an extremely gifted storyteller, I hesitated to take up "Lucky". It was non-fiction and moreover, autobiographical, and moreover, documents a personal tragedy. With all due respect, and without diminishing the seriousness of the subject, I wasn't sure I would be able to stick with it to the end.

Well, I certainly did stick with it to the end; if you liked "The Lovely Bones" reading this will help you understand how she was able to bring haunting and heartbreaking life to the characters in that book. She tells her story brilliantly. I recommend this book without reservation.

I had no idea of the style or subject of 'Lucky' until I started reading it: I'd bought it purely on the strength of Sebold's earlier novel, 'The Lovely Bones'.
That being said, I found myself captivated by this remarkable account of Sebold's teen years and, of course, her rape - the cataclysmic event that has so shaped her present and, it seems, will continue to affect her future. (As I was reading, I was getting my daughter ready for her first year at college and this book has gone with her.)
Sebold deserves copious praise for her courage and clear-headedness, not just in having dealt with the rape all those years ago, and its effects on all who were and are still close to her, but also in dredging it all up again to present this ordered, sensible, well-written account.
Particularly admirable is the no-holds-barred way she presents herself. It would have been so easy to slip into 'poor little me' mode, but she has avoided that self-pitying tone so successfully that at times I almost disliked her, feeling so very, very sorry for her all the while.
It's not a comfortable read by any means. But it is a strong one, and worthwhile, for Sebold's well-delivered perspective on the psyche of rapist, victim and what may well be a lifetime of shattered relationships.