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lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
We. There was no we when it came to pain.
Mara's wife just left her, her best friend who she has feelings for is moving across the world, and she was just diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A very frank look at ableism, disability justice and love through the eyes of a woman whose life and body is rapidly changing in a world that doesn't care about disabled people. I loved the perspective, and the fact that she comes from a fund-raising, HIV/AIDS-awareness campaigning background. I have to admit; I liked the book better in the beginning, when it was mostly just vibes, Mara's chronicle of every stage of her illness, her thoughts about love and friendship and her ex-wife, her complicated relationship with Aiyana, all of the little indignities of ableism that she's becoming aware of. When actual plot stuff started happening, I was less interested. Not that said plot stuff and all the conversations it brought up weren't important, but the way it was written made it feel less realistic, even if nothing that was happening was unbelievable. This book dealt in fact; important facts! But, idk. I'll always maintain that certain things don't need to be written about with subtlety and craft and beautiful prose to have merit, and ableism is one of those things. But I also just didn't enjoy the execution of this as much as I was in the beginning.
Listened to the audiobook as read by the author, which was pretty okay. This is still a book I can easily recommend (especially since I don't think I've ever read another book about a character with MS by an author with MS). I look forward to reading more of Griffith in the future.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
ableism, murder, violence (off page)dreamgalaxies's review against another edition
4.0
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Wow. Mostly beautiful/realistic/heartbreaking prose about adjusting to life with a disability. I liked the thriller angle but it came too abruptly and I didn’t feel sated at the end. Wish Griffith had kept writing but I still loved it.
Wow. Mostly beautiful/realistic/heartbreaking prose about adjusting to life with a disability. I liked the thriller angle but it came too abruptly and I didn’t feel sated at the end. Wish Griffith had kept writing but I still loved it.
himborpheus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Mara has a great life. She's in a relationship and they live in a cute condo. Her job with a large AIDS non-profit gives her recognition and challenges and she's passionate about martial arts. Then, in a few days, it all collapses. Her partner leaves her for another woman and then she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an unpredictable and disabling disease, which progresses rapidly, exhausting her, rendering her unable of continuing with the physical activity she loves. She loses her job and is quickly isolated, home alone, but also isolated by the distance that people put between themselves and the disabled.
In So Lucky, Nicola Griffith takes a strong, focused and self-focused woman and shows what becoming disabled does to a person. Mara is a fighter, and she's quick to turn her attention and experience to helping ms patients advocate for themselves by starting her own non-profit organization.
But this is not, despite the title, an inspiring book about a woman who overcomes odds or who learns acceptance. Mara is angry and her rage, which is open and uncontrolled, is an impressive thing. I'm used to men's rage. There are entire movie franchises and book series based on a man's rage at an injustice done to a woman he fancies, but here is a woman angry about what has happened to her and not about to sit home and suffer quietly. So Lucky not a comfortable book to read, nor is it a perfect book, but it is a worthwhile book.
In So Lucky, Nicola Griffith takes a strong, focused and self-focused woman and shows what becoming disabled does to a person. Mara is a fighter, and she's quick to turn her attention and experience to helping ms patients advocate for themselves by starting her own non-profit organization.
But this is not, despite the title, an inspiring book about a woman who overcomes odds or who learns acceptance. Mara is angry and her rage, which is open and uncontrolled, is an impressive thing. I'm used to men's rage. There are entire movie franchises and book series based on a man's rage at an injustice done to a woman he fancies, but here is a woman angry about what has happened to her and not about to sit home and suffer quietly. So Lucky not a comfortable book to read, nor is it a perfect book, but it is a worthwhile book.
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
This slim little book really packs a wallop. I picked it up and could not put it down - read all 180 pages in one sitting. Mara has been recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the book shows her struggle to adapt to what her new life entails while also dealing with some issues in her personal life. While Mara isn't always the most sympathetic of characters you can't help but feel for her during the struggle. There's a thriller aspect to the novel that helps keep the pages turning.
schray32's review against another edition
4.0
Quick read about a new diagnosis of MS. Scary to imagine your whole life changing with one diagnosis. This intense novel goes along with her diagnosis. This is the first tournament of books choice that I enjoyed and know I would not have picked up without their list.
witchystitches's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kait_unicorn's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderfully captures the rage that underlies growing awareness of all the subtle and not-so-subtle ways ableism functions across society.
zlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Nicola Griffith’s short, tense novel is a spellbinding journey into the thin place between deep personal fears and physical reality. What do you do when home is no longer a safe place? Griffith’s protagonist is a martial artist and nonprofit leader, accustomed to feeling at home in her body and comfortable house. Then symptoms of multiple sclerosis, ensuing job loss, and the fraying threads of her fading relationship begin to deconstruct her life. No quitter, she bonds with other people with disabilities online – but fear and offline violence soon threaten this community, and perhaps even herself. While this is no "disability awareness" fable, "So Lucky" honestly presents both the power and vulnerability that people with disabilities experience. Readers may catch themselves looking over their own shoulders.
beccamcostello's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
A short but not easy read. If you tend to need trigger warnings for severe illness and/or violent crime, read with caution.
I appreciate any stories about disability that aren't inspiration porn. And this is absolutely about disability; MS isn't a side plot. The anger in this novel is tangible and I love it.
I would recommend this to just about anyone.
(Spoilers ahead)
The violent murders targeting people with disabilities, getting closer and closer to the narrator, felt like a good way to describe disability activism generally: a matter of literal life and death, yet the world at large doesn't connect the dots or recognize the urgency. Although I really like that interpretation, I'm glad the end acknowledges that disabled people are actually targeted for violence, not just metaphorically (or passively through public policy).
I heard about this book from a nonfiction disability rights book I read. I would like to hear different perspectives on it, especially from folks who have lived with a disability far longer than the narrator here. I like the personification of disability/emotions about disability. I felt a little uncomfortable with the final scene, in which Mara seems to be "overcoming" some of her negative reaction to MS. It has such a sense of finality, like she's figured out exactly how she should be feeling and acting, which is not how I've heard people talk about chronic illness. But I'm not one of those people, so my perception of the ending could be way off.
A short but not easy read. If you tend to need trigger warnings for severe illness and/or violent crime, read with caution.
I appreciate any stories about disability that aren't inspiration porn. And this is absolutely about disability; MS isn't a side plot. The anger in this novel is tangible and I love it.
I would recommend this to just about anyone.
(Spoilers ahead)
The violent murders targeting people with disabilities, getting closer and closer to the narrator, felt like a good way to describe disability activism generally: a matter of literal life and death, yet the world at large doesn't connect the dots or recognize the urgency. Although I really like that interpretation, I'm glad the end acknowledges that disabled people are actually targeted for violence, not just metaphorically (or passively through public policy).
I heard about this book from a nonfiction disability rights book I read. I would like to hear different perspectives on it, especially from folks who have lived with a disability far longer than the narrator here. I like the personification of disability/emotions about disability. I felt a little uncomfortable with the final scene, in which Mara seems to be "overcoming" some of her negative reaction to MS. It has such a sense of finality, like she's figured out exactly how she should be feeling and acting, which is not how I've heard people talk about chronic illness. But I'm not one of those people, so my perception of the ending could be way off.