Lucas

My daughter reccomended this book to me, and I'm so glad she did. When she was reading it we often had the following discussion:

Me: It's time to come to dinner.
Her: *eyes devouring the page* Uh-huh
Me: Really. You need to stop reading and eat.
Her: Uh-huh.
Me: Now!
Her: *reluctantly puts the book down*

I'm more sympathetic now. Kevin Brooks does such a good job of sucking you in and keeping the tension high throughout the whole of this book that putting it down to get some work done was a very difficult thing. I really enjoyed this story and I'm glad he doesn't dumb down the fear/danger for younger readers.

No matter how many times I read this book, I still hope for the ending to change. I know it never will, I know what happens is inevitable and will leave me in tears, but I still read with hope.

This book is haunting. Once you read it, it will stay with you forever. A hot summer day will make you think of it. Seeing swans will make you think of it. Seeing kids trying to grow up too fast will make you think of it. A wild storm will make you think of it. You'll never get away from this book, you'll never stop thinking about.

So that's what I did. I cried myself a story. And this is it.

This book is violent and real and heartbreaking and shocking and moving. And it is easily one of my favourite books of all time. It is a roller-coaster ride show more which ends in despair, despite knowing what's coming. show less

From the moment Caitlin first sees Lucas, she knows everything is going to change. Caitlin is 15 years own and lives on a small island town in England. Her widowed father is a writer and a bit of a drunk, her older brother is turning into someone she doesn't recognize, and even her best friend is pressuring her to grow up. But Cailtin is still trying to figure out who she is, made all the more confusing with the appearance of Lucas. Lucas is homeless, a mysterious "gypsy", that has wandered into town, and people aren't too pleased about it, especially Jamie, the island's golden boy. Lucas is being accused of theft, molestation, and even murder, and Caitlin is the only one who believes in his innocence.

This book was intensely show more frustrating. I got the same feeling in my stomach as I did in To Kill a Mockingbird. The feeling of unjust accusations, and the hopelessness of not being able to protect the innocent. I wanted to waltz right into the book and speak for the characters, in a vain attempt to get them to see what was right in front of them.

Caitlin's confusion about growing up was in every paragraph. Elipses, questions, and fragmented sentences decorated her musings. And I understand Cailtin's attraction to Lucas. He was a very appealing character. Not only physically attractive, he was mysterious, suave and mature, with showing only the faintest bit of vulnerability. I also liked that what passed between them wasn't exactly a romance, but something more like an intense understanding. I even hesitate to call them friends. All the characters managed to evoke some sort of feeling from me. Even the vividly described island seemed like a character in itself.

I don't know how I feel about the ending. It needed to end somehow, but none of the things I could think of seemed right, even the actual conclusion.

This was a powerful book filled with strong writing and powerful themes. I read another book by Kevin Brooks, Candy, and felt similarly about it. Kevin Brooks is just a damn good author, one I wish had more recognition. show less

There's something about Lucas you can't help but love. Cute, mysterious, observant, self-sufficient, a little dark, a little dangerous... you can see why Cait falls for him so easily. Living in a small town growing up, it's also easy to see why the town turns on him for seemingly nothing. This is a very dramatic edge-of-the-seat kind of book. I've read it twice now, and am sure I'll read it again someday.

“Stories aren’t facts, Cait, they’re not details. Stories are feelings.” And so begins the allegorical journey into the life of Caitlin McCann as measured by Lucas. A story, as the cover tells us, filled with love and hate. Set among the mudflats on the small island of Hale whose access to the mainland is controlled by the tides, Brooks uses his setting to force attention to the tides of human behavior; the pull and counter pull of love and hate. Lucas sees color auras of people and places. He shows up waiting when characters need to see him. Dogs don’t bark at him. The island residents merely want to kill him. “People don’t like it when they don’t know what you are. They don’t like things that don’t fit. It show more frightens them. They’d rather have a monster they know than a mystery they don’t. In a place like this, the fear takes hold and spreads. It feeds on itself.” (167). We find ourselves sucked into this story bit by bit until all 423 pages seem not nearly long enough! Brooks weaves a nice blend of mood, whether describing the delicate bone-handled knife carving of Deef the dog or the encounter with evil Jamie and the same bone-handled knife. While this story is entitled Lucas, it is about Caitlin. It demonstrates how one intelligent young girl filters, sifts, and sorts the various truths of her life and grows. Teens will find PLENTY to discuss with this one, not the least of which is whether violence can solve problems.

I liked this book and it is well written with an intense plot, but it's not my favorite. A good book worth reading, just not MY favorite. I think the face of the boy looks angry, mischievous, not fitting the book character at all. AHS/KA show less

I was totally engrossed in this YA Fiction novel about a free-spirited boy who suddenly "appears" on a remote island off of Great Britain. Islanders don't take kindly to strangers, so Lucas' landing on the island causes a great commotion. Cait McCann first spots Lucas walking alongside the road, carrying his belongings in a green canvas bag. Cait is riding in the car with her father and her brother, Dom, whom they have just picked up at the airport. When their car passes Lucas, Cait's eyes meet his. She knows that something is going to change. The summer that lies ahead of her will be different than any other summer she has ever experienced.

I don't read a lot of YA Fiction, but I do want to check out Kevin Brooks' other books. I love show more his style of writing. I had a perfect picture in my head of the characters, of the island, and of Lucas and Cait. Their relationship, albeit strange, is a wonderful new experience for Cait. She knows that she has met someone special and her life will never be the same.

"Lucas" keeps its pace, and keeps you guessing what is going to happen next. The characters are real and likable (some of them, that is) and the story will sweep you up into the island community and living on the coast; the sea and sand, the hot sunny summer days and the violent thunderstorms; and of Cait and Lucas and Cait's dog Deefer, who is also an important character in this story. show less

This is one of Kevin Brook's best books. Reading it with my teenage reading group, there was only one or two who did not like it, and it is still in their top 5 favourite books.
Every girl is looking for a Lucas, and each of us pictured him completely differently. (Which is why the new cover with a face on the front completely spoils the illusion)
It is a book about a boy who mysteriously appears on the island home of Cas. She sees him and is instantly drawn to him, even though the other islanders treat him appallingly.