Path of Lucas: The Journey He Endured by Susanne Bellefeuille is the story about one man’s great love for his family and the difficult choices and sacrifices he had to make. The story of Lucas’s life is told by Lucas as he recounts his memories of family life to his comatose daughter.
Path of Lucas has thirty-five chapters. In this blog post, we are going to run through the novel by giving the summary of each chapter.
Chapter 1 Summary
In Chapter 1 of Path of Lucas, Lucy’s accident reveals her deep relationship with her family. Notwithstanding that she had three children from her previous marriage and is obviously a grandmother, her husband Mark clearly shows his responsibility towards her by rushing her to the hospital where she is attended to and contacting her family members, especially her dear father, Lucas, who later arrives and begins to tell a story about his courtship with her mother, though he knows she is in a coma and cannot hear him.
Chapter 2 Summary
Lucas’s love life which begins at the age of seventeen, towards Isabelle, the daughter of his father’s contemporary, pictures the natural psychological and emotional growth in Lucas. Though after picking her up with her sister in his Studebaker while they were returning from the farm, the love he develops at first sight proves that he is emotionally free and is not a difficult person. And his parents discover his new love life through his narrative. They provide some sort of assurance to him.
Chapter 3 Summary
As Lucas’s childhood friend, Steve, who had been away for years on his pursuit to become a pilot, visits the neighborhood again, Lucas feels the breath of pure friendship.
Steve’s place in Lucas’s life is essential, as he continually props Lucas up to chase his own dream of becoming a mechanic even though he has to help his father, He urges Lucas to go in search of Isabelle since he hasn’t seen her in a while and is feeling it.
Steve, though from a poor background, unlike Lucas, is bold and courageous and evidently beats up Kira, their childhood notorious contemporary who ends up becoming a town bully. Steve does not spend much time with Lucas, as he is called by the air force back to work at a far place, Cold Lake, Alberta. Although Lucas feels the vacuum of his friend, he is equally strengthened by the courage he has put into his life.
Chapter 4 Summary
The next time Lucas meets Isabelle, it is a form of renewal of hope. He can actually find another time to spend with her. He also visits Steve’s parents. He affirms that he would always be of help to them. The two families therefore portray a family friend relationship.
Chapter 5 Summary
In chapter 5 of Path of Lucas, Lucas’s relationship with Isabelle progresses. The depth of their love is evident when he appeals to take her on a date. They go to Mama Jean’s restaurant. Even as Lucas returns, his open mindedness to tell his parents about the date reveals the free nature of the family.
Chapter 6 Summary
Lucas continues his story at the hospital, his daughter still unconscious. He narrates the second date he had with Isabelle which was at the theatre. There, they also solidify their relationship.
Chapter 7 Summary
As Lucas and Isabelle go out, Isabelle acts in a way Lucas cannot understand. Even as they return, Isabelle leaves him and runs into the forest. As Lucas chases her, he prefers not to make it urgent for her to speak if she would get hurt.
Chapter 8 Summary
As Lucas goes to Mr. Thomas’s house to give him some papers to sign on behalf of his father who bought Mr. Thomas’s land, he accidentally sees Isabelle. He wonders what she was doing. As they meet, he promises to drive her home after seeing Mr. Thomas.
Chapter 9 Summary
As he takes her home, they stop by at an oak tree and Isabelle freely tells him what has been disturbing her. How her father abuses her emotionally and her mother abuses her physically but she begs him not to hold a beef against her parents. He respects her wish.
Chapter 10 Summary
In chapter 10 of Path of Lucas, Lucas takes Isabelle out for her birthday party at Mama Jean’s and proposes to her and she agrees. Their love continues to grow.
Chapter 11 Summary
Lucas and Isabelle continue their time. They spend time in the wood and come back to look at Lucas grandfather’s paintings. Isabelle confirms that his grandfather is a reputable artist.
Chapter 12 Summary
In chapter 12 of Path of Lucas, Isabelle gets pregnant from their last love making. She doesn’t know how to tell Lucas. Julia, her boss’s granddaughter, takes her to the hospital in Alexandria where she is confirmed pregnant by Dr Bates.
Chapter 13 Summary
Isabelle later reveals to Lucas that she is pregnant. She tells him this at a concert where they went to see a hockey star, Richard Maurice, with Lucas family. Lucas is happy and plans to start a family with Isabelle.
Chapter 14 Summary
In chapter 14 of Path of Lucas, Lucas and Isabelle get married. The both families are happy for them. Two of them tell their families that she is pregnant. France, her sister, is also pregnant and the both are ready to give birth.
Chapter 15 Summary
Isabelle gives birth to her first son, Richard, and has three subsequent births, two boys and a girl. Though the girl child, Lucy, gives her much difficulty to bear, she survives it. They are happy and their family bond grows.
Chapter 16 Summary
In chapter 16 of Path of Lucas, Jim, Lucas’s friend, invites him to come and work for him as a mechanic at Uxbridge, since the latter is passionate about working as a mechanic. He offers to pay his tuition fees to go to school there and be a certified mechanic. Isabelle agrees and the family moves to Uxbridge.
Chapter 17 Summary
Isabelle passes through extreme child difficulty to give birth. She survives and gives birth to a son named Thomas. Though she suffers haemorrhage and the baby becomes so weak that he is put in a heart monitor, they both survive.
Chapter 18 Summary
Lucas’s parents visit them at Uxbridge. John, his father ,further begs him to come home so they won’t lose the farm they laboured for. He begs Lucas to come home and work for him on the farm since he is getting old and frail. Lucas agrees.
Chapter 19 Summary
In chapter 19 of Path of Lucas, Lucas narrates his disturbing discussion with his father about the plea to return to the farm. Isabelle hesitates at first, reminding him of the risks of losing his schooling and his job. Reluctantly, she agrees to his plea in order to make him happy.
Chapter 20 Summary
Lucas takes Isabelle to his parents. John and Elizabeth are happy to welcome them. Lucas begins to see the good side of his return. They also visit his brother James and his family who now live in Cornwell Street.
Chapter 21 Summary
Steve returns from travel and visits Lucas’s family. He reaffirms his friendship with Lucas. As he goes back to his workplace at Alberta, he is reported to have died of plane crash. Lucas painfully arranges the burial of Steve. Dracy, Mary’s child, also die, as well as Mr Bourgeois, Isabelle’s father.
Chapter 22 Summary
Richard, Isabelle’s child, suffers serious sickness after he swam in cold weather. It is inflammation of the brain. Through Lucas’s and Isabelle’s relentless efforts, he later recovers.
Chapter 23 Summary
Lucas meets a friend, Ron, who ask him to join him in his search for a job at a cable company that pays well. Lucas discusses it with Isabelle and they agree. Lucas is given the job. The family starts having a good life.
Chapter 24 Summary
After a long sickness, France, Isabelle’s sister, dies of obesity and heart distress. She is buried. With Lucas’s help, Isabelle writes and reads a eulogy for her sister at the funeral. She greatly feels the loss.
Chapter 25 Summary
Isabelle gains weight and luckily loses it. She is congratulated and they request that she gives a health speech at Ottawa. Lucas gets promotion to go and work at Kemptville. Isabelle is very sick again and she is sedated in the hospital.
Chapter 26 Summary
Lucas returns from Kemptville to see Isabelle at the general hospital. The doctor tells him she is suffering from depression and might lose her memory. The whole family is frightened at Isabelle’s sickness.
Chapter 27 Summary
Lucas continues visiting Isabelle at the hospital and gets further confused when Dr Jones tells him there is little hope. Elizabeth, Lucas’s mother, takes care of the children and the family prays for Isabelle’s recovery.
Chapter 28 Summary
In chapter 28 of Path of Lucas, Lucas considers abandoning his work at Kemptville in order to fully care for Isabelle. The doctor tells him that Isabelle can no longer recover and should be sent to an institution. Lucas proves him wrong by requesting to take his wife into the society to make sure she recovers. The doctor reluctantly accepts.
Chapter 29 Summary
It is December, almost one year of Isabelle in the hospital. Isabelle is recovering but can’t remember major details about her family. Later, Lucas takes her for Christmas shopping. As she unwraps the presents and pictures, she starts getting some memories that she is Lucas’s wife but she doesn’t yet remember her children.
Chapter 30 Summary
Lucas continues narrating his story to his daughter, Lucy. In his story, he takes Isabelle home to see the children. It doesn’t work the first time because she is scared, but the second time, it works and she embraces her family. They spend Christmas together.
Chapter 31 Summary
Lucas does not continue work at Kemptville. He works in the wood logging business. They’re not that rich. Lucy gets pregnant at 16 by her boyfriend, Justin. As the family is thinking about how they will go about it, their son Richard impregnates his girlfriend Chelsea and it is over six months. They plan on how to go abort it.
Chapter 32 Summary
In chapter 32 of Path of Lucas, Chelsea gives birth to a girl. Richard gets very sick and has difficulty in breathing. His throat also tightens. The family rushes him to the hospital. The doctor transfers him to Ottawa for further diagnosis and says it could be cancer.
Chapter 33 Summary
At Ottawa, Richard is confirmed to have a tumor which is cancerous. The doctor treats him but, within some weeks, Richard gets sick again. They find cancer cells in his lymph nodes. He does not survive it and dies. Lucas’s father, John, also gets hospitalized. They arrange a funeral for Richard.
Chapter 34 Summary
Chelsea’s new boyfriend has a conflict with Lucas, and Chelsea elopes with him. Elizabeth, Lucas’s mother, is very ill with Alzheimer’s disease. She does not survive it. The family plans a funeral. Isabelle also gets a chronic heart attack and she dies. Lucas is shattered.
Chapter 35 Summary
Lucas is still with his daughter at the hospital. Her children visit her at the hospital. It seems like Lucy can hear them. Lucas later stumbles over and loses consciousness. From there, he dies. His beloved children and grandchildren mourn him.
Further Reading:
- Characters in Susanne Bellefeuille’s Path of Lucas
- Themes in Susanne Bellefeuille’s Path of Lucas
- Chapter by Chapter Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
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