Lost Cause

By John Wilson

Steve thinks a trip to Europe is out of the question – until he hears his grandfather's will. Suddenly he's off to Spain, armed with only a letter from his grandfather that sends him to a specific address in Barcelona. There he meets a girl named Laia and finds a trunk containing some of his grandfather's possessions, including a journal he kept during the time he fought with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. Steve decides to trace his grandfather's footsteps through Spain, and with Laia's help, he visits the battlefields and ruined towns that shaped his grandfather's young life, and begins to understand the power of history and the transformative nature of passion for a righteous cause.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Oct 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781554699452

John Wilson

Qualified in agricultural science, medicine, surgery and psychiatry, Dr John Wilson practised for thirty-seven years, specialising as a consultant psychiatrist. In Sydney, London, California and Melbourne, he used body-oriented therapies including breath-awareness, and re-birthing. He promoted the ‘Recovery Model of Mental Health’ and healing in general. At Sydney University, he taught in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, within the School of Public Health. He has worked as Technical Manager of a venture-capital project, producing health foods in conjunction with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Dissenting from colonial values, he saw our ecological crisis as more urgent than attending urban distress. Almost thirty years ago, instead of returning to the academy, he went bush, learning personal downsizing and voluntary simplicity from Aboriginal people. Following his deepening love of the wild through diverse ecologies, he turned eco-activist, opposing cyanide gold mining in New South Wales and nuclear testing in the Pacific. Spending decades in the Australian outback, reading and writing for popular appreciation, he now fingers Plato, drawing on history, the classics, art, literature, philosophy and science for this book about the psychology of ecology – eco-psychology – about the very soul of our ecocidal folly.

Reviews for Lost Cause

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was interested in this series when I first heard about it. What attracted me to it was a series of connected books where, it is proposed, the reading order does not matter. The collection of Canadian authors contains one of my all-time favourites whom I read everything he writes, Shane Peacock. So I would eventually at least read that one book for sure. I'd read and enjoyed three of the other authors, have always wanted to read another one of them leaving me with only two new-to-me authors. It sounded very promising. I was pleased to have won this particular title as I have read and enjoyed a few of author John Wilson's books.I was immediately engaged in the story right from the beginning. The common set up between the books of the Grandfather giving the boys tasks to accomplish in his will is unique and had me interested. The main character of the grandson Steve is well fleshed out and we get to know him very well throughout this book. Wilson is mainly an historical novelist and while this is a contemporary story it is rooted in the past by means of a search into the Grandfather's past in Spain and the finding of his journal from the year 1938. The book alternates with a present day narrative and journal entries of the young grandfather fighting in the 15th International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War ending with the final engagement at the Battle of the Ebro. I found the story utterly compelling and engrossing. I know virtually nothing of this war and learnt much from the personal point of view of a common soldier. It also really made me think hard, the concept of fighting Fascism with Communism is very difficult for me to wrap my mind around; one evil fighting another. The book has made me eager to read other books set during the Spanish Civil War should I come across them and I very much want to continue this series. Occasional references were made to Steve's twin brother who had his own task to complete scattering their grandfather's ashes; so I think that is the book I will move onto next. I am also very eager to see if picking and choosing the reading order will really make no difference to the enjoyment of the series. I found this a total page-turner and it has solidified my opinion of John Wilson as a strong writer of historical fiction.

[ishanella · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Lost Cause is one of seven parallel stories written by different authors. John Wilson’s story follows Steve, one of the six cousins, who are tasked by their recently departed grandfather to figure out a puzzle about his life, Steve’s task sends him to Europe. When there, Steve learns a lot about his grandfather’s time with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War from a girl named Laia. Laia is the granddaughter to a woman that Steve’s grandfather knew while he was fighting in Spain and together, the retrace the steps of Steve’s grandfather took during the war. The Lost Cause was a quick read and a pretty good read if you are interested in learning a bit of history as well as reading a good story. It went by quickly, and though I couldn’t find myself believing the origin of their task, I did enjoy the different things that Steve was able to show us of his grandfather’s life as a Canadian soldier. One thing I did like about the story is that, you didn’t have to read them in any order, Lost Cause could have stood on its own and did a good job of doing just that. I’d recommend this for history buffs, or anyone who likes reading fiction placed in a historical setting with historical accuracy.

[amandacharland_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I like the idea behind this series; a grandfather passes away and leaves each of his 7 grandchildren a quest to go on. This particular book has us following Steve on a journey into Spain to find out what happened to his grandfather during the Spanish Civil War. It was interesting to read about Canada's involvement in this war. I had no prior knowledge on this topic. I was hoping the book would be more compelling, but it read more like a sweetened history lesson. I am interested in reading some of the other stories in this series however. Particularly about DJ's adventure up Kilimanjaro.

[terriko_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At 17, Steve is trying to find a way to save for a trip to europe, but when his grandfather passes away, he leaves behind a rather unusual inheritance for his seven grandchildren: each is given a task and the resources to complete it. Steve finds himself with a bit of a mystery: an old photo and an address in Barcelona, with plane tickets to get him there. This is a great story, weaving the history of the Spanish civil war with the personal history of Steve's grandfather as Steve discovers more about his grandfather's gift. I knew little about this part of history, let alone about the Canadian, American, English, French and other volunteers who went against their countries policies to help out, and I found the story as fascinating as Steve does. It's a great coming of age story and a wonderful way to use a bit of a mystery and treasure hunt to make a piece of history come alive. It's clearly a young adult novel, but interesting enough to appeal to adult readers looking for a light read.I gather there are 6 more books by other authors telling the stories of the other grandsons, so I'm really looking forwards to finding out what other authors do with this neat concept.

[mmoj_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from the Early Reviewers books and OrcaBook Publishers and was pleasantly surprised. John Wilson does a good job portraying both a young adult's attitude and the realities of war - not an easy task. Steve, the main character, is assigned the task of going to Spain to pick-up a package left by his deceased grandfather. He's not sure about the assignment as he didn't understand his grandfather but because he wishes to travel and since his grandfather's estate will pay for the trip he agrees. What he doesn't expect is to be so moved by his grandfather's experiences during the war. Wilson does a wonderful job of describing how Steve's grandfather moves from an idealist to someone who has faced the realities of war. What affected me the most was the stories from the modern day residents. This book is the second in a series of stories about grandsons each having a different author giving each book a singular voice - an interesting premise. Will read the rest of the series.

[ljpower · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a nice coming of age story. Steve is a young man who inherits a task from his grandfather. He is set on his way to Barcelona to retrace the steps of his grandfather who joined the Spanish Civil War as an international brigade soldier. Steve learns a lot about himself that he did not know and learns to find his place n his family, especially regarding his twin brother. He also learns that every side believes they have a rightful cause. The author has given us a snapshot of a Civil War that many do not know. Wilson knows a lot about this historical time. I enjoyed how he used a journal to tell the story. It allowed me, as the reader, to walk in Steve's footsteps as he discovered his grandfather and himself. This is a very enjoyable young adult book.

[pierced_phoenix · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book started off a little slow, but the second half really picked up. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the historical aspect of it.It starts off with the reading of a will, in which seven grandsons are to follow up on their late grandfather's last requests. This book follows the story of Steve, who is sent to Spain to re-live his grandfather's life through the Spanish civil war. The adventures and hard times endured are sure to change Steve's life forever. This book is part of the Seven Series. I definitely recommend it and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

[nursewidener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Slow start but once it starts this ad entire books is enjoyable. Being a late book in a series it was nice not to have to know anything about the other books. Likelihood of reading the other is low to moderate just because there are so many more great adventure series out there. But if you need a book and its on the table you probably will like it at least until you find the next great adventure book.