I was a bit skeptical about a graphic novel tackling the issues of anorexia nervosa and depression, but now I feel kind of bad about my initial doubts, especially since I'm pretty new to the world of graphic novels and didn't really have much room to judge ahead of time. If anything this type of medium lends the story Ludovic Debuerme has to tell a touching vulnerability and aching awareness of just how hard it is to be young and suffering from such debilitating diseases as anorexia and depression. Add to that the fact these two teenagers wind up falling in love and you get even more heartbreak...an amazing story told in a way completely new to me! Warning: _Lucille_ is most definitely not for everyone as some of the sex scenes are pretty graphic and it deals with mature issues. But age-appropriateness aside, this is well worth your read!! ( )

The English language debut of the lauded French cartoonist Debeurme, Lucille chronicles the parallel lives of troubled teens Lucille and Arthur. Both living with dysfunctional families, the former suffers from anorexia. The latter, a burgeoning schizophrenic, struggles with the legacy of an alcoholic, prideful father. Debeurme's simplistic and elegant art slowly unveils these complex characters, deftly maneuvering them into a meeting. A powerful connection emerges as the duo travel across Europe. The subtle, intelligent, and lyrical Lucille emerges as one of the year's biggest surprises and best books. ( )

Really loved everything about this. I can't wait for more. ( )

A quiet and engaging story about two sad souls who meet, fall in love and travel around Europe together. ( )

Lucille is a young, awkward teenage girl in high school who is not quite sure of herself. She just wants to be normal like everyone else and her one childhood doll. But alas, Lucille thinks she's ugly and is slowly dying from anorexia. She wants to become so thin she doesn't even exist anymore. And into the picture enters Arthur (also known as Vladimir), whose plagued by OCD, convinces others to worship Satan, and whose father is a drunk fisherman who ends up killing himself after losing his job. And the two fall for each other. They run away together in the hopes of finding love and happiness...until they reach Italy and discover that life doesn't always come up happy.

"Lucille" is a powerful story of love, life, hope, and everything in between. Debeurme creates two characters that are well developed and that you might have trouble relating to if you knew them in real life. And yet...as you read deeper into the book you find that you can relate to them. The insecurity, the loss of hope, and being lost in a world that is often confusing. It's an amazingly written story of self discovery and finding some hope in the amidst of chaos. And at the same time...it's also very familiar tale of two star crossed lovers on a journey that only ends in tears. And it's when the story gets here that it starts to suffer a bit. It's an all too familiar tale that while told decently offers nothing unique and is far to reminiscent of "Romeo and Juliet" in some ways. I know it sounds trite, but I wish that he had taken it down a slightly different path, continuing to explore the characters issues with anorexia and OCD, their journey of discovering themselves. They didn't have to be happy, but the last ¼ of the book just felt a bit too familiar.

The artwork is simple line drawings, no depth to the characters, and often no background (sometimes the characters seem to float on air.) It's very similar in style to Chester Brown. And while at first these simple drawings maybe off putting (especially to those used to more robust images in graphic novels even in Chester Brown's work) it grows on you slowly. It fits the tone of the story quite well and by the end helps the tale along.

Overall its a good book bordering on great. The characters are well written and unique and even though the ending is somewhat familiar, we're left with something at the end that is a bit unique and makes the story well worth the read. ( )