Welcome to my eight-part blog series about the main themes in At Liberty To Live. You may have read my previous blog series on the themes of Atlantic Split, so now it’s the turn of book 2. Find the links to the previous blogs at the bottom of this blog post. There will be some crossover between the two books. This week I’ll be discussing theme four: rushing in too quickly. Warning: This blog contains spoilers.
Blog 1 – New Beginnings
Blog 2 – Inner Strength
Blog 3 – Following Your Passion
For want of a better and shorter description, the forth theme of ‘rushing in too quickly’ is a big part of Luke’s personality. It’s a theme that’s governed and will continue to govern a large part of The Luke Bright Series. Especially for Luke whose heart always gets the better of his head. Rushing in too quickly is something he knows he has an issue with, yet, if he didn’t have this trait, he’d be in a very different place which is why this theme is significant.
Even pre-Atlantic Split, Luke always craved some form of friendship, and before he realised it, he befriended James and Steve not long after he met them, though at that point they were prisoners. Whilst they were clearly innocent, it was still a premature decision and Luke should’ve taken more time to judge the situation. However, he got carried away and ended up on the adventure he’s on now. His father was right in saying if had been any other criminal he probably would have defended them too. It’s true – Luke probably would have, but I bet James and Steve are glad he found them first!
The theme continues into At Liberty To Live, and in this book it centres around one particular person – Linda Green. Without spoiling too much, Luke certainly gets carried away with his feelings for her, and the fact he’s been single for a long time probably pushes him closer to her. However, it’s a decision that he probably should have thought about first, because it’s not the best one he’s ever made. Especially considering the consequences. As he travels throughout the rest of the series, it’s clear, he’s trying to learn from his mistakes but that proves tricky, especially when that part of him is so engrained into his personality. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately at times), the lines get blurred in Luke’s mind as to what is right and what his feelings are telling him to do. Sometimes, these aren’t always the same thing.
The reason why this theme is so important, and so different to the rest, is because it’s one that completely centres around Luke and whilst it could be related to wider society, rushing in too quickly isn’t always a positive thing. It’s important to take the time to consider things, especially when peoples’ lives depend on it. However, if you’re someone, like Luke, who‘s guided by your emotions, you can probably relate to this theme very well. So, I’d advise caution but not disregard for this trait if you come across it. After all, it led to some life-changing decisions in The Luke Bright Series, and it may do in real life as well.
I end this blog with a quote from At Liberty To Live about rushing in too quickly. It’s a quote that relates to Luke when he’s considering his situation with Linda, but completely sums up Luke Bright as a person. Let this be a lesson to you, Luke!
“I really needed to stop rushing into these things and think of the consequences first.” – Luke Bright, At Liberty To Live.
Thank you for reading this blog, and I’ll be back next week with the fifth theme of At Liberty To Live, feminism.
Atlantic Split and At Liberty To Live, the first and second books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! Please follow me on my blog and my social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.
N.A.K.
Neil A. King 
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