Monday, November 24, 2014

Mister Wonderful by Daniel Clowes


This is my very first adult graphic novel, and I must admit that much of it I enjoyed. I do not think I would regularly read graphic novels just because they really are not my thing, but I can certainly understand the appeal.

Mister Wonderful is a story about a very lonely man named Marshall, who has been set up on a blind date by one of his friends. When the date, Natalie, finally shows up after being over an hour late, Marshall has already had enough dialogue with himself to fill many, many pages. After that, with Natalie in the picture, an already awkward situation has poor Marshall in quite a state. And damaged Natalie has her own issues as well.

The way the author/illustrator tells this story is by putting squares of character thoughts directly over dialogue, creating an inner monologue that overshadows what is actually being said. Interesting but at the same time a bit confusing to someone who has not read graphic novels in the past, or even a comic book for ages!

That being said, the layout was quite nice and fairly easy to follow. The story line was plausible, and the characters believable. Overall, a pretty good first impression of this format.

Karen




Friday, November 14, 2014

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw

    On the dust jacket of Carry the One, this is the first thing you read: "in the hours following Carmen’s wedding reception, when a car filled with stoned, drunk, and sleepy guests accidentally hits and kills a girl on a dark, country road. For the next twenty-five years, those involved, including Carmen and her brother and sister, connect and disconnect and reconnect with each other and their victim. As one character says, ‘“When you add us up, you always have to carry the one."

What a perfect summary! The novel is set around twenty-five years of Carmen, Nick and Alice's ups, downs, highs, lows, etc. as well as the others that were in the car that fateful night. And every time something bad happens, well, they deserve it because of what they did on that fateful night. And if something good happens - well, that cannot possibly be enjoyed because of the all-consuming guilt about what happened on on that fateful night.

Interesting premise. Great writing. But overall, you quickly begin to not really care about what happened to them on that fateful night.

Karen

Read alike: Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos

Monday, November 3, 2014

Words Will Break Cement by Masha Gessen

On February 21, 2012 the band Pussy Riot performed what they called a “punk prayer” at a church in Moscow. This performance caused three members of the band to be arrested and footage of the incident, which consisted of members of the group performing in ski masks and brightly colored dresses, to be shown around the world. Many news outlets have also shown footage of the subsequent trial that sent members of the group to Russian penal colonies.

Pussy Riot remains an oddity to most people. The group has a memorable name and, particularly with their “punk prayer,” memorable, headline-making performances. In Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot, author Masha Gessen explores what motivated the group in the first place and why they received such harsh sentences for what would probably be nothing more than a trespassing charge in the United States.

The members of Pussy Riot were inspired by movements such as the American riot grrrl bands of the early nineties. While presenting a seminar on radical feminist art, several future members of Pussy Riot were unable to find a Russian equivalent to the riot grrrl movement for the presentation. Undeterred, they simply recorded and used their own song. Not long after, Pussy Riot was formed.

Gessen does a good job helping readers get to know the members of the group. She also delves into recent and not-so-recent Russian/Soviet history to show the importance and controversy of Pussy Riot, including why their sentences remained so harsh despite international outcry. (When members of the group were finally released, most suspected it was due to the forthcoming Winter Olympics and a possible public relations issue for Russia.) The book gets bogged down a little when it gets to the group’s trial. However, this is a minor complaint about a book that has a lot to say about artistic expression and the state of things in Russia.

John