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danadanger's review against another edition
4.0
writing and graphics-wise, this is definitely five stars, but i couldn't give it that because of the way i felt while reading it. it's almost TOO well-written - i felt like i was drowning over how depressing it is.
ana_qq's review against another edition
2.0
DNF.
Não aguento mais. Li um terço do livro.
Por mais bonitos e originais que sejam os painéis desta novela gráfica (que são, sem dúvida nenhuma!), de cada vez que pego nela fico com uma mini-depressão. A cara do Jimmy é sempre a mesma! Nunca sorri, o pai é mau, as pessoas são más para ele, a vida dele é uma porcaria e ele lá se arrasta de um sítio para outro com aquela cara de esfregona. :((
Não aguento mais. Li um terço do livro.
Por mais bonitos e originais que sejam os painéis desta novela gráfica (que são, sem dúvida nenhuma!), de cada vez que pego nela fico com uma mini-depressão. A cara do Jimmy é sempre a mesma! Nunca sorri, o pai é mau, as pessoas são más para ele, a vida dele é uma porcaria e ele lá se arrasta de um sítio para outro com aquela cara de esfregona. :((
savaging's review against another edition
5.0
This work astonished me. The complexity communicated in Ware's simplified, tiny pictures. The emotional depth of a character that can't ever do much more than mumble and sniff. And the constant, haunting presence of racism, misogyny, and the lives of black women in a work that is ostensibly 'about' generations of white men.
My only complaint: I wish this book was at least twice as large, so I wasn't always bent-over and squinting at tiny words.
My only complaint: I wish this book was at least twice as large, so I wasn't always bent-over and squinting at tiny words.
wheelofparm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mmcinwonderland's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
xispo's review against another edition
3.0
A work of impressive magnitude. Can something be both creepy and banal? Kudos to the author and to those who have the fortitude to finish it. I enjoyed the way it jumped around the timeline, but it was a slog to finish.
hannereads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
stopnodont's review against another edition
2.0
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I personally found almost nothing redeeming about this book.
I can handle (and even enjoy) depressing stories, and I don't mind a slow story with a good payoff, but this book is straight up boring. The transitions between reality and Jimmy's dreams/daydreams are very poorly demarcated, which sometimes works well in literature, but I felt it did not work in this instance. Luckily there are occasional "recaps" that explain what has happened thus far (I believe originally this was serialized), and those were pretty much the only thing that kept me going for a large portion of the book.
One thing I will commend is the "design" of the book, which is separate (in my eyes, at least) from the actual art itself. The titles and page layouts are sometimes quite beautiful, with an almost art deco feel to them. The panel art is nothing special - on par with newspaper comics.
Important note: I did not quite finish the book. I abandoned it roughly 3/4 of the way through. There is a chance that there is some monumental payoff at the end, and maybe that's what has garnered this book all of the positive reviews it has, but I can't fathom an ending so good that it outweighs the absolute slog that precedes it.
I can handle (and even enjoy) depressing stories, and I don't mind a slow story with a good payoff, but this book is straight up boring. The transitions between reality and Jimmy's dreams/daydreams are very poorly demarcated, which sometimes works well in literature, but I felt it did not work in this instance. Luckily there are occasional "recaps" that explain what has happened thus far (I believe originally this was serialized), and those were pretty much the only thing that kept me going for a large portion of the book.
One thing I will commend is the "design" of the book, which is separate (in my eyes, at least) from the actual art itself. The titles and page layouts are sometimes quite beautiful, with an almost art deco feel to them. The panel art is nothing special - on par with newspaper comics.
Important note: I did not quite finish the book. I abandoned it roughly 3/4 of the way through. There is a chance that there is some monumental payoff at the end, and maybe that's what has garnered this book all of the positive reviews it has, but I can't fathom an ending so good that it outweighs the absolute slog that precedes it.