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geekwayne's review
4.0
'Other People: Days of the Bagnold Summer and Driving Short Distances' with story and art by Joff Winterhart is a collection of two slice of life graphic novels.
In the first half, mother and son Bagnold recall their summer together. She is disappointed in his lack of motivation. He sees in her a life unfulfilled. It's a long, slow look at a mother and son living together.
The second story, Driving Short Distances, is about a young man names Sam who gets a job driving around with a man named Keith Nutt. It's not completely clear what Keith does, and Sam does less, but it follows the tow of them as they interact with people in a small town filled with various characters.
I liked both of these stories, with a preference for the second one. The stories seem kind of dreary and deal with the disappointments in life. The art is really great, and the characters are almost garish caricatures of real people.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
In the first half, mother and son Bagnold recall their summer together. She is disappointed in his lack of motivation. He sees in her a life unfulfilled. It's a long, slow look at a mother and son living together.
The second story, Driving Short Distances, is about a young man names Sam who gets a job driving around with a man named Keith Nutt. It's not completely clear what Keith does, and Sam does less, but it follows the tow of them as they interact with people in a small town filled with various characters.
I liked both of these stories, with a preference for the second one. The stories seem kind of dreary and deal with the disappointments in life. The art is really great, and the characters are almost garish caricatures of real people.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
johnnymacaroni's review
3.0
I only read the first story. I had heard about somewhere but can’t remember where or why.
thisisstephenbetts's review
5.0
Fun, poignant, slice-of-life British comics. I really enjoyed these. It gets a 5 for one moment of life-affirming joy in Driving Short Distances.
romcm's review
5.0
These are gorgeous stories. Heartfelt portraits of different kinds of intergenerational relationships, between a mum and teenage son, and between a young man and an older man. Just beautiful.
maxwelldunn's review
4.0
This was a pleasant surprise. It was sent to me unsolicited from the publisher, but I decided to give it a shot and actually ended up really enjoying it. I'd never heard of this book or author prior to reading it.
The book is made up of 2 graphic novellas, each following young men who are struggling in some way in their life. It's not overstated, in fact the stories are quiet but nuanced. I loved the emotional pull these stories had and how they really, in a short time, made me feel connected to and invested in their lives. It was frustrating at times and made me smile at others. Winterhart really did a great job of capturing so many emotions without making it melodramatic. It's a very realistic look at life from these two guys' POVs.
The book is made up of 2 graphic novellas, each following young men who are struggling in some way in their life. It's not overstated, in fact the stories are quiet but nuanced. I loved the emotional pull these stories had and how they really, in a short time, made me feel connected to and invested in their lives. It was frustrating at times and made me smile at others. Winterhart really did a great job of capturing so many emotions without making it melodramatic. It's a very realistic look at life from these two guys' POVs.
rah10's review
5.0
Winterhart has a skill for creating intimate portraits of everyday people and their relationships with each other. The water color and fine line illustrations match the realistic, intimate, and often the fragility and transition of the characters they bring to life. The usage of the blues and browns in Driving Short Distances connects to an element of the story itself (a found watercolor set).
Winterhart is in this book which seem evident by the intamacy, care, and detail that comes with character expressions and complexity.
I could see this in the adult graphic novel collection, but also would want teens/young adults to read it considering the ages of Daniel in Days of the Bagnold Summer and Sam in Driving Short Distances.
Winterhart is in this book which seem evident by the intamacy, care, and detail that comes with character expressions and complexity.
I could see this in the adult graphic novel collection, but also would want teens/young adults to read it considering the ages of Daniel in Days of the Bagnold Summer and Sam in Driving Short Distances.