hereistheend's review against another edition
4.0
Maggie feels muffled within her life, mostly ignored by her parents, flunking eleventh grade, and haunted by a boy ghost... all while searching her house for her missing cat.
The cover is both warm and cold, evoking mystery and a dreamlike landscape that is very reflective of both the story and the spirit of the book.
While the art style isn't immediately captivating, in my own opinion, I loved the way it wrapped me in a world. The softness deepened the muted murkiness of Maggie's world and was somehow so familiar. Lose Soul, Be at Peace feels very realistic and relatable, even of dealing with ghosts and a father judging graphically awful cases; the book gently presses the reader to consider empathy, individuality and independence, reasons why for beliefs and ideas, and multi-faceted loss. Maggie slowly deepens every plot line in the book, reflecting the way people and concepts take shape as we progress through life. Beautiful.
The cover is both warm and cold, evoking mystery and a dreamlike landscape that is very reflective of both the story and the spirit of the book.
While the art style isn't immediately captivating, in my own opinion, I loved the way it wrapped me in a world. The softness deepened the muted murkiness of Maggie's world and was somehow so familiar. Lose Soul, Be at Peace feels very realistic and relatable, even of dealing with ghosts and a father judging graphically awful cases; the book gently presses the reader to consider empathy, individuality and independence, reasons why for beliefs and ideas, and multi-faceted loss. Maggie slowly deepens every plot line in the book, reflecting the way people and concepts take shape as we progress through life. Beautiful.
delicatewatkins's review against another edition
2.0
The story is really cute but the art is horrible.
marcopoloreads's review
3.0
Cool concept, but not the best execution. The art style is... mediocre at most. You do get used to it after a bit, but it was definitely not for me. Personally, I enjoy really crisp, clear and concise art, but the art in this book was just messy and not that great. I did think the plot was interesting; the discussion of privilege was something I really enjoyed, but it doesn't stick out much.
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
3.0
This is set shortly after the events of Honor Girl, but works perfectly as a stand-alone. Maggie is in her second-last year of school, and her grades are dropping rapidly. She doesn't care about anything, and the only things that bring her any joy are her dance troupe and her cat Tommi. Her father works as a judge, and the family live in a huge mansion, but Maggie, despite being afforded many opportunities, is lonely and ignored, and doesn't get any affection or attention from her parents. Then her cat goes missing, and she meets a ghost called Tommy... This graphic memoir is cleverly written, well-observed, and a very interesting insight into a culture of hunting and privilege that is very foreign to me. However, like in Honor Girl, I feel that Thrash's simplistic drawings let her down.
sc104906's review against another edition
2.0
I received this as an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Based on the author’s life, Maggie is struggling with depression. She doesn’t feel like doing anything or planning for the future. Her beloved cat has disappeared and she is desperate to find her, though it seems an impossible task with her mental illness. Maggie stumbles upon a specter of a boy in a part of her house, who helps her address her emotional thoughts and deal with the future.
There wasn't much movement in the plot or development of the characters, simply because of the concept of this book. I found that it was difficult to stay invested in the story.
Based on the author’s life, Maggie is struggling with depression. She doesn’t feel like doing anything or planning for the future. Her beloved cat has disappeared and she is desperate to find her, though it seems an impossible task with her mental illness. Maggie stumbles upon a specter of a boy in a part of her house, who helps her address her emotional thoughts and deal with the future.
There wasn't much movement in the plot or development of the characters, simply because of the concept of this book. I found that it was difficult to stay invested in the story.
resslesa's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating graphic novel full color. Very much how teen processes depression and parents who are pretty apathetic as she rambles around her large house.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite parts of working in a comic book store is when I'm putting away new releases, and I pick up a book that I would never have noticed in a store, and end up loving it.
I haven't read Honor GIrl because the art didn't grab me, but now that I've finished "Lost Soul, Be At Peace", it's moved to My Must Read List.
I just finished reading another graphic memoir where the author completely failed to connect with me, even though we are roughly the same age, and the subjects they were writing about are things that interest me. Having never been a teenage lesbian with a distant father who worked as a judge, having never had a ghost friend, and having been fortunate enough to never had a pet go missing for more than a day, this isn't a book I would seek out. But Thrash absolutely nails her narrative voice. She is never boring in the way she describes the events around her, and she shows heaps of empathy and understanding for characters, even when she's telling a story where most writers would label a character as an antagonist.
The clearest example was her distant father, who is often obscured by a newspaper at home, if he's portrayed at all. In order to get an extension on an English assignment, she asks her father to take her to Bring Your Daughter To Work Day, and in his office, in the courtroom where he presides, and during their lunch break, we get to see why her father seems distant in a way that doesn't feel emotionally manipulative or contrived.
This might be the best small scope (meaning it doesn't involve The Holocaust, war crimes, natural disasters, etc.) graphic memoir I've ever read. I recommend it to everyone. It would even make a great First Graphic Novel for someone who wants to try something other than superhero comics.
I haven't read Honor GIrl because the art didn't grab me, but now that I've finished "Lost Soul, Be At Peace", it's moved to My Must Read List.
I just finished reading another graphic memoir where the author completely failed to connect with me, even though we are roughly the same age, and the subjects they were writing about are things that interest me. Having never been a teenage lesbian with a distant father who worked as a judge, having never had a ghost friend, and having been fortunate enough to never had a pet go missing for more than a day, this isn't a book I would seek out. But Thrash absolutely nails her narrative voice. She is never boring in the way she describes the events around her, and she shows heaps of empathy and understanding for characters, even when she's telling a story where most writers would label a character as an antagonist.
The clearest example was her distant father, who is often obscured by a newspaper at home, if he's portrayed at all. In order to get an extension on an English assignment, she asks her father to take her to Bring Your Daughter To Work Day, and in his office, in the courtroom where he presides, and during their lunch break, we get to see why her father seems distant in a way that doesn't feel emotionally manipulative or contrived.
This might be the best small scope (meaning it doesn't involve The Holocaust, war crimes, natural disasters, etc.) graphic memoir I've ever read. I recommend it to everyone. It would even make a great First Graphic Novel for someone who wants to try something other than superhero comics.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
A followup memoir. There's not a whole lot here but what is, is a bit weird. We got high school and depression. But also set in somewhat recognizable Atlanta. And the author seems to be describing a home life that would seem to be tough to claim with live parents. And a ghost that isn't quite dead? I liked this perhaps more than I should. The art wasn't all that awesome. But it captured something I appreciated perhaps more than the next reader. 3.5 of 5.
hanxiety's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I absolutely loved Honor Girl and was so excited to learn that Maggie Thrash had written another graphic memoir, but unfortunately this one just didn’t work as well for me. Maggie is still a compelling protagonist, but this story just felt a bit aimless?