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harpwilk's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
iancarpenter's review against another edition
4.0
His art is so good, so pretty and soulful and full of ache and nostalgia. This story didn't hit me as hard as Les Equinoxes when it meandered into an overly detailed hunt for his ancestry (or maybe that's because he didn't make me feel much about it) but the rest, from breakup, to drifting, to hope - is all so beautifully done.
haami's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
harlando's review against another edition
3.0
This was recommended to me as one of the best graphic novels around. I don't agree and think it is at the low end of three stars. It is an artists journey to find his roots in Portugal, and its a bit slow and vague. I think lots of family stories are vague, but I like a little more clarity in my fiction. There is also a lot of Portuguese which is not translated in order to emphasize the protagonists lack of understanding, but its a little irritating. The artist also has a technique of illustrating background conversations as tiny illegible text. I found that irritating.
The kindle version of this book had some limits on magnification which hurt my reading experience. There artist uses a lot of tiny print and fine detail and there were some things I just couldn't make out.
I enjoyed many parts of the book, but found several sections confusing or a little dull. The protagonist is also unsympathetic. He is lost, and being lost is often uninspiring. However, he could be a more interesting and proactive figure.
The kindle version of this book had some limits on magnification which hurt my reading experience. There artist uses a lot of tiny print and fine detail and there were some things I just couldn't make out.
I enjoyed many parts of the book, but found several sections confusing or a little dull. The protagonist is also unsympathetic. He is lost, and being lost is often uninspiring. However, he could be a more interesting and proactive figure.
moncoinlecture's review against another edition
5.0
Un très bel album sur les origines et les racines. Magnifique
Mon billet sur le blog : http://moncoinlecture.com/portugal-cyril-pedrosa/
Mon billet sur le blog : http://moncoinlecture.com/portugal-cyril-pedrosa/
arf88's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the art in this, it's so expressive. It's very stylised and abstract in places, with colour being used to give a feeling rather than a concrete picture of what's going on.
The story itself is very "lit-ficy". Meaning it's very much a character study with very little actually happening. And like a lot of lit-fic, the characters are extremely unlikeable and frustrating in places, especially in the first third of the comic.
Overall I enjoyed this enough to want to seek out more from the creator.
The story itself is very "lit-ficy". Meaning it's very much a character study with very little actually happening. And like a lot of lit-fic, the characters are extremely unlikeable and frustrating in places, especially in the first third of the comic.
Overall I enjoyed this enough to want to seek out more from the creator.
gub_gub_gub's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jess_mango's review
4.0
1 of 2 books I was accidentally reading simultaneously that were partially set in Portugal! (other was The Tenth Island). It's funny how sometimes I coincidentally end up reading books with similarities due to timings of library holds and reading challenges. :)
This over-sized graphic novel (good luck fitting this one in your purse!) focuses on Simon, a writer/artist who grew up in France and feels stagnant in his life and his writing (also similar to main person in the Tenth Island). He begins an emotional and real journey to discover his roots, which eventually leads him to Portugal. Simon starts coming to life as his "journey" continues.
This book wasn't action-packed or intense it was more of a meandering path following Simon to writer's conferences, family reunions and beyond.
This over-sized graphic novel (good luck fitting this one in your purse!) focuses on Simon, a writer/artist who grew up in France and feels stagnant in his life and his writing (also similar to main person in the Tenth Island). He begins an emotional and real journey to discover his roots, which eventually leads him to Portugal. Simon starts coming to life as his "journey" continues.
This book wasn't action-packed or intense it was more of a meandering path following Simon to writer's conferences, family reunions and beyond.
woodlarks's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this graphic novel. I am clearly in the minority with my 2 stars, with some many people giving it a positive rating. I wonder how much my experience can be chalked up to reading the translation versus just personal preference, or just picking it up at the wrong time. Regardless, here are my thoughts.
The good: The art is by itself is a 4 star experience. The graphic has been on my to-read list for a few years because of the beautiful cover. Sometimes graphic novels have an art style on the cover that is completely divorced from the actual illustrations, but this is not the case here. Pedrosa is clearly a master at his craft--the monochrome is expertly colored and the scenes are easy to read. The loose lines of the city landscapes are amazing, with the decision to render people transparently lending itself well to the chaos of the scene. Keeping the untranslated Portuguese in the background without Simon or the reader understanding transforms into a cacophony of written sounds. The fluid lines of the reoccurring sinking motif, and the cool tones in scenes of reflection were a really nice touch, especially when contrasted with the vibrancy of the festival and wedding, and finally the sunshine yellows depicting the return to Portugal. I really appreciated the coloring in the first arc especially ("According to Simon"), with the muted childhood retrospective (save for the careful pops of color), the struggling current relationship in sepia and grays, and the burst of color with first taste of Portugal before sinking back into the monotony. My favorite illustrations actually appeared in the epilogue, and it made me wish that more of the book was dedicated to those kinds of spreads. That being said, the opacity of the speech bubbles, especially when it came to the background chatter the reader was not supposed to understand, was a little overwhelming and detracted from the visuals. I enjoyed the subtilty of the reflection/inner monolog text, and I wish that the two styles were more aligned (at least in terms of font/size), because going between them was jarring. Tangentially related, the book itself is a rather large format (9x12"), which makes it great for appreciating the art but more difficult for reading.
The less good: If the art was 4 stars, the writing was 1-2 stars. In my opinion, the first section ("According to Simon") had the most cohesive writing, and did the best job at establish our main character, Simon. But I was expecting some growth or development as I went along, and I didn't really find any. In addition to being an unpleasant character who lashes out at his ex Claire (and caged pigeons), Simon is merely floating along in his life without agency. He has no connection, no passion, and the most redemption he experiences is deciding to stay in Portugal and continue drawing, but as a reader that didn't make me connect with his character. The water motif had so much potential to be a driving theme of growth, and it just wasn't used in that manner. In addition, the lack of exposition within the story meant that the reader is teleported to the next scene without much explanation, which makes for a confusing read to orient yourself in. Having more reflection on the motives, or establishing what comes next (and why) using the inner monolog text would have gone a long way. The story attempted to introduce family history and belonging into its plot, but it was never fully realized. Simon spends time with his workaholic father and his extended family, but it never feels like he connects with them, he is more of a passive observer. He doesn't learn anything new about himself, doesn't become a better partner, and instead falls deeper into vices (returning to smoking and getting drunk). Despite the entire last section being dedicated to Simon's grandfather ("According to Abel"), we also never get an understanding of who Simon's grandfather is or why he left for France, and I never got the impression that Simon was more connected to Portugal through his family. I guess a story doesn't need to have a satisfying ending, relatable characters, or even cohesion, but the end left me feeling unmoored and frankly frustrated that I was so ambivalent about the story despite having so much positive to say about the art.
The good: The art is by itself is a 4 star experience. The graphic has been on my to-read list for a few years because of the beautiful cover. Sometimes graphic novels have an art style on the cover that is completely divorced from the actual illustrations, but this is not the case here. Pedrosa is clearly a master at his craft--the monochrome is expertly colored and the scenes are easy to read. The loose lines of the city landscapes are amazing, with the decision to render people transparently lending itself well to the chaos of the scene. Keeping the untranslated Portuguese in the background without Simon or the reader understanding transforms into a cacophony of written sounds. The fluid lines of the reoccurring sinking motif, and the cool tones in scenes of reflection were a really nice touch, especially when contrasted with the vibrancy of the festival and wedding, and finally the sunshine yellows depicting the return to Portugal. I really appreciated the coloring in the first arc especially ("According to Simon"), with the muted childhood retrospective (save for the careful pops of color), the struggling current relationship in sepia and grays, and the burst of color with first taste of Portugal before sinking back into the monotony. My favorite illustrations actually appeared in the epilogue, and it made me wish that more of the book was dedicated to those kinds of spreads. That being said, the opacity of the speech bubbles, especially when it came to the background chatter the reader was not supposed to understand, was a little overwhelming and detracted from the visuals. I enjoyed the subtilty of the reflection/inner monolog text, and I wish that the two styles were more aligned (at least in terms of font/size), because going between them was jarring. Tangentially related, the book itself is a rather large format (9x12"), which makes it great for appreciating the art but more difficult for reading.
The less good: If the art was 4 stars, the writing was 1-2 stars. In my opinion, the first section ("According to Simon") had the most cohesive writing, and did the best job at establish our main character, Simon. But I was expecting some growth or development as I went along, and I didn't really find any. In addition to being an unpleasant character who lashes out at his ex Claire (and caged pigeons), Simon is merely floating along in his life without agency. He has no connection, no passion, and the most redemption he experiences is deciding to stay in Portugal and continue drawing, but as a reader that didn't make me connect with his character. The water motif had so much potential to be a driving theme of growth, and it just wasn't used in that manner. In addition, the lack of exposition within the story meant that the reader is teleported to the next scene without much explanation, which makes for a confusing read to orient yourself in. Having more reflection on the motives, or establishing what comes next (and why) using the inner monolog text would have gone a long way. The story attempted to introduce family history and belonging into its plot, but it was never fully realized. Simon spends time with his workaholic father and his extended family, but it never feels like he connects with them, he is more of a passive observer. He doesn't learn anything new about himself, doesn't become a better partner, and instead falls deeper into vices (returning to smoking and getting drunk). Despite the entire last section being dedicated to Simon's grandfather ("According to Abel"), we also never get an understanding of who Simon's grandfather is or why he left for France, and I never got the impression that Simon was more connected to Portugal through his family. I guess a story doesn't need to have a satisfying ending, relatable characters, or even cohesion, but the end left me feeling unmoored and frankly frustrated that I was so ambivalent about the story despite having so much positive to say about the art.
hvogado's review
5.0
Bela estória da procura de própria entidade da parte de um desenhador. Quem já não pesquisou sobre a família, as histórias envolvidas, as nossas raízes.
Magnífico livro de Cyril Pedrosa. Os desenhos que parecem descuidados, nota-se que são feitos nos diários-gráficos e sem grandes remodelações. E a jogada inteligente das cores proporciona emoção às cenas. Mesmo os aspectos do sonhar acordado estão muito bem conseguidos.
Não lhe daria o nome de "Portugal" ao livro, mas "Família". Um livro excelente. Recomendo.
Magnífico livro de Cyril Pedrosa. Os desenhos que parecem descuidados, nota-se que são feitos nos diários-gráficos e sem grandes remodelações. E a jogada inteligente das cores proporciona emoção às cenas. Mesmo os aspectos do sonhar acordado estão muito bem conseguidos.
Não lhe daria o nome de "Portugal" ao livro, mas "Família". Um livro excelente. Recomendo.