bookishlibrarian's review against another edition
3.5
If you come to this expecting narrative, you will be disappointed. Here shows the same corner of a living room at various points of time--from a time before humans existed to Native life before the house was built to many years in the future. Most of the book, however, focuses on the various human occupants in the house and small moments in their lives. Each spread depicts the room in various years--1934, 1983, 1991--with overlays of scenes from other years on top of this background. Sometimes you will get a small scene that plays out in four or five pages from the same time period, but mostly we get these small scenes, with little to no dialogue. The most effective spreads are ones where each of these images share some kind of theme--the various things lost, people dancing, etc. Interesting visuals and concept.
magnetgrrl's review against another edition
5.0
Here isn't a comic you read so much as experience. You could flip through this 100 times and find new ideas, connections, nuances.
Absolutely one of the best things I've taken in this year and something I would recommend to anyone who likes comics or interested in experiencing something between genres.
Absolutely one of the best things I've taken in this year and something I would recommend to anyone who likes comics or interested in experiencing something between genres.
apa17th's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Such an interesting concept, and so nicley executed. I wanted to savour it, but ended up reading (/looking through, whatever is best fitnto describe it, seeing as its not really a graphic novel) because I jsuy couldn't stop.
simon_reads03's review against another edition
5.0
If you want a book that will make you analyze your whole existence in a quick and almost meditating way, pick this up.
This book takes the reader through a series of disjointed and small fragments of people’s lives in one single shared space through time. The entire book is set painting one single angle of a room in a house, what it was before, and what it was after. Billions of years of history in one singular room. It was great.
It’s actually impressive to see such beautiful work displayed in a way that could potentially be confusing and overwhelming, but ultimately presents a mediating perspective. I found myself in a sort of dreamlike state while reading this, feeling the very small fragments of each year. The pull of emotions is very strong and McGuire does an excellent job calling back specific points, joining very different situations that humans experience but that have the same core, and even creating a rhyme or two in there.
It reads like a painting that you just want to stare at for forever, but here, it changes. You see before your eyes the history of the corner of this room. The people who lived in it, and what I found most fascinating and creative was that McGuire chose to merge contrasting time periods into one page. Each turn was a whisper, humans and animals and nature and time snapping back and forth in my head.
It’s one of those books that makes you really think. And as corny as it sounds, it makes your perspective truly change.
This book takes the reader through a series of disjointed and small fragments of people’s lives in one single shared space through time. The entire book is set painting one single angle of a room in a house, what it was before, and what it was after. Billions of years of history in one singular room. It was great.
It’s actually impressive to see such beautiful work displayed in a way that could potentially be confusing and overwhelming, but ultimately presents a mediating perspective. I found myself in a sort of dreamlike state while reading this, feeling the very small fragments of each year. The pull of emotions is very strong and McGuire does an excellent job calling back specific points, joining very different situations that humans experience but that have the same core, and even creating a rhyme or two in there.
It reads like a painting that you just want to stare at for forever, but here, it changes. You see before your eyes the history of the corner of this room. The people who lived in it, and what I found most fascinating and creative was that McGuire chose to merge contrasting time periods into one page. Each turn was a whisper, humans and animals and nature and time snapping back and forth in my head.
It’s one of those books that makes you really think. And as corny as it sounds, it makes your perspective truly change.
jbmorgan86's review against another edition
4.0
“Life has a flair for rhyming events.”
Have you wondered what your house looked like before you lived in it? “Your” property before you owned it? “Your” property 100 years ago? 200? A millennia ago? Millions of years ago? That’s what “Here” is all about.
“Here” is a graphic novel that tells the story of a corner room throughout millions of years (the dawn of life and the eras of the dinosaurs, prehistoric native Americans, colonialists, practically every decade of the 20th century, and the near future). Each page depicts the corner room and multiple eras simultaneously (scrapbook style). For what it lacks it narrative, it makes up in visuals. It is a visual feast.
Have you wondered what your house looked like before you lived in it? “Your” property before you owned it? “Your” property 100 years ago? 200? A millennia ago? Millions of years ago? That’s what “Here” is all about.
“Here” is a graphic novel that tells the story of a corner room throughout millions of years (the dawn of life and the eras of the dinosaurs, prehistoric native Americans, colonialists, practically every decade of the 20th century, and the near future). Each page depicts the corner room and multiple eras simultaneously (scrapbook style). For what it lacks it narrative, it makes up in visuals. It is a visual feast.
jazzyjan94's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting graphic novel which follows a corner of a room over a span of several million years. It jumps around a lot and it isn't consecutive, but the date is given in each panel. I liked it because we see this corner of the room from all the way back in the prehistoric era all the way through to over 200 years in the future. It was just fascinating to see all the changes that happen, especially from the late 1800s when the corner of the room is just a piece of open land to when it became a house! I gave it 3.5/5 Stars because all though I loved the concept, some of the artwork left much to be desired.
samtana's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
julie_m_mills's review against another edition
3.0
I finished this in about twenty minutes. I liked the interesting concept of focusing on a place instead of people, but the implementation doesn't seem to go much beyond that idea. What I really missed was the kind of deeper story similar works build (see my review of Touch, for example).
I would tend to agree with some other reviewers that this should be considered a piece of art rather than a book. It has the mysterious appeal of a painting, and about as much meat.
I would tend to agree with some other reviewers that this should be considered a piece of art rather than a book. It has the mysterious appeal of a painting, and about as much meat.