Scan barcode
coleycole's review against another edition
4.0
I read this a few years ago, and I was really excited when I met Kelly and saw that she had some of Tomine's New Yorker covers framed. Taste!
larkstar's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Slightly disjointed stories generally lacking in substance.
jason_pym's review against another edition
3.0
Tomine is such a great comic artist that the panels kind of disappear and the story plays out in your head, and his ear for dialogue is about perfect.
But in the twenty odd characters in the book, there is not one that is likeable. Everyone is slightly damaged, all are self-involved and oddly repellent. In the world of high school / early 20s, it becomes deeply claustrophobic. The comic craft is amazing, but I was glad to finish, I don't have any desire to go back to Tomine's world again.
It made me think of Charles Burn's Hole. Same teenage world, but there the claustrophobia is part of the supernatural horror, and you feel much more emotionally engaged with the more sympathetic (yet still damaged) characters.
But in the twenty odd characters in the book, there is not one that is likeable. Everyone is slightly damaged, all are self-involved and oddly repellent. In the world of high school / early 20s, it becomes deeply claustrophobic. The comic craft is amazing, but I was glad to finish, I don't have any desire to go back to Tomine's world again.
It made me think of Charles Burn's Hole. Same teenage world, but there the claustrophobia is part of the supernatural horror, and you feel much more emotionally engaged with the more sympathetic (yet still damaged) characters.
siriface's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
heidisreads's review against another edition
4.0
Adrian Tomine's Summer Blonde is a collection of four stories all delving (sometimes uncomfortably yet truthfully) into the loneliness that comes with love. On the front jacket flap of the book, Dan Raeburn says, "Tomine not only makes these people real, he makes them sympathetic, and that is what makes a true artist. That, and his ability to draw just about any facial expression in human experience." And that is exactly true. The expressions push the conversation past the point of awkward to uncomfortable and lonely. The stories stay with you a long time.
belle_fiction's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Tomine does it yet again! I mean seriously, how DOES he keep getting it right?
Summer Blonde comprises four short stories about ordinary people yearning for more in their private lives - the touch of a stranger's fingers on their skin, a magical kiss in the dark to ignite their dwindling passion, to feel alive again. Tomine perfectly captures the heartache and the mental turbulence his characters feel as they contemplate hooking up with different people and leaving their partners behind. He explores the unknown (and often unsafe) territory of seeing someone new.
He captures perfectly human nature - how we all have wants, needs and desires, and depicts how easily we can make the wrong choice - all of his stories fail to end on a happy note, but often during these turbulent times, the ending isn't even considered; it's the journey - the sheer thrill of being caught up in a new relationship which captivates us the most.
In this offering, Tomine explores our social awkwardness (do we take the plunge and ask someone out?), our jealousy towards those who seemingly get hit on wherever they go (Summer Blonde), those whose reminiscences can have damaging consequences on their present state (Alter Ego), and those who are used again and again, and seemingly drift through life without any real relationships (Hawaiian Getaway).
My favourite story was Hawaiian Getaway with Summer Blonde a close second. Tomine paints people's feelings as highly complex and often elusive things; sometimes we cannot reason why we do what we do - these things just happen. We are all prone to flattery and curiosity; sometimes prompting us to act on our impulses without any rational thought.
Again, Tomine's real gift is capturing everyday dialogue, our intimate conversations with those we wish to get to know better, and explores how the little things which often go unsaid are the ones which can make or break a relationship.
A profound and affecting read (heart-breaking in terms of Hawaiian Getaway.) A must for those who love to be moved by stories, and to experience the power and complexities of human nature.
Tomine does it yet again! I mean seriously, how DOES he keep getting it right?
Summer Blonde comprises four short stories about ordinary people yearning for more in their private lives - the touch of a stranger's fingers on their skin, a magical kiss in the dark to ignite their dwindling passion, to feel alive again. Tomine perfectly captures the heartache and the mental turbulence his characters feel as they contemplate hooking up with different people and leaving their partners behind. He explores the unknown (and often unsafe) territory of seeing someone new.
He captures perfectly human nature - how we all have wants, needs and desires, and depicts how easily we can make the wrong choice - all of his stories fail to end on a happy note, but often during these turbulent times, the ending isn't even considered; it's the journey - the sheer thrill of being caught up in a new relationship which captivates us the most.
In this offering, Tomine explores our social awkwardness (do we take the plunge and ask someone out?), our jealousy towards those who seemingly get hit on wherever they go (Summer Blonde), those whose reminiscences can have damaging consequences on their present state (Alter Ego), and those who are used again and again, and seemingly drift through life without any real relationships (Hawaiian Getaway).
My favourite story was Hawaiian Getaway with Summer Blonde a close second. Tomine paints people's feelings as highly complex and often elusive things; sometimes we cannot reason why we do what we do - these things just happen. We are all prone to flattery and curiosity; sometimes prompting us to act on our impulses without any rational thought.
Again, Tomine's real gift is capturing everyday dialogue, our intimate conversations with those we wish to get to know better, and explores how the little things which often go unsaid are the ones which can make or break a relationship.
A profound and affecting read (heart-breaking in terms of Hawaiian Getaway.) A must for those who love to be moved by stories, and to experience the power and complexities of human nature.
tp358's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 2.0 stars
Depressing short stories with unlikable characters and bad endings. I already forgot most of them. I also didn't like the art style in this graphic novel.
Depressing short stories with unlikable characters and bad endings. I already forgot most of them. I also didn't like the art style in this graphic novel.