jenbsbooks's review against another edition
informative
sad
3.75
The Hulu/Disney production "A Small Light" increased my interest in AnneFrank. I've heard of her of course, was familiar with her journal and story. After watching the show, I read the official diary, and then looked into the graphic novel adaptation. I also saw this, and added it to my list.
The drawings seemed a bit inconsistent to me, I didn't love the style - sometimes realistic, other times cartoonish and awkward. But the information presented, was actually one of the most informational. Not a direct adaptation of the diary (as is [book:Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation|35794821]) this provided a lot of extra information, background details Anne herself wasn't aware of, and the story of what happened after Anne's diary ended. There were still some direct quotes from the diary, easily attributable, with quotes and "Anne wrote" explanations, so the reader here still gets a taste of the diary directly.
The diary itself, whether the original (and what IS the original ... Anne's original, the one she started to rewrite in hopes of publication/changing names/writing FOR a reader more than a simple standard diary, the one her father compiled, the various translations ...), or the graphic novel, while interesting, also delves into the minutiae of a 14-year old girl and her talk of boys, of her body, of hating her mother ... that give insight into ANNE, but if reading mostly to learn about life during the war, can be distracting. THIS book focuses so much more on the overall situation, not only of Anne and the others in the annex, but of the world, before/during/after Anne's diary snapshots.
I struggle with some of the reading in graphic novels ... I go with a physical book, because it's just hard to navigate digitally (and of course with graphic novels, audio isn't really an option, as the drawings are a huge part of the presentation). Some may be learned (the order in which to read the blocks of text, etc). Unlike digital, I can't enlarge the text, and I'm so used to reading with a backlight, it was always hard to find enough light to make the pages visible without glare. But it was worth the effort, and I appreciate authors/adapters/illustrators coming up with different ways to present stories and information, as everyone has different preferences in how they learn. Having this in a graphic novel format may reach some people that wouldn't get the information otherwise.
The drawings seemed a bit inconsistent to me, I didn't love the style - sometimes realistic, other times cartoonish and awkward. But the information presented, was actually one of the most informational. Not a direct adaptation of the diary (as is [book:Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation|35794821]) this provided a lot of extra information, background details Anne herself wasn't aware of, and the story of what happened after Anne's diary ended. There were still some direct quotes from the diary, easily attributable, with quotes and "Anne wrote" explanations, so the reader here still gets a taste of the diary directly.
The diary itself, whether the original (and what IS the original ... Anne's original, the one she started to rewrite in hopes of publication/changing names/writing FOR a reader more than a simple standard diary, the one her father compiled, the various translations ...), or the graphic novel, while interesting, also delves into the minutiae of a 14-year old girl and her talk of boys, of her body, of hating her mother ... that give insight into ANNE, but if reading mostly to learn about life during the war, can be distracting. THIS book focuses so much more on the overall situation, not only of Anne and the others in the annex, but of the world, before/during/after Anne's diary snapshots.
I struggle with some of the reading in graphic novels ... I go with a physical book, because it's just hard to navigate digitally (and of course with graphic novels, audio isn't really an option, as the drawings are a huge part of the presentation). Some may be learned (the order in which to read the blocks of text, etc). Unlike digital, I can't enlarge the text, and I'm so used to reading with a backlight, it was always hard to find enough light to make the pages visible without glare. But it was worth the effort, and I appreciate authors/adapters/illustrators coming up with different ways to present stories and information, as everyone has different preferences in how they learn. Having this in a graphic novel format may reach some people that wouldn't get the information otherwise.
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
(in case you haven't noticed) i have a thing for graphic novels relating to world war 2.
this particular title is a mixed bag-
good:
color artwork, feast for the eyes
the additional perspective of what was happening during the war as anne wrote. she mentions some things in her diary but wasn't aware of everything (she couldn't be).
additional info about what happened to the residents of the secret annex after they were arrested
bad:
the dialogue. oh god. the authors try to summarize events and personalities by having the characters say trite ridiculous things to each other or themselves.
some of the artwork is better than others.
of course by the end i was in tears, especially reading this excerpt from otto frank's letters:
"I hope Anne's book will have an effect on the rest of your life so that, insofar as it is possible in your own circumstances, you will work for unity and peace.
this particular title is a mixed bag-
good:
color artwork, feast for the eyes
the additional perspective of what was happening during the war as anne wrote. she mentions some things in her diary but wasn't aware of everything (she couldn't be).
additional info about what happened to the residents of the secret annex after they were arrested
bad:
the dialogue. oh god. the authors try to summarize events and personalities by having the characters say trite ridiculous things to each other or themselves.
some of the artwork is better than others.
of course by the end i was in tears, especially reading this excerpt from otto frank's letters:
"I hope Anne's book will have an effect on the rest of your life so that, insofar as it is possible in your own circumstances, you will work for unity and peace.
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
Een mooie graphic novel over het leven van Anne Frank, maar niet alleen haar, maar ook over haar familie en over de oorlog die om haar heen woedde. Dat vond ik heel erg mooi gedaan het maakt het nog completer en gaf een dieper beeld in het leven van de Franks. Ondanks dat ik het verhaal al helemaal ken want meerdere malen gelezen ben ik steeds blij als er weer een nieuwe manier is om haar verhaal te vertellen. Ik vond het erg goed geschreven en dat we ook quotes van Anne en haar dagboek zien. Het heeft me wel even geduurd om te lezen want erg veel tekst en soms niet altijd helemaal vloeiend dus ik moest soms dingen herlezen.
Ik wil ooit ook echt eens naar het Achterhuis, maar ja... gegeven de rijen en rijen toeristen die daar zijn (de keren dat ik in Amsterdam was stond de rij om het huizenblok), denk ik dat het nooit gaat gebeuren. Heel jammer.
De art was een beetje hit en miss voor mij. Op punten vond ik het erg goed gedaan en passend, maar op sommige punten vond ik het toch vreemd getekend (en dan vooral de gezichten/hoofden van mensen).
Maar al met al, ik ben blij dat ik het boek heb gevonden en heb meegenomen uit de bibliotheek.
Ik wil ooit ook echt eens naar het Achterhuis, maar ja... gegeven de rijen en rijen toeristen die daar zijn (de keren dat ik in Amsterdam was stond de rij om het huizenblok), denk ik dat het nooit gaat gebeuren. Heel jammer.
De art was een beetje hit en miss voor mij. Op punten vond ik het erg goed gedaan en passend, maar op sommige punten vond ik het toch vreemd getekend (en dan vooral de gezichten/hoofden van mensen).
Maar al met al, ik ben blij dat ik het boek heb gevonden en heb meegenomen uit de bibliotheek.
pamiverson's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting re-relling of Anne Frank's diary, some long sections written out, others in a more graphic form. If it helps a younger generation understand the horror of the Holocaust, it is an important re-telling.
hirasidd's review against another edition
5.0
By the end of the book, it gave me a good amount of cry and darn, I was in the library that time.
chelsealeem's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. The writing was excellent in the way that it set Anne’s story around the greater backdrop of what was happening but I didn’t care for the art. I would suggest The Faithful Spy as a similar graphic novel with better artwork.
smiley938's review against another edition
3.0
A very quick read - finished it in under two hours. The story itself is obviously well-known and tragic, but this book didn't really do anything more than it had to.