minkkmuse's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
some gorgeous illustrations and innovative uses of the comics medium but a little too narratively disjointed and philosophically opaque for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death
themattacaster's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annouk's review against another edition
Art was dope, not really interested in the story though. So much telling bro
giuliagulia's review against another edition
3.0
A beautifully drawn book about the dead and dying dreams of the old, and the sense of having been cheated out of some excitement about life.
As visual information, the book is gorgeous. The drawings are beautiful, imaginative, and frequently grotesque. As a novel, I find the affair fairly boring. Many grand statements that added up to a dreadful cynicism.
As visual information, the book is gorgeous. The drawings are beautiful, imaginative, and frequently grotesque. As a novel, I find the affair fairly boring. Many grand statements that added up to a dreadful cynicism.
saif42's review against another edition
3.0
I think different people will read this book and have vastly differing perspectives on what it means to them, and in that way the thoughtful nature of this book succeeds.
The book is a window into a lifestyle, that of a retired man living in Finland and how he spends his twilight years. It can be existential, hopeful, sad, melancholic, beautiful, optimistic, and tragic all at once. Its 'a quiet life', and how you choose to view it is entirely up to you.
For me, I found it hopeful. Maybe because I'm still relatively young and where I am and how I view the rest of my life and the time I choose to invest in things, I yearn for the quiet life and the solitude. I can certainly see somebody else reading this book and finding it terrifying, there's definitely chapters that go for that vibe without a doubt (in an existential sense of course).
The art in this book was simple but beautiful, the colors really made it pop. Definitely worked with the type of story being told.
This was an existential story gone right. I'm reminded of the problem I have with a lot of existential works in that I feel like they don't do enough or say enough or there's just not enough there for me to feel good about having spent money on it but I don't feel that way about this one. It also isn't up its own ass trying to be artsy like Jimmy Corrigan. Not an A+ but I liked it a lot in my own way.
The book is a window into a lifestyle, that of a retired man living in Finland and how he spends his twilight years. It can be existential, hopeful, sad, melancholic, beautiful, optimistic, and tragic all at once. Its 'a quiet life', and how you choose to view it is entirely up to you.
For me, I found it hopeful. Maybe because I'm still relatively young and where I am and how I view the rest of my life and the time I choose to invest in things, I yearn for the quiet life and the solitude. I can certainly see somebody else reading this book and finding it terrifying, there's definitely chapters that go for that vibe without a doubt (in an existential sense of course).
The art in this book was simple but beautiful, the colors really made it pop. Definitely worked with the type of story being told.
This was an existential story gone right. I'm reminded of the problem I have with a lot of existential works in that I feel like they don't do enough or say enough or there's just not enough there for me to feel good about having spent money on it but I don't feel that way about this one. It also isn't up its own ass trying to be artsy like Jimmy Corrigan. Not an A+ but I liked it a lot in my own way.
gfox3737's review against another edition
4.0
Musturi’s choices for colors are outstanding and his landscapes, flora, and fauna made this book