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A review by mschlat
Cancer Vixen by Marisa Acocella Marchetto
5.0
This is the story of a narcissistic, fashion obsessed, forty-something in New York and her discovery that she has breast cancer just a short time before her wedding to an Italian restauranteur. Save for one appeal factor (which I'll get to in a minute), this graphic novel has nothing that I should be interested in.
Regardless, I loved this work. Marchetto's voice is so strong and her cartooning - though rough at times - is so compelling that I could not help but enjoy the read. It's not that Marchetto braves everything with humor (she tries, but fails), but that she always returns to the brash voice that keeps her going. Heck, this is a story that involves the protagonist consulting a phone psychic and a Kaballah-practicing rabbi (two things that typically set off my b.s. radar), and I still read with fascination.
The one appeal factor that did attract me was Marchetto's work as a cartoonist. She details her regular visits to the New Yorker to sell her stuff (along with funny depictions of her competitors) along with a moving journalistic piece she did for Talk magazine right after 9/11.
Regardless, I loved this work. Marchetto's voice is so strong and her cartooning - though rough at times - is so compelling that I could not help but enjoy the read. It's not that Marchetto braves everything with humor (she tries, but fails), but that she always returns to the brash voice that keeps her going. Heck, this is a story that involves the protagonist consulting a phone psychic and a Kaballah-practicing rabbi (two things that typically set off my b.s. radar), and I still read with fascination.
The one appeal factor that did attract me was Marchetto's work as a cartoonist. She details her regular visits to the New Yorker to sell her stuff (along with funny depictions of her competitors) along with a moving journalistic piece she did for Talk magazine right after 9/11.