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A review by thewordsdevourer
Spinning by Tillie Walden
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
it's always weird giving a rating to someone's life story, and tillie walden's in spinning is no exception.
w/ the summary talking abt figure skating and coming out, i was quite excited to read this, and the end product is by no means bad, but simply different, more melancholic, toned down, and reflective than i thought.
the book offers an insider look into the world of competitive figure skating, w/ the dynamics, unspoken rules, tense and oft toxic environment that nevertheless contains a sense of camaraderie. it's also interesting to see how skating intersects w/ other aspects of walden's life and inner identity. the art, while simple, gets the story across and i like the use of orange in certain important scenes/panels, though w/ a story that contains a lot of physical movement such as this, it can look a lil stiff.
as mentioned in the author's note, this graphic novel examines how walden's life outside of skating affects her sport. my issue - and thus rating - is perhaps said happenings are not too interesting, as the author's life is one of monotony and routine, thus rendering the narrative dull at times, w/ the same things looping repeatedly. this is compounded by the fact that, as the author mentions herself, it's not character-driven but rather compelled by outside forces outside of her control. in short: she doesnt make things happen; things happen to her. and there's no right or wrong way to go abt this, but it happens to not rly benefit the story all the same.
regardless, i recommend this to anyone looking for a slow-paced, reflective coming-of-age read thats centered on sports.
w/ the summary talking abt figure skating and coming out, i was quite excited to read this, and the end product is by no means bad, but simply different, more melancholic, toned down, and reflective than i thought.
the book offers an insider look into the world of competitive figure skating, w/ the dynamics, unspoken rules, tense and oft toxic environment that nevertheless contains a sense of camaraderie. it's also interesting to see how skating intersects w/ other aspects of walden's life and inner identity. the art, while simple, gets the story across and i like the use of orange in certain important scenes/panels, though w/ a story that contains a lot of physical movement such as this, it can look a lil stiff.
as mentioned in the author's note, this graphic novel examines how walden's life outside of skating affects her sport. my issue - and thus rating - is perhaps said happenings are not too interesting, as the author's life is one of monotony and routine, thus rendering the narrative dull at times, w/ the same things looping repeatedly. this is compounded by the fact that, as the author mentions herself, it's not character-driven but rather compelled by outside forces outside of her control. in short: she doesnt make things happen; things happen to her. and there's no right or wrong way to go abt this, but it happens to not rly benefit the story all the same.
regardless, i recommend this to anyone looking for a slow-paced, reflective coming-of-age read thats centered on sports.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse