A review by booksteastories
Paris by Andi Watson
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The novel follows Juliet, an American art student in Paris who does commissions on behalf of her teacher to aid her educational expenses, and Deborah, a British debutante who is constrained by the old-fashioned traditions of her upper class family. After Juliet is asked to paint Deborah's portrait, both begin a journey towards self-awareness and each other.
The art within this novel is detailed to the extreme, covering the entire page to make the readers feel as though they really are in Paris in the fifties. Cityscapes and rooms seem to come particularly easily to the illustrator. Everything is exaggerated which is both a good thing, as it makes the novel distinct, and a bad thing, as it becomes a little difficult to take the story seriously.
It feels as though the story itself was underfleshed -- there is a lot of filler which doesn't fully add to the progression of the story. Graphic novels, without the advantage of narration, are already at a disadvantage in this regard, and the filler panels burden the novel further. This also leads to any twists feeling sudden, as though they didn't have any pre-laid groundwork which is never a good thing.
The characters all speak in very stereotypical ways. To be honest, the novel is generally full of stereotypes but this fact was especially evident in the dialogue. There were so many country-specific expressions that it makes you wonder how on earth the characters understand each other at all.
The romance was also a little insta-lovey for my taste, it didn't feel as though the characters had connected over much. Although Juliet and Deborah experience some semblance of character growth, Paulette and every other side character was entirely one dimensional, which was unfortunate as they seemed very interesting.
The ending was also very ambiguous, it very much felt as though the point A and B were not connected, like there were scenes missing.
Overall, a decent novel with a standard plot and interesting artwork.
The art within this novel is detailed to the extreme, covering the entire page to make the readers feel as though they really are in Paris in the fifties. Cityscapes and rooms seem to come particularly easily to the illustrator. Everything is exaggerated which is both a good thing, as it makes the novel distinct, and a bad thing, as it becomes a little difficult to take the story seriously.
It feels as though the story itself was underfleshed -- there is a lot of filler which doesn't fully add to the progression of the story. Graphic novels, without the advantage of narration, are already at a disadvantage in this regard, and the filler panels burden the novel further. This also leads to any twists feeling sudden, as though they didn't have any pre-laid groundwork which is never a good thing.
The characters all speak in very stereotypical ways. To be honest, the novel is generally full of stereotypes but this fact was especially evident in the dialogue. There were so many country-specific expressions that it makes you wonder how on earth the characters understand each other at all.
The romance was also a little insta-lovey for my taste, it didn't feel as though the characters had connected over much. Although Juliet and Deborah experience some semblance of character growth, Paulette and every other side character was entirely one dimensional, which was unfortunate as they seemed very interesting.
The ending was also very ambiguous, it very much felt as though the point A and B were not connected, like there were scenes missing.
Overall, a decent novel with a standard plot and interesting artwork.