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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The plot was meh but I loved the illustrations
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was a really fun and quick sapphic graphic novel. I LOVED the art style a lot and the setting of Paris was perfect! The characters were all really fun and the side characters really shone. There was some French throughout which was quite novel, however it felt very clunky - the French itself was incorrect and it was interspersed among English as French and American characters tried to converse, but so many of the words that were in French were really simple terms that are either some of the first you would learn or have very close if not identical counterparts (e.g. professeur and professor).
Beautiful art style which really conjured up a feeling of Paris for me. Story wasn't up to much. Almost wish there had been no text at all.
This was a cute and fast read. Paris follows Juliet, an American artist studying in Paris. Her professor connects her with a painting commission which introduces her with rich Deborah. Although the two come from vastly different backgrounds, they form a connection. Some drama ensues but mostly it felt like a low stakes opposite attract comic/graphic novel. I honestly assumed it was set in the 1980s or 1990s until after finished it and read the synopsis, so I think the political setting definitely could have been better described. I really enjoyed the art style and felt like it was unique to other illustrated works I’ve read lately. I especially loved the paper dolls and art references included in the end of the book.
3.5✨
~ arc provided by NetGalley ~
i really loved the stylistic choices of this graphic novel, from the art to the sepia colour palette and the designs of Juliet and Deborah - it definitely added to the sense of a retro, edgy cartoon (and really reminded me of Daria, Downtown, and Nana)
as for the story, i liked the idea and plot - but i think it really needed to be longer, as a single book or extended series with several volumes. i feel like the relationship between Juliet and Deborah wasn’t given enough development and depth, and i didn’t really know much about either character or see them change, which also meant i was thrown with later plot points which v much came out of nowhere and i had no investment in.
~ arc provided by NetGalley ~
i really loved the stylistic choices of this graphic novel, from the art to the sepia colour palette and the designs of Juliet and Deborah - it definitely added to the sense of a retro, edgy cartoon (and really reminded me of Daria, Downtown, and Nana)
as for the story, i liked the idea and plot - but i think it really needed to be longer, as a single book or extended series with several volumes. i feel like the relationship between Juliet and Deborah wasn’t given enough development and depth, and i didn’t really know much about either character or see them change, which also meant i was thrown with later plot points which v much came out of nowhere and i had no investment in.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.
2/5 - It was okay.
Having read through feedback from other readers, I agree with many of the other reviews. The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful, with so much movement within each frame that it feels as if I can actually hear the buzzing of the streets, feel the dappled sunlight, taste the food depicted. Although sometimes the monochrome depictions can be confusing (it's difficult to spot the characters one is meant to follow), this lends to the dizzying feeling of being swept up by a busy city or an overwhelming party. If I were rating the book on illustrations alone, my rating would be much higher.
The story, however, falls flat. It's riddled with stereotypes - starving American artists whose parents run hardware stores back home; sex-crazed French women who hang their perpetually dripping culottes out in the bedroom and pepper their dialogue with French catchphrases despite speaking perfectly adequate English; repressed English characters who of course belong to the nobility and cannot survive without their teas. This parade of caricatures made it difficult for me to care about the characters or to invest in their journeys. Due to the dialogue, I also had a hard time understanding what time this story was set in - the English characters seemed stuck in some bygone Victorian era, the French characters were firmly set in the 1950s or 60s, and the American character seemed thoroughly modern. This was confusing.
The overall effect was of a story that was just... okay. It's worth reading for the art but anyone expecting a sweeping and profound LGBT love story will be left disappointed.
2/5 - It was okay.
Having read through feedback from other readers, I agree with many of the other reviews. The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful, with so much movement within each frame that it feels as if I can actually hear the buzzing of the streets, feel the dappled sunlight, taste the food depicted. Although sometimes the monochrome depictions can be confusing (it's difficult to spot the characters one is meant to follow), this lends to the dizzying feeling of being swept up by a busy city or an overwhelming party. If I were rating the book on illustrations alone, my rating would be much higher.
The story, however, falls flat. It's riddled with stereotypes - starving American artists whose parents run hardware stores back home; sex-crazed French women who hang their perpetually dripping culottes out in the bedroom and pepper their dialogue with French catchphrases despite speaking perfectly adequate English; repressed English characters who of course belong to the nobility and cannot survive without their teas. This parade of caricatures made it difficult for me to care about the characters or to invest in their journeys. Due to the dialogue, I also had a hard time understanding what time this story was set in - the English characters seemed stuck in some bygone Victorian era, the French characters were firmly set in the 1950s or 60s, and the American character seemed thoroughly modern. This was confusing.
The overall effect was of a story that was just... okay. It's worth reading for the art but anyone expecting a sweeping and profound LGBT love story will be left disappointed.