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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
This story was FASCINATING and I haven’t stopped talking about it to people today. The parallels between Charlie and his father made for an interesting manner of storytelling and Matt’s story was so interesting. I knew very little about Leopold and Loeb before this book and now I want to learn everything I can about them. Landis Blair’s art perfectly conveyed the story and added a fascinating layer to everything. There is something strange and magical about a graphic novel about a blind person.
Sometimes, though, I felt like the poetry segments and the art got a little confusing, breaking me out of the story. There were pages that were just lost on me. These moments didn’t feel like they were from the same book as the rest of the beautiful story.
Sometimes, though, I felt like the poetry segments and the art got a little confusing, breaking me out of the story. There were pages that were just lost on me. These moments didn’t feel like they were from the same book as the rest of the beautiful story.
*I received this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review*
This story was perfect as a graphic novel, after reading it I can't imagine it being told any other way and I think that is a very strong aspect of a graphic novel. This was such an intriguing story and finding out that it was a true story made it even more memorable. Both the words and illustrations worked together in such a way that they were both integral parts of the story. I loved the integration of Dante and how it wove together the story from beginning to end. Overall I really enjoyed reading this story.
This story was perfect as a graphic novel, after reading it I can't imagine it being told any other way and I think that is a very strong aspect of a graphic novel. This was such an intriguing story and finding out that it was a true story made it even more memorable. Both the words and illustrations worked together in such a way that they were both integral parts of the story. I loved the integration of Dante and how it wove together the story from beginning to end. Overall I really enjoyed reading this story.
A beautiful, labor intensive, deep, and dense read, The Hunting Accident is a tale that (ironically) could only have been told in graphic novel format. The interweaving of imagination, academic writing, philosophy, history, redemption and personal relationships would have been dry and impossible as a purely-text novel, and the gorgeous, intricately-detailed illustrations and depictions add a pathos otherwise hidden from a standard read.
The relationships are the real star here: between Matt and Charlie, between Matt and Leopold, even between Charlie and Bob. They're all real and true, weighted down with history and (sometimes irrational) feelings and impressions. While there's no doubt that Matt and Leopold are criminals (and Leopold is never depicted as remorseful for his actions, a bold and unique choice), they are also just people, deeply flawed but with limitless potential to better themselves. The scene where Matt reads the poem that ends with the line "Oh God/There are noises I'm going to hunger for" to the prisoners in class is beautiful and touching, and emphasizes the humanity and struggle of everyone involved (and on it's own is just a beautiful line) while recognizing that they maybe don't deserve unconditional forgiveness.
Just a beautiful read that takes a while to get through (or at least it should), that makes you think and feel all at once.
The relationships are the real star here: between Matt and Charlie, between Matt and Leopold, even between Charlie and Bob. They're all real and true, weighted down with history and (sometimes irrational) feelings and impressions. While there's no doubt that Matt and Leopold are criminals (and Leopold is never depicted as remorseful for his actions, a bold and unique choice), they are also just people, deeply flawed but with limitless potential to better themselves. The scene where Matt reads the poem that ends with the line "Oh God/There are noises I'm going to hunger for" to the prisoners in class is beautiful and touching, and emphasizes the humanity and struggle of everyone involved (and on it's own is just a beautiful line) while recognizing that they maybe don't deserve unconditional forgiveness.
Just a beautiful read that takes a while to get through (or at least it should), that makes you think and feel all at once.
Just the amazing cross hatching is worth a stellar review, but worry not, the story of true crime and punishment, appropriately infused with Dante's Inferno, is also captivating. Charlie Rizzo grows up thinking his dad lost his sight during a hunting accident (which may be true, metaphorically speaking), but later he finds out that dad had been lying to him. What's perhaps most interesting is Rizzo Senior's years in prison with the infamous Leopold (or Leopold and Loeb fame) as his cell mate. In prison, Rizzo tries to end his life, though he's incapable of even walking around his own cell, so he strikes a deal with Leopold: if he can learn to read Braille and read Dante's Inferno, Leopold will help him get to the highest floor of the prison and jump to his death.
There are three or four stories in the novel, all working in concert. There is the true crime story of Leopold and Loeb kidnapping and murdering a young boy for the thrill of it. There is Charlie's youthful misadventures, which get him in trouble with the police and force his father to tell him the story of how he really became blind and ended up in jail with Leopold. And there's Dante's Inferno, along with Rizzo's own writings. The Inferno stuff is a bit too heavy handed at times, but is also entertaining in some instances (for example, during the performances in prison).
The Hunting Accident is an example of drawings enhancing the story to bring it to life more than simple words on a page can. The intricate cross hatching is just amazing. Dante's Inferno stunningly comes to life in full horror.
Recommended for those who like art, old cars, stories of hobo life, tap dancing and cello music.
There are three or four stories in the novel, all working in concert. There is the true crime story of Leopold and Loeb kidnapping and murdering a young boy for the thrill of it. There is Charlie's youthful misadventures, which get him in trouble with the police and force his father to tell him the story of how he really became blind and ended up in jail with Leopold. And there's Dante's Inferno, along with Rizzo's own writings. The Inferno stuff is a bit too heavy handed at times, but is also entertaining in some instances (for example, during the performances in prison).
The Hunting Accident is an example of drawings enhancing the story to bring it to life more than simple words on a page can. The intricate cross hatching is just amazing. Dante's Inferno stunningly comes to life in full horror.
Recommended for those who like art, old cars, stories of hobo life, tap dancing and cello music.
Beautiful B/W cross-hatch art. Fascinating real-life story involving a guy who is re-rehabilitated in prison through the power of art, including the Divine Comedy, taught to him by his roommate, the notorious thrill-killer Nathan Leopold. The fact that Stateville prison is actually designed after the Panopticon is an extra bonus for the artist to work with.
Examples of the art are available on the artist own website here.
Examples of the art are available on the artist own website here.
Absolutely magnificent. Does all the things a graphic novel can that a "traditional" novel doesn't bother to try. A stunner and a gift. One of the best books I've read in 2018.
What's it about? I don't want to tell you. It starts in one direction and heads another and then ends and I didn't want it to.
What's it about? I don't want to tell you. It starts in one direction and heads another and then ends and I didn't want it to.
A really incredible work, both in it's illustration and it's love for language and poetry. It is a very male heavy book, so that was a little disappointing, but it was still a rather spectacular experience.