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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
Bad Houses explores our connection to the things that shape our lives and what happens to them when we're gone or the things take over our lives. What we treasure and feel is so important loses it's meaning when we're gone. Treasuring too many things can have it's own burdens as the stuff takes over. This book takes place in the small fictional town of Failin, Oregon where the characters have intertwining stories and lives.
Lewis and his mother, Cat, curate and run estate sales. Items are marked for sale and people show up to buy. The book shows the usual group of people who try to work angles. There is an antique store owner who tries to hide things for the half off sale. There are people who try to put stickers on items that are not for sale. One day Lewis meets a woman named Anne who likes photographing empty spaces. Anne breaks into empty spaces to hang out because her mother is a hoarder.
The title refers to houses that are cluttered after a death, or the kinds of bad things that realtors have to clean up, but it also refers to broken lives and the things people try to do to fill them and fix them. The art by Carla Speed McNeil is quite good and the story by Sara Ryan has a desperation and poignancy that I found moving.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this graphic novel.
Lewis and his mother, Cat, curate and run estate sales. Items are marked for sale and people show up to buy. The book shows the usual group of people who try to work angles. There is an antique store owner who tries to hide things for the half off sale. There are people who try to put stickers on items that are not for sale. One day Lewis meets a woman named Anne who likes photographing empty spaces. Anne breaks into empty spaces to hang out because her mother is a hoarder.
The title refers to houses that are cluttered after a death, or the kinds of bad things that realtors have to clean up, but it also refers to broken lives and the things people try to do to fill them and fix them. The art by Carla Speed McNeil is quite good and the story by Sara Ryan has a desperation and poignancy that I found moving.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this graphic novel.
heroineinabook's review against another edition
4.0
tl;dr: An engrossing tale of two people who fall in love, but it's also a story of healing the past and moving towards the future. So while the book is great, it's not amazing and that is perhaps its failing. It could have been amazing but it simply did not live up to its potential.
Review: Bad Houses is marketed by Dark House as juvenile fiction but I don't think that's accurate. The story contains adult situations that are reads far too sophisticated for juvenilia.
The story is on point and the side stories are fill in the edges. The flashbacks hint at things that are not fleshed out, but that's okay -- the end doesn't need a pretty bow to necessarily feel complete. You know, feel, and love the characters as if they are a part of your own existing circle of friends. Character development is exquisite and the art is gorgeous. Ryan's ability to capture the essence of a person in succinct form is a brilliant trait coupled with McNeil's art makes this a joyous book to hold.
But the more I sit with this story, the more I feel as if something is missing from the tale. I don't' feel satiated when I closed the cover. Sure, I want more of Anne/Lewis, but there is an element in their story that is missing. If Ryan had explored that more with her writing, let McNeil fill in the art bits, the story would have been perfect. But as such, it isn't and rates only 3.5/5 stars.
Review: Bad Houses is marketed by Dark House as juvenile fiction but I don't think that's accurate. The story contains adult situations that are reads far too sophisticated for juvenilia.
The story is on point and the side stories are fill in the edges. The flashbacks hint at things that are not fleshed out, but that's okay -- the end doesn't need a pretty bow to necessarily feel complete. You know, feel, and love the characters as if they are a part of your own existing circle of friends. Character development is exquisite and the art is gorgeous. Ryan's ability to capture the essence of a person in succinct form is a brilliant trait coupled with McNeil's art makes this a joyous book to hold.
But the more I sit with this story, the more I feel as if something is missing from the tale. I don't' feel satiated when I closed the cover. Sure, I want more of Anne/Lewis, but there is an element in their story that is missing. If Ryan had explored that more with her writing, let McNeil fill in the art bits, the story would have been perfect. But as such, it isn't and rates only 3.5/5 stars.
bookish_smorgasbord's review against another edition
4.0
As soon as I read the description for "Bad Houses", I knew I had to read it! The themes surrounding life in a small, struggling timber town resonate strongly with my personal experiences. I love how they explore what parts of ourselves remain in the things we leave behind. These are the kinds of questions that I enjoy puzzling over. The illustrations are fantastic, too!
thisisstephenbetts's review against another edition
3.0
An intergenerational story, revolving around a small mother and son business that runs estate sales. It's a bit melancholy, a bit nostalgic, a bit funny. It's gentle, and maybe not feel-good, but certainly touching in parts. I could have used a bit more drama, a bit more tension. My biggest complaint, though, is that everything seems slightly off - the cartooning isn't as smooth, the dialogue hits the odd duff note. Enjoyable, but I wish it had been just a little bit better.
I'd prefer to give this 3.5 stars, but as we can't...
I'd prefer to give this 3.5 stars, but as we can't...
jwinchell's review against another edition
3.0
Eh. The parallel story lines were a little confusing for me--the moms look enough alike that I was like, wait: who is this character? But I'm also very tired when I read these days, so that might not be a fair assessment. The storytelling did feel a little jerky--quick transitions and big leaps in setting.
airr's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
Just a nice realistic graphic novel about estate sales and hoarding in a small town in Oregon.
uguu's review against another edition
3.0
Nice story and I did enjoy it, but it wasn't amazing in its genre and sometimes it was also a bit confusing.
lunchlander's review against another edition
5.0
Sara Ryan has not written a lot of comics, but I've loved every one she has written, so I hope that changes in the near future. Some of the best characters in the business with intricate, well thought-out plots about the simple (and not-so-simple) interactions of human lives along with fascinating settings, from a high school drama department (in her mini Me & Edith Head) to a small Oregon town and the business of estate sales.
Mix with art from unsung Indy art hero Carla Speed McNeil, whose epic Sci-Fi/fantasy series Finder I sorely miss, and you've got one of the best graphic novels of 2013.
Mix with art from unsung Indy art hero Carla Speed McNeil, whose epic Sci-Fi/fantasy series Finder I sorely miss, and you've got one of the best graphic novels of 2013.