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luentreletras's review against another edition
4.0
Nunca había escuchado hablar de esta novela gráfica antes y la verdad que es una pena que no sea más conocida porque está muy buena.
Heart in a Box nos cuenta la historia de Emma, una chica a la que le acaban de romper su corazón. Emma, debido a su gran tristeza y desilusión amorosa decide deshacerse de su corazón con la ayuda de Bob, un hombre que trabaja en la industria de recolección y redistribución de corazones. Sin embargo, poco después de tomar esta decisión, Emma se arrepiente y le pide a Bob su corazón de vuelta. Sin embargo, Bob no se lo puede devolver porque este está ahora dividido en 7 partes entre un montón de gente que según el "lo necesitaba". Emma entonces debe enfrascarse en la búsqueda de cada parte de su corazón, la cual debe recuperar y poner dentro de una caja que Bob le entrega para que así su corazón este completo de nuevo y con ella.
Esta novela gráfica es super extraña y curiosa. Me gustó mucho el concepto de como la gente con corazón roto puede elegir abandonar su corazón para siempre y dárselo a alguien más que lo necesite. Los dos personajes principales, tanto Emma como Bob me encantaron. Su relación me hacía reir muchísimo y siento que es una parte primordial del libro.A su vez, me gustó mucho como termina la historia y como todo termina teniendo un sentido de alguna forma. Fue muy entretenido leer esta novela gráfica y sin duda la recomendaría. Además, es una lectura super rápida y cortita, no tiene más de 100-130 páginas. Se le tranquilamente de una sentada y es muy entretenida.
Heart in a Box nos cuenta la historia de Emma, una chica a la que le acaban de romper su corazón. Emma, debido a su gran tristeza y desilusión amorosa decide deshacerse de su corazón con la ayuda de Bob, un hombre que trabaja en la industria de recolección y redistribución de corazones. Sin embargo, poco después de tomar esta decisión, Emma se arrepiente y le pide a Bob su corazón de vuelta. Sin embargo, Bob no se lo puede devolver porque este está ahora dividido en 7 partes entre un montón de gente que según el "lo necesitaba". Emma entonces debe enfrascarse en la búsqueda de cada parte de su corazón, la cual debe recuperar y poner dentro de una caja que Bob le entrega para que así su corazón este completo de nuevo y con ella.
Esta novela gráfica es super extraña y curiosa. Me gustó mucho el concepto de como la gente con corazón roto puede elegir abandonar su corazón para siempre y dárselo a alguien más que lo necesite. Los dos personajes principales, tanto Emma como Bob me encantaron. Su relación me hacía reir muchísimo y siento que es una parte primordial del libro.A su vez, me gustó mucho como termina la historia y como todo termina teniendo un sentido de alguna forma. Fue muy entretenido leer esta novela gráfica y sin duda la recomendaría. Además, es una lectura super rápida y cortita, no tiene más de 100-130 páginas. Se le tranquilamente de una sentada y es muy entretenida.
bookforte's review against another edition
5.0
This was so fun and thoughtful. The character was relatable for me, and the story took me on an adventure through a fantastical way of dealing with heartbreak. It was engaging and cathartic. Great read.
meru's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amazedemon's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this miniseries. It took a metaphor of a broken heart and created a compelling story that was succinct, original and wonderfully drawn.
squidbag's review against another edition
5.0
Such a singular and artistic achievement, and it's hard to discuss it without using the word "heart" in the review. More than once, I wanted to weep for the predicaments and the realness of the character, and the ethical flexibility she shows that makes her some to whom the reader can relate. I loved everything about this, from the story to the use of color, to the dialogue and track of the story. It was sweet without being cloying, and challenging while vulnerable and strong. Please read.
ruthsic's review against another edition
4.0
When the Man with No Name breaks Emma's heart, she wants to die. But you never die from these things; you just want to. In a moment of weakness, she wishes her broken heart away and a mysterious stranger--who may or may not be totally evil--obliges. But emptiness is even worse than grief, and Emma sets out to collect the seven pieces of her heart spread across the country, a journey that forces her to face her own history and the cost of recapturing it, and leads inevitably to a confrontation with the Man with No Name himself!
Heart in a Box has a very interesting plot - the concept of hearts being a commodity that can be wished away and traded. When Emma gets her heart broken by a guy (Man with No Name, seriously - his name is never mentioned), she wishes that she could get away from her feelings; essentially she wishes her heart away an agent, a Acquisitions one, comes to take it. Naturally, later she realizes what a big mistake it was to give your heart away, and asks for it back. He tells her that her the pieces of her heart are scattered, and she will have to go get them back, whichever means works.
The means of getting a heart and varied, as well as the ways of giving them. There is forcibly taking by death, willingly wishing it away, or leaving a piece behind. What I found beautiful in the story was how initially she had to take a piece by violence, but as the story progresses, she gets it by love. She even questions whether to get it, the call of her heart and the feelings of it a strong lure, but the methods hurting her even more. It was sad, but touching, and the story's open ending fits the flow so well.
This was one of the few graphic novels I have appreciated; a beautiful story being the focus and not the artwork. The artist does have a good style, and the fact that Emma's character was drawn as an average woman, not an 'ideal' woman was bonus points in its favor. Her overly huge eyes - almost cartoon-ish, were a bit distracting, though. Overall, I enjoyed this book, so much so that I was surprised when it got over so soon.
Received a free galley from Dark Horse Originals via Edelweiss; this does not affect my opinions or review.
Heart in a Box has a very interesting plot - the concept of hearts being a commodity that can be wished away and traded. When Emma gets her heart broken by a guy (Man with No Name, seriously - his name is never mentioned), she wishes that she could get away from her feelings; essentially she wishes her heart away an agent, a Acquisitions one, comes to take it. Naturally, later she realizes what a big mistake it was to give your heart away, and asks for it back. He tells her that her the pieces of her heart are scattered, and she will have to go get them back, whichever means works.
The means of getting a heart and varied, as well as the ways of giving them. There is forcibly taking by death, willingly wishing it away, or leaving a piece behind. What I found beautiful in the story was how initially she had to take a piece by violence, but as the story progresses, she gets it by love. She even questions whether to get it, the call of her heart and the feelings of it a strong lure, but the methods hurting her even more. It was sad, but touching, and the story's open ending fits the flow so well.
This was one of the few graphic novels I have appreciated; a beautiful story being the focus and not the artwork. The artist does have a good style, and the fact that Emma's character was drawn as an average woman, not an 'ideal' woman was bonus points in its favor. Her overly huge eyes - almost cartoon-ish, were a bit distracting, though. Overall, I enjoyed this book, so much so that I was surprised when it got over so soon.
Received a free galley from Dark Horse Originals via Edelweiss; this does not affect my opinions or review.
prationality's review against another edition
5.0
:sniffles: That is all.
--
Heart in a Box explores a lot of different issues in sometimes poignant, very often painful ways. Family, loss, betrayal, friendship, love, companionship - but none of that is what caught me and kept me reading. What kept me reading was the honest sincerity of it all.
I've never been in Emma place, but I've been hurt and I can relate to those feelings if not that experience. The aching gulf of betrayal when you realize you gave your heart to someone who didn't care, that feeling of detachment from it all because why bother? The knowledge, whether true or not, that you just weren't enough. That rage because how could they do this to you.
Its a feeling anyone who has ever cared about another person understands.
And for Emma, The Man With No Name was just the latest in a series of heart breaks where she lacked any ability to take control of the situation.
Look its not easy caring, especially if you care with all your heart like Emma does. When you go all in on someone, when you think your future and theirs are so intertwined there is no future without them...its so much easier to just NOT. Not care. Not try. Give up. Not die, but just not...live really.
And Emma experiences that firsthand when she's offered a chance to give up her heart by Bob. Its a little unclear whether its her literal heart or not (there's a physicality to it that I'll explain a bit more later), but the effect is immediate. Emma goes from bright colors to drab dreary grays and brown as she "lives" her life without a heart. She no longer has the pain of the betrayal from the Man With No Name, but she also can't find any sort of interest in the rest of life either.
Thus does she try to re-negotiate with Bob (who's just a middleman really) to gain her heart back. But as with anything in life, something worth having is immensely harder to retake then give up sending Emma on a cross-country trip to find the pieces of her heart that have been spread across several sources.
I mentioned earlier some confusion over whether Emma physically lost her heart, or if it was metaphorical sort of thing. Bob tells her she needs to collect the pieces of her heart that she needs to recover and put them inside a box. One of the first people she comes across, someone who also deals in the heart (so to speak), she needs to PHYSICALLY get the piece from him. Later its a matter of having it, more or less, willed back to her.
Looking back at her journey it follows a pattern that not only let's her get her heart back, but also able to deal with the ramifications (all the painful painful ramifications) of getting it back. She's a much stronger person by the end for having gone on the journey and met the people she did. As an allegory to how we deal with pain and learn from it, Thompson (who I already know can do a superb job at handling these issues--see [b:The Girl Who Would Be King|16050500|The Girl Who Would Be King|Kelly Thompson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348778051s/16050500.jpg|21832796] or her current run on the [b:Jem and the Holograms: Showtime|26031312|Jem and the Holograms Showtime|Kelly Thompson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438626463s/26031312.jpg|45957614] comic--is thoughtful and doesn't exclude that sometimes the answer isn't to forget, but to remember.
McClaren, whose artwork I'm less familiar with, is a very good foil to the story. The sometimes minimalist scenes or exaggerated moments blend perfectly with Thompson's story telling.
I highly recommend this graphic novel.
--
Heart in a Box explores a lot of different issues in sometimes poignant, very often painful ways. Family, loss, betrayal, friendship, love, companionship - but none of that is what caught me and kept me reading. What kept me reading was the honest sincerity of it all.
I've never been in Emma place, but I've been hurt and I can relate to those feelings if not that experience. The aching gulf of betrayal when you realize you gave your heart to someone who didn't care, that feeling of detachment from it all because why bother? The knowledge, whether true or not, that you just weren't enough. That rage because how could they do this to you.
Its a feeling anyone who has ever cared about another person understands.
And for Emma, The Man With No Name was just the latest in a series of heart breaks where she lacked any ability to take control of the situation.
Look its not easy caring, especially if you care with all your heart like Emma does. When you go all in on someone, when you think your future and theirs are so intertwined there is no future without them...its so much easier to just NOT. Not care. Not try. Give up. Not die, but just not...live really.
And Emma experiences that firsthand when she's offered a chance to give up her heart by Bob. Its a little unclear whether its her literal heart or not (there's a physicality to it that I'll explain a bit more later), but the effect is immediate. Emma goes from bright colors to drab dreary grays and brown as she "lives" her life without a heart. She no longer has the pain of the betrayal from the Man With No Name, but she also can't find any sort of interest in the rest of life either.
Thus does she try to re-negotiate with Bob (who's just a middleman really) to gain her heart back. But as with anything in life, something worth having is immensely harder to retake then give up sending Emma on a cross-country trip to find the pieces of her heart that have been spread across several sources.
I mentioned earlier some confusion over whether Emma physically lost her heart, or if it was metaphorical sort of thing. Bob tells her she needs to collect the pieces of her heart that she needs to recover and put them inside a box. One of the first people she comes across, someone who also deals in the heart (so to speak), she needs to PHYSICALLY get the piece from him. Later its a matter of having it, more or less, willed back to her.
Looking back at her journey it follows a pattern that not only let's her get her heart back, but also able to deal with the ramifications (all the painful painful ramifications) of getting it back. She's a much stronger person by the end for having gone on the journey and met the people she did. As an allegory to how we deal with pain and learn from it, Thompson (who I already know can do a superb job at handling these issues--see [b:The Girl Who Would Be King|16050500|The Girl Who Would Be King|Kelly Thompson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348778051s/16050500.jpg|21832796] or her current run on the [b:Jem and the Holograms: Showtime|26031312|Jem and the Holograms Showtime|Kelly Thompson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438626463s/26031312.jpg|45957614] comic--is thoughtful and doesn't exclude that sometimes the answer isn't to forget, but to remember.
McClaren, whose artwork I'm less familiar with, is a very good foil to the story. The sometimes minimalist scenes or exaggerated moments blend perfectly with Thompson's story telling.
I highly recommend this graphic novel.
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite art, but there's no denying the plot of this one is interesting.
nickoliver's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't really had any expectations going into this, so I was really pleasantly surprised by it! The only thing I didn't necessarily like was the ending; it didn't really feel finished, more like there could be a sequel following.
typedtruths's review against another edition
3.0
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