Scan barcode
coleycole's review against another edition
2.0
This graphic novel is totally ADD, which isn't always a bad thing, but I couldn't get into it. The layout is interesting -- he uses lots of old photos, playbills, newspapers, etc. collaged in with the text and drawings -- but I wasn't crazy about the original art. The lack of through-line made it hard for me to invest in it. Sometimes I enjoy that style, but there was no central story for the author to touch back to -- he didn't even utilize the Alice stories much...
radikaliseradgroda's review against another edition
3.0
It drags severely at times, and there are so many names and places that I often had trouble keeping up, but overall it's an interesting read.
jenniferdeguzman's review against another edition
After some thinking, I realized why I didn't finish this book (even as I racked up late fees from the library): I found the subject matter, the history of the region of England called Sunderland, interesting, but there was nothing about the way the subject is treated that made the medium it's in the best choice. The conceit, with a man giving a lecture in a theater to an idiot with a soda, doesn't work, and the comics elements that are scattered throughout did not appeal to me. The visual pun comics illustration of Henry V's speech at Agincourt fell flat for me, and, honestly, I found it ugly. Digitally manipulated photographs are not as helpful in a historical work as real photographs nor as aesthetically interesting as good illustrations.
Sunderland seems like a fascinating place, and clearly this is meant to be a tribute to it. It just didn't work for me.
Sunderland seems like a fascinating place, and clearly this is meant to be a tribute to it. It just didn't work for me.
jason_pym's review against another edition
2.0
Alice in Sunderland is a non-fiction comic that looks at the history of England (and the north east in particular) and how it links to Lewis Carroll's Alice books.
I love the way the book rambles, covering all kinds of tangential connections and faint influences on Carroll, and lots of references from Alice. Talbot has found lots of interesting stuff, and this would have made a great text-only book, but....
Visually, I found the book an irritating mess, which is a real shame. The worst offender are the photographs, most of which have been run through a photoshop filter to look vaguely like pastel paintings, but the effect is tacky. And annoying, because it would be great to have the detail of the original images.
The characters he uses to tell the story, Sid James, the thespian and the pleb at the Sunderland Empire, did nothing for me either.
Pity, I was looking forward to this.
I love the way the book rambles, covering all kinds of tangential connections and faint influences on Carroll, and lots of references from Alice. Talbot has found lots of interesting stuff, and this would have made a great text-only book, but....
Visually, I found the book an irritating mess, which is a real shame. The worst offender are the photographs, most of which have been run through a photoshop filter to look vaguely like pastel paintings, but the effect is tacky. And annoying, because it would be great to have the detail of the original images.
The characters he uses to tell the story, Sid James, the thespian and the pleb at the Sunderland Empire, did nothing for me either.
Pity, I was looking forward to this.
pnw_afox's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I was blown away by this undertaking. Rich with stories and a variety of artistic styles, Talbot tells the history of Sunderland like no other. His great research into the Alice stories and the life of Lewis Carroll is fascinating. Sunderland University recently awarded an honorary doctorate for this work.
And after meeting Talbot at SDCC 09, I'm eagerly awaiting his next book Grandville, a steampunk tale in Paris. And the main character is a badger, so how can that go wrong? See the trailer http://www.bryan-talbot.com/grandville/index.html
And after meeting Talbot at SDCC 09, I'm eagerly awaiting his next book Grandville, a steampunk tale in Paris. And the main character is a badger, so how can that go wrong? See the trailer http://www.bryan-talbot.com/grandville/index.html
saidtheraina's review against another edition
5.0
I give this five stars not because I loved the book.
I gave this five stars because I admire (and was amazed by) the innovation in the medium and form.
It feels like an annotated Alice in Wonderland, without the original text, in comic form. Plus all kinds of historical background on the region and context for the story. Basically a big lovesong to Sunderland, a region in England.
One quibble I have is that the author occasionally uses the term "the East End" to refer to the place, and that made me think (in my ignorance of English geography) that it might be the same thing as the East End of London. Which, after a quick Google map search, it definitely is not. A little bit of orientation might have helped with that.
Talbot collages together photographs, illustrations, and his own comic illustrations to give us access to primary sources as well as his accessible comic form. For a history geek, it was totally fascinating, though not always easy to follow. I think it would have helped to have foldout pages (I keep finding myself referring back to [a:Dash Shaw|596378|Dash Shaw|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1314252872p2/596378.jpg]'s [b:Bodyworld|6324785|BodyWorld|Dash Shaw|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330686178s/6324785.jpg|6510333]) or end papers with a map on one side and a timeline on the other, as it was hard to keep track of how the incidents related to each other.
But I just went with it, and was amazed.
I gave this five stars because I admire (and was amazed by) the innovation in the medium and form.
It feels like an annotated Alice in Wonderland, without the original text, in comic form. Plus all kinds of historical background on the region and context for the story. Basically a big lovesong to Sunderland, a region in England.
One quibble I have is that the author occasionally uses the term "the East End" to refer to the place, and that made me think (in my ignorance of English geography) that it might be the same thing as the East End of London. Which, after a quick Google map search, it definitely is not. A little bit of orientation might have helped with that.
Talbot collages together photographs, illustrations, and his own comic illustrations to give us access to primary sources as well as his accessible comic form. For a history geek, it was totally fascinating, though not always easy to follow. I think it would have helped to have foldout pages (I keep finding myself referring back to [a:Dash Shaw|596378|Dash Shaw|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1314252872p2/596378.jpg]'s [b:Bodyworld|6324785|BodyWorld|Dash Shaw|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330686178s/6324785.jpg|6510333]) or end papers with a map on one side and a timeline on the other, as it was hard to keep track of how the incidents related to each other.
But I just went with it, and was amazed.
rachelhelps's review against another edition
Only got halfway through this weird pastiche of graphic novel and geographical history, since I had to take it back to the library. I recommend it if you like learning about history in a non-linear fashion tied to a certain place and with dizzying visuals.
jbmorgan86's review against another edition
3.0
I'm at a loss regarding how to "shelf" this book or rate it. It is a landmark graphic novel that uses mixed media throughout: black and white illustrations, color illustrations, photographs, computer graphics, etc. The content varies from literature, to history, to war, to medicine, to philosophy, to politics, to . . . you name it. At points the book is incredibly interesting and witty while at other points it is dull and just "too much."
Essentially, Alice in Sunderland is a pastiche of Lewis Carrol's biography and the history of Sunderland, England. There really is no central narrative. The narrator literally walks through history and makes whimsical commentary along the way. While the artwork is amazing and a lot of the spin-off stories are fun, much of Alice in Sunderland felt like a self-indulgent documentary.
Essentially, Alice in Sunderland is a pastiche of Lewis Carrol's biography and the history of Sunderland, England. There really is no central narrative. The narrator literally walks through history and makes whimsical commentary along the way. While the artwork is amazing and a lot of the spin-off stories are fun, much of Alice in Sunderland felt like a self-indulgent documentary.