Reviews

Meal by Soleil Ho, Blue Delliquanti

michalannne's review against another edition

2.0

MG/YA

The characters and story weren’t really compelling, but I still finished the book. I enjoyed the essay and recipes at the end.

marenkae's review against another edition

3.0

3.5

cgwinters1981's review against another edition

5.0

I almost gave up on this title because of the insect element, but I continued. I am glad I did. The characters and the plot were so interesting. I found myself becoming more and more invested in the opening of this quirky little restaurant. This book has more heart for a comic book than I have read in other more mainstream titles. I wish I could read more books exactly like this one. Where they at? Loved this so much and highly recommend it, especially if you like LGBT content. This was a wonderful and realistic portrayal of relationships.

*I received this copy from Edelweiss for free in exchange for an honest review*

droar's review against another edition

5.0

Ya'll know me, I'm a sucker for food themed books & Meal Delivers! I knew basically nothing about eating bugs (land bugs at least, Louisiana is somewhat known for it's sea bugs) but Delliquanti & Ho layout a charming & fascinating introduction to eating crawly friends through Yarrow & Chanda. It's been a long while since I've eaten critters & I don't intend to start now, but I must admit the food described here sounds very tempting! It's not presented as a novelty or a one-off adventure, but a serious and delicious protein & that's kind of the whole point. One of the things that really makes Meal shine is that it doesn't shy away from addressing the appropriative nature of presenting traditional foods of various cultures as "new & exciting!" (something we see a lot of these days). Readers get to see a little window into a handful of food cultures where insects are important and regular sources of food. It doesn't dive super deep (it is only 150 pages of graphic novel) but it makes sure that ground work is placed from the beginning.

On the more narrative side of things there's a nice sense of found family & a cute little romance subplot that I enjoyed. Overall I quite enjoyed this one & would recommend it to anyone who likes food books, restaurant family stories, or wants to know more about eating bugs!

Also: I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys, but the essay at the end is super worth your time too! As a person who maaaay or may not have been known to skip the introductions & afterwards of books I am quite glad to have read this one.

chloelees's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

strega_nea's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I found this book because I enjoy Soleil Ho’s food reviews and writing. Meal is an informative, heartfelt, warm, and delightful story! The illustrations are subtly detailed, filling in a vibrant and relatable backdrop and cast of characters— and evocative scenes depicting memories. I would read at least a dozen more food-based graphic novels from Blue and Soleil! My favorite takeaway was the moment where Yarrow describes the tendency to not explain yourself/your story/your passion fully because you’re used to people not understanding it. That really resonated with me and I’ve never read that feeling articulated in that exact way. 

arlingtonchamberofgay's review against another edition

funny informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

cuddlycuddlefish's review against another edition

funny informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

mxemma's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful informative relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

internationalkris's review against another edition

3.0

A good diverse comic. I am perfectly happy as a vegan and hence a non-bug eater, but I really appreciated the cultural depth of this presentation of entomophagy.