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cae_k's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Super informative and a great art style that pushes you to get lost in the world of the author. It’s effectiveness as a piece of media inspired me to create a graphic novel following a young boy’s experience of the 1980 Moscow Olympics for my university class. Really interesting mode of communication!
meepelous's review
2.0
An interesting contrast to what we Westerners might think of as a typical story book immigration experience. Fatherland is the true (and often convoluted) story of Nina's family's journey back and forth between Canada and Yugoslavia. Giving a personal face to a side of life post WWII that I was pretty interested in learning about.
The art style of this comic is pretty brutal, and not in a violent or graphic way, just in its stark dramatic cross hatching lines. Everything feels like it has a warped grid over it, and sometimes that was kind of distracting. It took a while for me to really get used to it and I'm still not overly fond of Nina Bunjevac's style - that said, it did feel like it matched the tone and subject matter rather well and Bunjevac is clearly a very talented artist, so how much can I really complain?
As far as the story goes, it certainly felt a little bit off kilter at times. Bunjevac's story jumps from her life to far back family history to recent history to the history of the Serbs and the Croats - in general, I don't recall if this was the exact sequence. By the end I'm pretty sure that the focus of this book was supposed to be her father (cover art duh) but I'm not exactly sure what the point was I guess. Maybe I'm just too used to having people try and manipulate me through media but I would have appreciated some larger point to come out by the end.
The art style of this comic is pretty brutal, and not in a violent or graphic way, just in its stark dramatic cross hatching lines. Everything feels like it has a warped grid over it, and sometimes that was kind of distracting. It took a while for me to really get used to it and I'm still not overly fond of Nina Bunjevac's style - that said, it did feel like it matched the tone and subject matter rather well and Bunjevac is clearly a very talented artist, so how much can I really complain?
As far as the story goes, it certainly felt a little bit off kilter at times. Bunjevac's story jumps from her life to far back family history to recent history to the history of the Serbs and the Croats - in general, I don't recall if this was the exact sequence. By the end I'm pretty sure that the focus of this book was supposed to be her father (cover art duh) but I'm not exactly sure what the point was I guess. Maybe I'm just too used to having people try and manipulate me through media but I would have appreciated some larger point to come out by the end.
elizabethlk's review
3.0
I was intrigued by the premise of Nina Bunjevac's Fatherland, part memoir, part biography of her father, part history of Yugoslavia, due to our shared background. My family originally came from Yugoslavia, and currently resides in Canada (only a couple hours from Welland).
The art style wouldn't be my usual preference, but I thought it worked well here. I feel like I learned a lot about Yugoslavia, which makes me feel as though I have learned more about my own family. I've always wanted to learn more about Yugoslavia, but it's not exactly an easy topic to find a straightforward primer on. Her father's story was interesting, although it felt a bit sparse in places. The aspects where she spoke of her own past felt a bit unemotional, and I wasn't incredibly interested until the backstory of what was fully going on was revealed.
Overall, I felt like this was a mixed bag. Ultimately I think it is still worth a read. It definitely makes me curious about reading more Yugoslav history.
The art style wouldn't be my usual preference, but I thought it worked well here. I feel like I learned a lot about Yugoslavia, which makes me feel as though I have learned more about my own family. I've always wanted to learn more about Yugoslavia, but it's not exactly an easy topic to find a straightforward primer on. Her father's story was interesting, although it felt a bit sparse in places. The aspects where she spoke of her own past felt a bit unemotional, and I wasn't incredibly interested until the backstory of what was fully going on was revealed.
Overall, I felt like this was a mixed bag. Ultimately I think it is still worth a read. It definitely makes me curious about reading more Yugoslav history.
wcsheffer's review
4.0
Fatherland is a haunting and stunning memoir of the author and her father's life in and out of Soviet Yugoslavia. Bunjevac is skilled at exposition knowing when and where to mostly withhold details to keep the story enigmatic and slightly confusing, mirroring the author's own uncovering of her past. Not only does Bunjevac excel in grappling with her family's complicated history but also coming to terms with what it means to be Serbian in the 21st century--tracing roots of the Serb/Croat conflict and understanding life as a refugee. It is one of the darker graphic memoirs that I have read so I found it interesting that the publisher paired it with Marjane Satrapi who I find to be mostly comic and light, despite the difficult life on which she reflects. I would recommend to anyone looking to gain insight into Serbian/Yugoslav politics and for anyone interested in graphic memoir/autobiography. Knowledge/familiarity with other graphic novels could be helpful but not necessary. I'm still thinking about this book 24 hours later which is not something I frequently say after reading graphic memoirs.
ederwin's review
4.0
A memoir exploring the family history, and world history, that triggered her father to become a terrorist. The combination of her personal history and the stories from the past are not perfectly meshed, but it is still a strong story.
I knew very little about the history of Yugoslavia in the 20th century. It was messy, and often very ugly. Learning about it with a focus on one single family really brought it to life. The author's father did awful things. The awful things that happened around him while growing up don't excuse his behavior, but there was more than enough there to have pushed almost anyone over the edge.
For me, it is hard to understand anyone trying to bring back monarchy in his country. Why would anyone want that? But on the other hand, the groups that replaced that monarchy weren't the saints they pretended to be. It is another reminder of the age-old problem of leaders doing one thing before they have power and then something quite different once they get it.
I knew very little about the history of Yugoslavia in the 20th century. It was messy, and often very ugly. Learning about it with a focus on one single family really brought it to life. The author's father did awful things. The awful things that happened around him while growing up don't excuse his behavior, but there was more than enough there to have pushed almost anyone over the edge.
For me, it is hard to understand anyone trying to bring back monarchy in his country. Why would anyone want that? But on the other hand, the groups that replaced that monarchy weren't the saints they pretended to be. It is another reminder of the age-old problem of leaders doing one thing before they have power and then something quite different once they get it.
michaelkerr's review
3.0
This memoir / family history deals largely with the author’s father – a Serbian nationalist – whose experiences during the Second World War left him an embittered drunk. When the father dies by accidentally setting off a bomb he was preparing for a terrorist act, the family must deal with the consequences and face their unsettling history. The illustrations drive the narrative in this one and are truly extraordinary.
librosprestados's review
4.0
Este es un cómic pequeño, en cuanto historia, pero grande en cuanto a intención. Quiere hablarnos del conflicto entre serbios y croatas que podemos decir que se emponzoñó en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Y habla tanto de eso, de la historia de su familia materna y paterna, como de la historia de su padre, un terrorista serbio de un grupo terrorista que actuó en Canadá y el norte de EEUU en los años 70.
El cómic no es muy extenso, ni necesita serlo, y está dibujado con un estilo realista (o incluso hiperrealista) usando para ello un dibujo en blanco y negro de líneas que crean tramas o texturas. A veces llega a reproducir fotografías usando este estilo.
Y la autora además usa un truco o herramienta narrativa que en este caso es bastante efectiva: termina con las mismas viñetas con las que comenzó la historia, solo que esta vez tienes todas las piezas, conoces los puntos de vista de las dos partes, y lo entiendes mejor. De hecho, comprendes toda la historia.
El final tal vez a algunos les deje fríos. Yo por mi parte supe de una parte de la Historia de la que nunca había oído hablar, y eso solo consiguió hacer de este cómic una lectura más que interesante.
El cómic no es muy extenso, ni necesita serlo, y está dibujado con un estilo realista (o incluso hiperrealista) usando para ello un dibujo en blanco y negro de líneas que crean tramas o texturas. A veces llega a reproducir fotografías usando este estilo.
Y la autora además usa un truco o herramienta narrativa que en este caso es bastante efectiva: termina con las mismas viñetas con las que comenzó la historia, solo que esta vez tienes todas las piezas, conoces los puntos de vista de las dos partes, y lo entiendes mejor. De hecho, comprendes toda la historia.
El final tal vez a algunos les deje fríos. Yo por mi parte supe de una parte de la Historia de la que nunca había oído hablar, y eso solo consiguió hacer de este cómic una lectura más que interesante.
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