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koreanlinda's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Among many unique values of this book, one of them is a new look at the meaning of life and death. By repeating life and death in many different ways, we get to reflect on why we live and how to live. It is also fun to trace the underlying commonality between chapters (AKA different universes). I love how Bras's dog stayed with him from the cover til the end, another beauty of the story. Although I felt saddened by some of the stories, I did not cry. However, it will be a great cleansing tearjerker for someone experiencing bulging grief and sorrow.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
joscelynhe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Murder, Suicide, Self harm, Mental illness, and Blood
bt_wannabe's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Using gorgeous graphics this story will cause you to reflect on what gives your life meaning, what it means to wait for your life to begin, and the reality that death is both unpredictable and inevitable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
cort_kaye's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Thoughts on dying and the feelings we feel that make the whole trip worth it /10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
guinness74's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
What a beautiful book, both literally and emotionally. A look at the life and death (that’s not really a spoiler) of writer Brás de Oliva Domingos as he explores the meaning of life and how death affects us in a variety of manners. This will be one that I probably add to my physical library.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
minkkmuse's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
such a gorgeously illustrated, emotionally complex narrative that tackles issues of love, grief, and purpose. a little overly sappy at times, but overall a really inspiring, reflective story dissecting what it means to be alive, the inevitability of death, and the role of art in life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
chaoticnostalgia's review
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Feeling like I will be thinking about this for a while, but can't figure out how much I liked it. I'm definitely feeling existential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Cancer, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
chandlerkl's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Pregnancy, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, and Gun violence
nannahnannah's review
3.0
I feel so bad for finding this just "meh ...", because I can just feel that there was so much love put into this (and it also says the authors poured their souls into the graphic novel in the introduction ...). But that love never really reached me, I guess, and I couldn't connect to the characters or the story.
Representation:
main character is an Afro (right?)-Brazilian
his best friend is black (Afro-Brazilian?)
the book takes place in Brazil, so there are many ethnicities
Brás de Oliva Domingos is the son of a famous writer, and dreams of becoming one himself while he writes obituaries for a newspaper.
That's basically the basic storyline, and then the graphic novel riffs of that, asking the question: what are the most important moments of your life? Each chapter is an "alternative life" for Brás (with an alternative death, too, and an obituary to top it off). They're also rather slow moving, with an in-the-moment feel (except for a couple, oof), that lets you explore that question for yourself: what moments ARE important in life? What do I want out of it?
But there was just something about the writing (LOTS of macho "living the life! Lots of chicks, yeah!" dialogue maybe) ... that I just didn't get. And that's okay; just means it's not for me.
I did have a problem, however, with the fact that Jorge, Brás's best friend, a dark-skinned black man, was the only character close to Brás who turned violent and killed him. Disappointing. Frankly, both the darker-skinned characters Brás knew and loved turned out to be either overly emotional, violent, or unstable. Not a very good choice .
Anyway, it's obvious many people connected to this story, so it's also obvious it was a just "not for me" book.
Representation:
main character is an Afro (right?)-Brazilian
his best friend is black (Afro-Brazilian?)
the book takes place in Brazil, so there are many ethnicities
Brás de Oliva Domingos is the son of a famous writer, and dreams of becoming one himself while he writes obituaries for a newspaper.
That's basically the basic storyline, and then the graphic novel riffs of that, asking the question: what are the most important moments of your life? Each chapter is an "alternative life" for Brás (with an alternative death, too, and an obituary to top it off). They're also rather slow moving, with an in-the-moment feel (except for a couple, oof), that lets you explore that question for yourself: what moments ARE important in life? What do I want out of it?
But there was just something about the writing (LOTS of macho "living the life! Lots of chicks, yeah!" dialogue maybe) ... that I just didn't get. And that's okay; just means it's not for me.
I did have a problem, however, with the fact that Jorge, Brás's best friend, a dark-skinned black man, was the only character close to Brás
Anyway, it's obvious many people connected to this story, so it's also obvious it was a just "not for me" book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
iuvmoonie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Medical content, Car accident, Terminal illness, Sexism, and Misogyny