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jessiejonesbentley's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
lilybear3's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I'm a big fan of Tillie Walden since I read On a Sunbeam. I can't say enough good things about this book. There's a lot of emotional vulnerability and I loved the author's note at the end explaining that not everything was accurate, like the outfits they wore, the time/date of the competitions, etc. What was true, was the they they felt during their ice skating years and that was the important thing for the reader to experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
it's always weird giving a rating to someone's life story, and tillie walden's in spinning is no exception.
w/ the summary talking abt figure skating and coming out, i was quite excited to read this, and the end product is by no means bad, but simply different, more melancholic, toned down, and reflective than i thought.
the book offers an insider look into the world of competitive figure skating, w/ the dynamics, unspoken rules, tense and oft toxic environment that nevertheless contains a sense of camaraderie. it's also interesting to see how skating intersects w/ other aspects of walden's life and inner identity. the art, while simple, gets the story across and i like the use of orange in certain important scenes/panels, though w/ a story that contains a lot of physical movement such as this, it can look a lil stiff.
as mentioned in the author's note, this graphic novel examines how walden's life outside of skating affects her sport. my issue - and thus rating - is perhaps said happenings are not too interesting, as the author's life is one of monotony and routine, thus rendering the narrative dull at times, w/ the same things looping repeatedly. this is compounded by the fact that, as the author mentions herself, it's not character-driven but rather compelled by outside forces outside of her control. in short: she doesnt make things happen; things happen to her. and there's no right or wrong way to go abt this, but it happens to not rly benefit the story all the same.
regardless, i recommend this to anyone looking for a slow-paced, reflective coming-of-age read thats centered on sports.
w/ the summary talking abt figure skating and coming out, i was quite excited to read this, and the end product is by no means bad, but simply different, more melancholic, toned down, and reflective than i thought.
the book offers an insider look into the world of competitive figure skating, w/ the dynamics, unspoken rules, tense and oft toxic environment that nevertheless contains a sense of camaraderie. it's also interesting to see how skating intersects w/ other aspects of walden's life and inner identity. the art, while simple, gets the story across and i like the use of orange in certain important scenes/panels, though w/ a story that contains a lot of physical movement such as this, it can look a lil stiff.
as mentioned in the author's note, this graphic novel examines how walden's life outside of skating affects her sport. my issue - and thus rating - is perhaps said happenings are not too interesting, as the author's life is one of monotony and routine, thus rendering the narrative dull at times, w/ the same things looping repeatedly. this is compounded by the fact that, as the author mentions herself, it's not character-driven but rather compelled by outside forces outside of her control. in short: she doesnt make things happen; things happen to her. and there's no right or wrong way to go abt this, but it happens to not rly benefit the story all the same.
regardless, i recommend this to anyone looking for a slow-paced, reflective coming-of-age read thats centered on sports.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Bullying
Moderate: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse
mykes's review
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Car accident, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence
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