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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
A really thoughtful book about property, family, place...all of that good stuff. So yes, I'm a sucker for that.
I was surprised at how gentle the book is about Warsaw. It doesn't really touch the city itself - just a few people in it - but the book is a lot less pugnacious about Jews and Poland than it could have been. And I suppose, that's a huge part of the point of the book as a whole.
I don't want to ruin any of the plot twists or the like. It's a graphic novel, so it moves quickly and enjoyably. Even for the dark parts. So you have a story of family and what that family is "owed", and what they owe to each other. It's really beautiful, in that way.
I was surprised at how gentle the book is about Warsaw. It doesn't really touch the city itself - just a few people in it - but the book is a lot less pugnacious about Jews and Poland than it could have been. And I suppose, that's a huge part of the point of the book as a whole.
I don't want to ruin any of the plot twists or the like. It's a graphic novel, so it moves quickly and enjoyably. Even for the dark parts. So you have a story of family and what that family is "owed", and what they owe to each other. It's really beautiful, in that way.
A lovely story with a lot of heart and humor. I really enjoyed the art, too. The faces and body language were so expressive.
A lot has been said about Modan's linework, but linework isn't quite enough to describe the way in which Modan tells a story; indeed, to appreciate the depth of Modan's artistic ability, I think it's important to note that every page is something of a masterpiece of total composition, in which Modan carefully paces panels together for clear, careful expression.
One of the things that is most powerful about comics as a medium is its ability to involve readers in the recreation of events. With Modan, composition becomes an important component in this recreation; what works about her artwork is that there is a universality to characters' body language and expression, such that their panel-to-panel activity becomes wholly identifiable to the reader, and the reader can thus recreate ideas of movement and expression from what are otherwise static images. And what Modan teaches us through these moment-to-moment shots is a depth of human experience that feels authentic.
So, while the story of The Property might focus on the plot of a family trying to recover a piece of property in Warsaw, the conflict resides not on the economic motives of any of the characters but instead on the emotional turmoil they each encounter as they explore the ways in which history weighs on them. Modan gets away with making a comic expressive of emotion, and thus expressive of the very human turmoils each character feels, without relying on explicit textual narrative to explain those turmoils; the reader is capable of building that understanding for him/herself.
That's brilliance. This book, to say the least, is totally, utterly brilliant.
One of the things that is most powerful about comics as a medium is its ability to involve readers in the recreation of events. With Modan, composition becomes an important component in this recreation; what works about her artwork is that there is a universality to characters' body language and expression, such that their panel-to-panel activity becomes wholly identifiable to the reader, and the reader can thus recreate ideas of movement and expression from what are otherwise static images. And what Modan teaches us through these moment-to-moment shots is a depth of human experience that feels authentic.
So, while the story of The Property might focus on the plot of a family trying to recover a piece of property in Warsaw, the conflict resides not on the economic motives of any of the characters but instead on the emotional turmoil they each encounter as they explore the ways in which history weighs on them. Modan gets away with making a comic expressive of emotion, and thus expressive of the very human turmoils each character feels, without relying on explicit textual narrative to explain those turmoils; the reader is capable of building that understanding for him/herself.
That's brilliance. This book, to say the least, is totally, utterly brilliant.
Beautiful. The story bumped along a bit for me, but the art more than makes up for it.
Am I reading graphic novels to quickly finish my book quota for the year? Yes. Does it remind me that I love graphic novels? Yes!!
This did a good job of having a compelling mystery, which I haven't encountered in many graphic novels. Nicely structured, and emotionally compelling.
This did a good job of having a compelling mystery, which I haven't encountered in many graphic novels. Nicely structured, and emotionally compelling.
Funny and touching. Captivatingly and annoyingly but very real tangled human relationships across borders on many levels. Loved it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book! Only improvement would be queer rep. Fantastic art and colors. Delightful intriguing story. Deft translation.