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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
Anne of West Philly: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Anne of Green Gables by Ivy Noelle Weir
1 review
emily_mh's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.75
I think my issue with this book is that the things I liked always had a "but" attached to them. For example...
I love the story of Anne no matter what format it comes in. It's such a gentle, wholesome coming-of-age tale. I thought the authors did a fab job of adapting it to a modern-day context, because nothing felt out of place or dated. BUT this graphic novel tried to cover too much of Anne's story. A graphic novel needs more space than prose to cover the same events, but also is limited in most cases to a few hundred pages, meaning trying to adapt a full prose book in detail just doesn't work. This is the case here. The narrative just ends up rushing through a cameo of events with no time to let them breathe and properly explore the themes and character development they bring.
Another example is that I liked how Anne was into coding. BUT this came at the expense of Anne being into writing. I think that writing is so core to Anne and how she expresses herself, so having this gone meant that she didn't totally feel like Anne. Which leads me to the fact that while the story encapsulates Anne's passion and brashness and boldness perfectly, it failed to capture her whimsy, which I blame partly on the lack of Anne being a writer.
One thing I did love about this book with no "buts" was that Anne was queer and interested in Diana, not Gilbert. I by no means hate Shirbert, but I really love Anne and Diana as a ship too!
I love the story of Anne no matter what format it comes in. It's such a gentle, wholesome coming-of-age tale. I thought the authors did a fab job of adapting it to a modern-day context, because nothing felt out of place or dated. BUT this graphic novel tried to cover too much of Anne's story. A graphic novel needs more space than prose to cover the same events, but also is limited in most cases to a few hundred pages, meaning trying to adapt a full prose book in detail just doesn't work. This is the case here. The narrative just ends up rushing through a cameo of events with no time to let them breathe and properly explore the themes and character development they bring.
Another example is that I liked how Anne was into coding. BUT this came at the expense of Anne being into writing. I think that writing is so core to Anne and how she expresses herself, so having this gone meant that she didn't totally feel like Anne. Which leads me to the fact that while the story encapsulates Anne's passion and brashness and boldness perfectly, it failed to capture her whimsy, which I blame partly on the lack of Anne being a writer.
One thing I did love about this book with no "buts" was that Anne was queer and interested in Diana, not Gilbert. I by no means hate Shirbert, but I really love Anne and Diana as a ship too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit
Minor: Misogyny, Ableism, Bullying, Sexism, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, and Death of parent
Major: foster child experience Moderate: adoption, sick parent Minor: internalised misogyny
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