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readmymind's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
A beautiful and moving graphic novel. The way the author draws herself and other people in particular I loved
boggremlin's review
4.0
I have long loved Eleanor Davis' work, and this nonfiction diary of her solo bike journey from Arizona to Georgia is wonderful. I knew it was the sort of book I needed to read right now when I turned to the page where she gave explanations for why she was taking the trip: the last reason, the one she did didn't say to people, felt painfully relatable ("I was having trouble with wanting to not be alive. But I feel good when I'm bicycling").
Mostly done in pencil with a few ink drawings, Davis' drawings are more gesture than they are faithful representation. But they feel expressive and affirming and quirky; I love the way she uses perspective and scale, and how she illustrates the twists and tribulations of her own body. It's an intimate record of her trip, and I loved the little moments of grace and despair she felt along the way.
Mostly done in pencil with a few ink drawings, Davis' drawings are more gesture than they are faithful representation. But they feel expressive and affirming and quirky; I love the way she uses perspective and scale, and how she illustrates the twists and tribulations of her own body. It's an intimate record of her trip, and I loved the little moments of grace and despair she felt along the way.
rbreade's review
The cover is lovely, especially the contrast between the black silhouettes of trees and the sunny reds, yellows, and oranges along a meandering back road. The art inside is black and white and more basic than I usually like, but the memoir of Davis's long ride is interesting, especially the motif of militarized border control as she makes her way through Arizona and Texas.
saidtheraina's review
4.0
This book stands out.
I always feel guilty that I often don't review books immediately after I've read them. Unless I diligently take notes, I don't always remember nuance or brief moments I appreciated or not.
But sometimes, I come to a day when I need to review a stack of books, and there's one that looms over the rest. A book I Remember.
And for the last few months, this is my standout graphic novel.
Not everyone will respond to this book the same way I did. I have an established, long-term interest in traveling stories (Graphic Novel Travelogues is my GR shelf for keeping a record of the many books along these lines I've read, with a thought towards some thesis I'll probably never actually write). The art is Davis at their least polished - generally, each day's art was created as the journey was happening. Don't go in expecting the lush colors of the cover or of many of Davis' other works - we're talking a drawing implement and a page.
We follow Davis on a journey they wanted to take because their window for this adventure was about to close, due to other goals happening in their life. They travel along the southern-most continental United States - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas... Parts of their journey come quite close to the US/Mexico border, so patrols check in on them a time or two. There are times when they doubt their commitment to completing the journey.
The whole thing makes me think about intentionality, life goals, midlife, decision making, the perception of adventure vs. reality, the eco-benefits of bike travel, the gritty realities of physical effort, and much more.
I admire Davis for undertaking this journey, and am incredibly grateful that they kept a record and let us see it.
I always feel guilty that I often don't review books immediately after I've read them. Unless I diligently take notes, I don't always remember nuance or brief moments I appreciated or not.
But sometimes, I come to a day when I need to review a stack of books, and there's one that looms over the rest. A book I Remember.
And for the last few months, this is my standout graphic novel.
Not everyone will respond to this book the same way I did. I have an established, long-term interest in traveling stories (Graphic Novel Travelogues is my GR shelf for keeping a record of the many books along these lines I've read, with a thought towards some thesis I'll probably never actually write). The art is Davis at their least polished - generally, each day's art was created as the journey was happening. Don't go in expecting the lush colors of the cover or of many of Davis' other works - we're talking a drawing implement and a page.
We follow Davis on a journey they wanted to take because their window for this adventure was about to close, due to other goals happening in their life. They travel along the southern-most continental United States - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas... Parts of their journey come quite close to the US/Mexico border, so patrols check in on them a time or two. There are times when they doubt their commitment to completing the journey.
The whole thing makes me think about intentionality, life goals, midlife, decision making, the perception of adventure vs. reality, the eco-benefits of bike travel, the gritty realities of physical effort, and much more.
I admire Davis for undertaking this journey, and am incredibly grateful that they kept a record and let us see it.
ellie_outdoors's review
5.0
This graphic novel that took about an hour and a half to read. Eleanor Davis' illustrations are often rudimentary, but I found out that many of her sketches were done after biking alone in the desert all day. I loved her observations about things like border patrol, local flora/fauna, and conversations with strangers. Entertaining read!
sophierenee's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book but at times I felt like it jumped around and I could not understand how it got there. — one day I am going to do a trip like this from the northern most point on MN to key west in FL