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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
There's a reason that this is a classic graphic novel.
*3.5 ⭐️
There’s not really too much I can say in this review that I didn’t say in. My review for volume 1, but I’ll try.
• Again that art style is simple and conveys the story really well.
• I learned some more whilst reading this one, things I never would’ve learned otherwise.
• I think this one touched more on identity than the last volume. We see Marji as she moves to Austria and how she tries to fit in. She’s never ashamed of her culture, but she struggles with how much to talk about as she just wants to fit in.
• I don’t think I really talked about it in my last review but I highly enjoyed Marjane’s voice. She definitely doesn’t paint herself in a positive light and knows that she’s messed up, but she’s an incredibly passionate person that fights for what she believes in.
If you haven’t already I’d highly recommend picking these graphic novels up. Memoirs and biographies are not my favourite so the graphic format makes it much more digestible.
There’s not really too much I can say in this review that I didn’t say in. My review for volume 1, but I’ll try.
• Again that art style is simple and conveys the story really well.
• I learned some more whilst reading this one, things I never would’ve learned otherwise.
• I think this one touched more on identity than the last volume. We see Marji as she moves to Austria and how she tries to fit in. She’s never ashamed of her culture, but she struggles with how much to talk about as she just wants to fit in.
• I don’t think I really talked about it in my last review but I highly enjoyed Marjane’s voice. She definitely doesn’t paint herself in a positive light and knows that she’s messed up, but she’s an incredibly passionate person that fights for what she believes in.
If you haven’t already I’d highly recommend picking these graphic novels up. Memoirs and biographies are not my favourite so the graphic format makes it much more digestible.
This was a bit of a departure from the first half of Persepolis. Here we cover Satrapi's life from the time she arrived in Vienna, through her return to Iran, and finally ending when she leaves again. While the first Persepolis covered her times living through the war, this was more about her growing up as an awkward teenager and learning to become a woman. Interesting, but less so than the unique war perspective.
It's certainly interesting how, in spite of how progressive Satrapi and her parents were, she manages to be shocked by how much people were flouting their sexuality around her. And when she returns to Iran, even though she was quite reserved compared to her European friends, she manages to be wildly more progressive about sex than anyone she meets in her new studies.
The bits about the quiet ways that people resisted the regime were neat to read about. An inch of scarf length, a peek of a hairline, a shawl that doesn't quite obscure every part of your body. Still playing within the insane rules of the fundamentalist regime, but trying to push the limits of what the authorities would bother to comment on.
A lot of this revolved around women's rights in Iran. And honestly, as much as I feel it's an important subject, it's just not that interesting to me. Satrapi often feels like the most progressive woman in the country, pushing buttons and convincing others to push them too, but she's mostly doing normal stuff from a western perspective. Having sex with your fiance, wearing makeup, and getting a divorce are huge deals with Iran's fundamentalist culture, but aren't really interesting from a western perspective. At the very least, this dichotomy between the severity and mundanity of the situation does drive the point home.
It's certainly nice to get the rest of Satrapi's story, and it ends with a weird amount of finality considering it ends less than halfway through her still-ongoing life, but I found this volume lacks a lot of the charm and impact of the first half of the story.
It's certainly interesting how, in spite of how progressive Satrapi and her parents were, she manages to be shocked by how much people were flouting their sexuality around her. And when she returns to Iran, even though she was quite reserved compared to her European friends, she manages to be wildly more progressive about sex than anyone she meets in her new studies.
The bits about the quiet ways that people resisted the regime were neat to read about. An inch of scarf length, a peek of a hairline, a shawl that doesn't quite obscure every part of your body. Still playing within the insane rules of the fundamentalist regime, but trying to push the limits of what the authorities would bother to comment on.
A lot of this revolved around women's rights in Iran. And honestly, as much as I feel it's an important subject, it's just not that interesting to me. Satrapi often feels like the most progressive woman in the country, pushing buttons and convincing others to push them too, but she's mostly doing normal stuff from a western perspective. Having sex with your fiance, wearing makeup, and getting a divorce are huge deals with Iran's fundamentalist culture, but aren't really interesting from a western perspective. At the very least, this dichotomy between the severity and mundanity of the situation does drive the point home.
It's certainly nice to get the rest of Satrapi's story, and it ends with a weird amount of finality considering it ends less than halfway through her still-ongoing life, but I found this volume lacks a lot of the charm and impact of the first half of the story.
I don’t have much to add to my review of the first book. I pretty much felt the same way this time round as well. I’m glad I finally got around to reading such well loved books, but unfortunately I didn’t end up really liking them.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
emotional
sad
slow-paced
I thought that this was an interesting look at the complications of leaving your home and coming back to it, but I didn't feel as invested in this one as I did in the first volume. It just hung less well together, I think, which isn't necessarily the book's fault because it has to look at two pretty distinct times in Satrapi's life.
This felt different to me than book 1. This was more of a coming-of-age book. She’s exploring very common identity and belonging themes that you’d find in a lot of YA books, which makes sense given the time of her life she’s depicting. I think this offers an honest look at immigrant life, mental illness, and trying to find your place in the world.
I didn't love the first Persepolis and I wasn't sure if it was the graphic novel (I'm still learning how to read them) or the child's perspective that left me wanting a deeper read.
I'm still not sure which it was but I liked Persepolis 2 better. I'm more familiar with graphic novels now and I can relate more to a teenager/early 20-something.
Her journey of self-discovery as an Iranian abroad and then as a nearly-Westerner in Iran was really interesting. It's similar to what I've read about first-generation Americans born to immigrants. Not being (fill in the blank) enough for either group.
I'm still not sure which it was but I liked Persepolis 2 better. I'm more familiar with graphic novels now and I can relate more to a teenager/early 20-something.
Her journey of self-discovery as an Iranian abroad and then as a nearly-Westerner in Iran was really interesting. It's similar to what I've read about first-generation Americans born to immigrants. Not being (fill in the blank) enough for either group.
Initially, I found the book disappointing after the first Persepolis. However, once Satrapi leaves Europe, the book dramatically improves.
This two part story is amazing. I preferred the first part, but both parts are great. It's a great opportunity to learn about Iran, fanatical religions and political parties both in general and specifically. But some of what I love the most is how Satrapi looks at both Iran and Austria's culture (or a more general Western one) through the eyes of a feminist.