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thewordsdevourer's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
a graphic novel unique for being mostly bereft of words, isla to island drives its simple but nevertheless emotional story thru art alone.
castellanos does a good job of using color to distinguish the worlds w/in the book: the vibrance of havana warm, alluring and colorful, while new york is initially a middling grey w/ few bright metaphorical and literal bright spots. however, the art can seem awkward at times, coming off as too stiff both in terms of characters' facial expressions and movements. i also feel like there isnt enough meat to the story, w/ some scenes being particularly repetitive, and the ending too abrupt.
still, this should be a good enough read for anyone looking for sth simple, short or historical.
castellanos does a good job of using color to distinguish the worlds w/in the book: the vibrance of havana warm, alluring and colorful, while new york is initially a middling grey w/ few bright metaphorical and literal bright spots. however, the art can seem awkward at times, coming off as too stiff both in terms of characters' facial expressions and movements. i also feel like there isnt enough meat to the story, w/ some scenes being particularly repetitive, and the ending too abrupt.
still, this should be a good enough read for anyone looking for sth simple, short or historical.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Violence
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
An absolutely gorgeous and well told graphic novel. I am a huge fan of comics without words. This book does a great job of using color and expression to portray how Marisol is feeling in her new, unfamiliar setting. I coincidentally read another book about children fleeing Cuba as Castro rose to power recently as well, and they contextualized each other really well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Bullying and Racism
Minor: Gun violence
Dictatorship, refugeeemily_mh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is one of the best books I have ever read, probably my favourite graphic novel of all time, and my second favourite book of 2022 so far. The use of parallelism to convey the story’s message is simply stunning. We begin in Havana where a rich, vibrant colour palette is used, where any signage or music is in Spanish. The weather is warm, the plant life thriving, and Marisol is surrounded by her books and culture. As Marisol travels by plane to NYC, the colour literally leeches out of the page. Suddenly, we are in a world of black and white. Everything is in English; it is cold and so the plants have all died; there are no books in Marisol’s foster home and no connection to her culture remains. Castellanos masterfully heightened the contrast between Marisol’s “before” and “after” which magnifies the sense of loss (of herself, of her family, of her culture) that the narrative conveys. (Even the TITLE embodies this; “Isla to Island” showing the loss of Spanish.)
Colour continues to be used in a beautiful way as Marisol begins finding bits of joy in her new life (through the rediscovery of plants, books, and her culture) and so corresponding bits of colour is added back into the illustrations.
The wordlessness of the graphic novel is done really well. I could understand everything perfectly. But also, this was a genius choice. It showed how art goes beyond language barriers in telling stories. It also proved the point that a graphic novel does not (and should not) need to be wordy in order to be effective. But most significantly, it meant that the only two lines of dialogue were given so much importance. When saying goodbye in Cuba, Marisol’s mother says “Tú eres Marisol.” In New York, Marisol loses all sense of herself. At the point where she has rediscovered herself, and all colour has been added back into the illustrations, Marisol says “I’m Marisol.” It’s the best parallel of all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Blood, and Bullying
Minor: Colonisation, Deportation, Racism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Violence, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Xenophobia
Major: forced separation from family Moderate: explosions, menstruationdaycia's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
nbreezy17's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? No
5.0
This graphic novel has very little text but the beautiful illustrations more than make up for it. This was so emotional and heartbreaking, but inspiring and heartwarming all at the same time. Highly recommend picking this up!
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
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