Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Read it all in one night was so captivating! Sad but beautiful
I had no idea what to expect from this book. I don't normally read graphic novels, but as a librarian who often shares opinions of books we have both read, I thought I would give Habibi a try.
I found it difficult to follow. I thought if I had some more knowledge of the Islamic myths I might have gained more. Craig Thompson (seems) to tie together the myths of the three major monotheistic religions with a string of the lives of two characters Dodola, a child of nine forced to marry, and Zam a boy of three whom she rescues and raises. In the end, we find they take care of each other despite being constantly torn apart by events.
The book talks about the good and evil of religion, the good and evil of humankind, the catastrophe looming because of refuse, the hoarding and over use of water.
I don't think I am smart enough to fully appreciate the book. Perhaps one day I can share a coffee with the librarian who recommended it and find out why she liked it so much.
Try it. It's a challenge. It's a quick read despite its 650 plus pages.
I found it difficult to follow. I thought if I had some more knowledge of the Islamic myths I might have gained more. Craig Thompson (seems) to tie together the myths of the three major monotheistic religions with a string of the lives of two characters Dodola, a child of nine forced to marry, and Zam a boy of three whom she rescues and raises. In the end, we find they take care of each other despite being constantly torn apart by events.
The book talks about the good and evil of religion, the good and evil of humankind, the catastrophe looming because of refuse, the hoarding and over use of water.
I don't think I am smart enough to fully appreciate the book. Perhaps one day I can share a coffee with the librarian who recommended it and find out why she liked it so much.
Try it. It's a challenge. It's a quick read despite its 650 plus pages.
«Io voglio essere parte della tua storia.»
«Habibi. Tu sei più di una storia.»
«Habibi. Tu sei più di una storia.»
This is a hard one to rate. The art in here is just gorgeous, and the underlying themes of love and freedom are beautiful...but it's all wrapped up in a story that is mostly about non-consensual sex and stereotyping the Middle East.
I had a really mixed reaction to this, but overall all the super rapey and graphic scenes left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The final scene was touching and true to how this started out, but it felt like entirely too much of the story got bogged down in the details of the abuse both protagonists receive (and, man, talk about Nipple City).
I had a really mixed reaction to this, but overall all the super rapey and graphic scenes left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The final scene was touching and true to how this started out, but it felt like entirely too much of the story got bogged down in the details of the abuse both protagonists receive (and, man, talk about Nipple City).
Well, I suppose there were some good aspects to this long long long graphic novel but it was ten steps too far into scuzzyville for me.
This is a beautiful book (though also, at points, incredibly disturbing) and the illustrations are really wonderful. Kate wrote the best review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/283251699
Craig Thompson is one of my new favorite graphic novelists. His first work, Blankets, remains my personal favorite, just because of the self-identification with his religious struggle. But Habibi is a more than worthy companion, and might even artistically exceed the precedent set in Blankets.
Habibi follows Dodola and Zam from childhood on, as they struggle through homelessness, slavery, and separation. It's not an easy book by any means. It's mature in content. It has frank art and even franker plotlines. It's full of dark, twisted characters and dark, twisted situations. But even in the darkest of times, Thompson adds some bright (if small) points of hope. These are intermixed with lovely segues depicting the divergence of Islam and Christianity through the story of Abraham and explaining Arabic languages, accompanied with dreamy swirls of illustration. At their best moments, Thompson's drawings fill the page, offering sensory overload with an abundance of embellishments and gorgeous figures.
All in all, Habibi is a difficult book but one that is well worth exploring if you have the stomach for it.
Habibi follows Dodola and Zam from childhood on, as they struggle through homelessness, slavery, and separation. It's not an easy book by any means. It's mature in content. It has frank art and even franker plotlines. It's full of dark, twisted characters and dark, twisted situations. But even in the darkest of times, Thompson adds some bright (if small) points of hope. These are intermixed with lovely segues depicting the divergence of Islam and Christianity through the story of Abraham and explaining Arabic languages, accompanied with dreamy swirls of illustration. At their best moments, Thompson's drawings fill the page, offering sensory overload with an abundance of embellishments and gorgeous figures.
All in all, Habibi is a difficult book but one that is well worth exploring if you have the stomach for it.
Well drawn but lots of problems. The weaving together of past, present, and myth is pretty clunky--it isn't clear Thompson really knows what he wants the book to do. And the comments others have made about the Western Orientalizing fantasia are unfortunately pretty accurate.