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punt11's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
philipf's review
4.0
Largely autobiographical (I assume) story of growing up in Brooklyn in the late 60s-early 70s. The story rambles, with many digressions, but that's part of the point: life isn't a neat and tidy story. The story does lean pretty heavily on the mystical/philosophical musings that sometimes turns me off of DeMatteis's work, but because it is a very personal story, it works for me here.
cjordahl's review
3.0
Went totally off the rails in chapter 4. To quote the narrator: "Yeah, I know. Some of you think this is just new age garbage. Shirley MacLaine horseshit." Why, yes I do!
OK. So the story is well crafted, and the narrator's voice held my attention. The characters are interesting enough, even if they are nothing new. I did enjoy the narrative journey of the first three chapters. Adolescent angst, messed up family, and all that. BUT! In the end DeMatteis completely dodged the big question he'd been teasing -- what is the deep-dark that's got this kid so twisted up? Instead we get a bait-and-switch attempt to sell us on a sudden transcendent awakening whose only explanation, in his eyes, is divine. It's DEEP! It's MEANINGFUL! It's flaccid.
A couple of other things...
I didn't like the lettering style. Bob Lappan draws his cross-bars (in As, Es, Fs, Hs, etc.) super high and in sentences with a lot of these letters it's distracting and a bit difficult to read.
And Glenn Barr's art... I liked it, mostly, but was also frustrated by it. He intentionally switches around his style a lot -- cartoony, realistic, sketchy line art, and with a few different rendering flourishes over all of them. He's a good artist, and I appreciated most of the pages, but (maybe I missed something here) I could not discern a meaning or method for the different styles. Their application felt random.
And yet! I did really enjoy about 3/4 of the book. It's too bad, very disappointing actually, that it flamed out so badly in the end.
OK. So the story is well crafted, and the narrator's voice held my attention. The characters are interesting enough, even if they are nothing new. I did enjoy the narrative journey of the first three chapters. Adolescent angst, messed up family, and all that. BUT! In the end DeMatteis completely dodged the big question he'd been teasing -- what is the deep-dark that's got this kid so twisted up? Instead we get a bait-and-switch attempt to sell us on a sudden transcendent awakening whose only explanation, in his eyes, is divine. It's DEEP! It's MEANINGFUL! It's flaccid.
A couple of other things...
I didn't like the lettering style. Bob Lappan draws his cross-bars (in As, Es, Fs, Hs, etc.) super high and in sentences with a lot of these letters it's distracting and a bit difficult to read.
And Glenn Barr's art... I liked it, mostly, but was also frustrated by it. He intentionally switches around his style a lot -- cartoony, realistic, sketchy line art, and with a few different rendering flourishes over all of them. He's a good artist, and I appreciated most of the pages, but (maybe I missed something here) I could not discern a meaning or method for the different styles. Their application felt random.
And yet! I did really enjoy about 3/4 of the book. It's too bad, very disappointing actually, that it flamed out so badly in the end.
rikiki's review
3.0
5.5/10
I received this graphic novel as a present many Christmases ago. I remember reading it back then but realized only recently that I never finished it.
So I gave the whole thing a re-read.
I don't read a lot of graphic novels, so I'm not sure how my opinion counts, but this novel left me feeling a little confused.
I also found it hard to really get into it (but I put that down to my unfamiliarity with the format).
I really loved the art style though.
And the book made me think, which is one of the best things a book can do.
So yeah.. that’s all I have to say.
Peace!
I received this graphic novel as a present many Christmases ago. I remember reading it back then but realized only recently that I never finished it.
So I gave the whole thing a re-read.
I don't read a lot of graphic novels, so I'm not sure how my opinion counts, but this novel left me feeling a little confused.
I also found it hard to really get into it (but I put that down to my unfamiliarity with the format).
I really loved the art style though.
And the book made me think, which is one of the best things a book can do.
So yeah.. that’s all I have to say.
Peace!
mercourier's review
2.0
Meandering story, so many diversions and transgressions also a super whiny protagonist who dosen't ever seem to get to a real story.
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