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A review by jenbsbooks
Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds, Danica Novgorodoff
5.0
I'm not a graphic novel girl ... I read one by accident ([book:They Called Us Enemy|42527866] - borrowed it from KindleUnlimited not realizing the format but went ahead and read it), and then saw To Kill A Mockingbird in graphic novel. That one really brought the book to life, made me look at different parts than when I'd read it on my own. Here ... I listened to Long Way Down in audio format (read by the author, to get all the pacing and emphasis as intended) and after hearing an interview (included in the audio) felt like I had to see the book in print format too. I actually ordered a copy for my home library. While going online to order that and doing my review on that version, I saw this book was available in graphic format.
It was available from the library to borrow - sometimes it's a little hard to find the graphic novel adaptations. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend $12 sight unseen ... although with graphic novels I think I do prefer a physical copy to a digital version. Having borrowed this (digitally), I might still order the physical copy.
On my first read through - I think I liked the graphic novel the best. The artwork is magical. For such a difficult topic, it's beautiful. I love the watercolor look. It just brought the story to life so much with the illustrations. But of course, being an adaptation ... it has to leave some things out. Going through the book, and the graphic novel page by page, there are some things that I then felt I was missing in the graphic novel, although it's probably not something I would notice if I wasn't comparing them side by side. Still, how the graphic novel illustrations slip somethings in (the anagrams sketched onto Will's bedroom wall, so they are there, even though they don't get a dedicated page like in the book).
... so after the comparison, I'm not sure which format I like best. Not that it even has to be a competition. It's nice to have different options for people who want to experience the story in different ways, if one appeals to them in particular.
I hope my boys take my recommendation and listen to the audio. And then look through the book. And I think I'll need to buy this version to have on hand too. Might have to recommend it for book club. It would be so interesting to have a discussion, show the different formats, dissect each "poem" and page.
It was available from the library to borrow - sometimes it's a little hard to find the graphic novel adaptations. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend $12 sight unseen ... although with graphic novels I think I do prefer a physical copy to a digital version. Having borrowed this (digitally), I might still order the physical copy.
On my first read through - I think I liked the graphic novel the best. The artwork is magical. For such a difficult topic, it's beautiful. I love the watercolor look. It just brought the story to life so much with the illustrations. But of course, being an adaptation ... it has to leave some things out. Going through the book, and the graphic novel page by page, there are some things that I then felt I was missing in the graphic novel, although it's probably not something I would notice if I wasn't comparing them side by side. Still, how the graphic novel illustrations slip somethings in (the anagrams sketched onto Will's bedroom wall, so they are there, even though they don't get a dedicated page like in the book).
... so after the comparison, I'm not sure which format I like best. Not that it even has to be a competition. It's nice to have different options for people who want to experience the story in different ways, if one appeals to them in particular.
I hope my boys take my recommendation and listen to the audio. And then look through the book. And I think I'll need to buy this version to have on hand too. Might have to recommend it for book club. It would be so interesting to have a discussion, show the different formats, dissect each "poem" and page.