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ladyfives 's review for:
Speak: The Graphic Novel
by Laurie Halse Anderson
I read Speak about a kajillion times in my teens, and I’m thinking that reading the graphic novel will become a tradition as an adult. The graphic novel is such a loyal adaptation of the novel itself, both in content and tone (and I realized how much I read the novel because of how many lines I have memorized…). What it’s missing in words is made up for with the art, carrying on this sort of listless & sad narration that still, often, loves and cherishes the little details of Melinda’s life.
When I was younger, Speak was a glimpse into a scary event and a scarier world. As an adult, I get something slightly different from it each time, either that I admire about how the book is written, or that I relate to in the themes.
How Melinda thinks is so honest and not pandering, and that comes through mainly by how she feels about the adults. I think I’m just used to teen books where the teachers are either 100% villains or 100% laughingstocks. She’s bored and critical of the teachers, but also sympathetic to their troubles and how the classes are weighing on them (and her part in that). Mr. Freeman is annoying and makes his problems the kids’ problems—he’s even too tough on them sometimes—but he’s understanding and treats them like adults. Hairwoman is a bizarre enigma, but she makes good projects and has a mysterious personal life that Melinda wonders about. Even when Melinda hates her parents, she still feels guilty that she can’t make herself say “thank you” to them when she should.
Emily Carroll’s art was a perfect match. Everything’s soft and simple, and she knows how to make layouts powerful while still extremely simple. For me, this takes all the best parts of Speak and enhances them. It’s a HUGE graphic novel, and doesn’t waste a single page.
When I was younger, Speak was a glimpse into a scary event and a scarier world. As an adult, I get something slightly different from it each time, either that I admire about how the book is written, or that I relate to in the themes.
Spoiler
Mainly, when the two rabbits in Melinda’s mind—the scared, anxious one, and the one that wants her to be happy and make friends—are arguing, and the one who wants her to be happy just tells Melinda, “I hate you.” That always hits me like a train.How Melinda thinks is so honest and not pandering, and that comes through mainly by how she feels about the adults. I think I’m just used to teen books where the teachers are either 100% villains or 100% laughingstocks. She’s bored and critical of the teachers, but also sympathetic to their troubles and how the classes are weighing on them (and her part in that). Mr. Freeman is annoying and makes his problems the kids’ problems—he’s even too tough on them sometimes—but he’s understanding and treats them like adults. Hairwoman is a bizarre enigma, but she makes good projects and has a mysterious personal life that Melinda wonders about. Even when Melinda hates her parents, she still feels guilty that she can’t make herself say “thank you” to them when she should.
Emily Carroll’s art was a perfect match. Everything’s soft and simple, and she knows how to make layouts powerful while still extremely simple. For me, this takes all the best parts of Speak and enhances them. It’s a HUGE graphic novel, and doesn’t waste a single page.