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literallykaren 's review for:
Boxers
by Gene Luen Yang
*Review for both "Boxers" and companion book "Saints."
This is a hard one to review. I had a thousand and one thoughts while I was reading it, and I'd love to talk to someone about this book. but I don't know how to organize those thoughts into a cohesive overview of this duo. It made me want to learn more about the Boxer Rebellion, but I don't think that's a requirement to read and enjoy this book.
I keep trying graphic novels because the first one I read (American Born Chinese) was AMAZING, but I keep feeling let down by all the others I've tried. I can't decide if the first graphic novel was a fluke, or if I'm just really bad at picking good ones to read. This duo is by the same author as "American Born Chinese" so I figured I'd give it a go and see if I it would help me decide if it's the genre that's the problem.
Much like "American Born Chinese," this duo is heavily driven by character, which is kind of strange for a story I expected to learn a lot of historical information from. I thought it would be more plot heavy. This isn't a downside, but it made for a constant readjustment on my part as I read the book and tried to figure out what I was getting from it. That's sort of the thing about this author's book... they make you feel like there's so much more there than just what is on the surface, but I couldn't really understand what was underneath the surface of this duo.
I also expected that since each book told one perspective of the Boxer Rebellion, it would be a really interesting look into the convictions of either side of a conflict. I thought it would be interesting to see what drives each side of such a conflict to fight to the death for their beliefs... but because it was so dependent on these imperfect characters, it was more about them slowly coming to find conviction... they didn't begin with strong beliefs, but rather grew into them as the conflict wore on (particularly the character in "Saints.") It didn't seem like they were driven by conviction... or at least the accidental Christian wasn't.
I enjoyed, as always with Gene Luen Yang, the mythic aspects in both stories, and I'm now resolved to learn more about Joan of Arc. I love the subtle way Gene Luen Yang slowly intertwines the different aspects of his stories, but while "American Born Chinese" does this seamlessly and magically, "Boxers" and "Saints" left me feeling vaguely confused and dissatisfied.
It is almost certain I will read more books by Gene Luen Yang... but I still haven't cracked the Graphic Novel genre, and now I suspect I never will.
This is a hard one to review. I had a thousand and one thoughts while I was reading it, and I'd love to talk to someone about this book. but I don't know how to organize those thoughts into a cohesive overview of this duo. It made me want to learn more about the Boxer Rebellion, but I don't think that's a requirement to read and enjoy this book.
I keep trying graphic novels because the first one I read (American Born Chinese) was AMAZING, but I keep feeling let down by all the others I've tried. I can't decide if the first graphic novel was a fluke, or if I'm just really bad at picking good ones to read. This duo is by the same author as "American Born Chinese" so I figured I'd give it a go and see if I it would help me decide if it's the genre that's the problem.
Much like "American Born Chinese," this duo is heavily driven by character, which is kind of strange for a story I expected to learn a lot of historical information from. I thought it would be more plot heavy. This isn't a downside, but it made for a constant readjustment on my part as I read the book and tried to figure out what I was getting from it. That's sort of the thing about this author's book... they make you feel like there's so much more there than just what is on the surface, but I couldn't really understand what was underneath the surface of this duo.
I also expected that since each book told one perspective of the Boxer Rebellion, it would be a really interesting look into the convictions of either side of a conflict. I thought it would be interesting to see what drives each side of such a conflict to fight to the death for their beliefs... but because it was so dependent on these imperfect characters, it was more about them slowly coming to find conviction... they didn't begin with strong beliefs, but rather grew into them as the conflict wore on (particularly the character in "Saints.") It didn't seem like they were driven by conviction... or at least the accidental Christian wasn't.
I enjoyed, as always with Gene Luen Yang, the mythic aspects in both stories, and I'm now resolved to learn more about Joan of Arc. I love the subtle way Gene Luen Yang slowly intertwines the different aspects of his stories, but while "American Born Chinese" does this seamlessly and magically, "Boxers" and "Saints" left me feeling vaguely confused and dissatisfied.
It is almost certain I will read more books by Gene Luen Yang... but I still haven't cracked the Graphic Novel genre, and now I suspect I never will.