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jenniferforjoy 's review for:
My Heart in Braille
by Joris Chamblain, Anne-Lise Nalin
emotional
hopeful
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh my goodness y'all. If you're ready for it, this is a wonderful story to go through. Don't get me wrong, so much of it hurts, sharply, and makes me want to cry for these kids. But so much of it is full of love and hope and joy, too.
You can probably guess from the basic premise of Marie losing her sight that this is not going to be an easy story to read, but there's a lot more to it than that. These kids are all dealing with such difficult situations. Things that an adult would struggle with that they have to try to figure out alongside all the usual growing pains of adolescence. Just a few other examples: absent or divorced parents, feelings of not being good enough or being a disappointment, isolation and loneliness, and so much more. It honestly really hurts a lot to read this story, frequently.
But at the same time, there is SO much love and joy in it. The two main characters share a deep love of music that guides them both in different ways and provides them solace in difficult times. There's a lot of love between friends, and seeing their interactions and support of each other -- even after or during an argument or disagreement -- is truly heartwarming. The love between the parents and children is an important component in the story, and reading it as an adult really tugged at my heart when I could see both perspectives and how each was feeling in a significant moment. And of course, there's young romantic love between our two leads that buds as they grow closer. Amazing what sharing a secret can do, eh?
The art style does an incredible job of supporting all of these big emotions that are crucial to the overall story. The art has soft coloring and style, but still has a ton of detail in it. I never had issues seeing what was going on even in complex situations. Small things that show character traits without words are great, like someone's shoelaces being untied regularly. It plays with the styling a bit too, using that to reflect emotions like when one of the characters is spiraling into heavy and painful thoughts (or alternatively, when they're feeling like they're so happy they could walk on air!).
And also just to note, this has some really funny moments in it too that the art once again supports perfectly. While this covers some really heavy topics and emotions, it also shows the balance in life that there can still be joy and laughter even when things feel overwhelming.
Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a free copy. This is my honest review.
You can probably guess from the basic premise of Marie losing her sight that this is not going to be an easy story to read, but there's a lot more to it than that. These kids are all dealing with such difficult situations. Things that an adult would struggle with that they have to try to figure out alongside all the usual growing pains of adolescence. Just a few other examples: absent or divorced parents, feelings of not being good enough or being a disappointment, isolation and loneliness, and so much more. It honestly really hurts a lot to read this story, frequently.
But at the same time, there is SO much love and joy in it. The two main characters share a deep love of music that guides them both in different ways and provides them solace in difficult times. There's a lot of love between friends, and seeing their interactions and support of each other -- even after or during an argument or disagreement -- is truly heartwarming. The love between the parents and children is an important component in the story, and reading it as an adult really tugged at my heart when I could see both perspectives and how each was feeling in a significant moment. And of course, there's young romantic love between our two leads that buds as they grow closer. Amazing what sharing a secret can do, eh?
The art style does an incredible job of supporting all of these big emotions that are crucial to the overall story. The art has soft coloring and style, but still has a ton of detail in it. I never had issues seeing what was going on even in complex situations. Small things that show character traits without words are great, like someone's shoelaces being untied regularly. It plays with the styling a bit too, using that to reflect emotions like when one of the characters is spiraling into heavy and painful thoughts (or alternatively, when they're feeling like they're so happy they could walk on air!).
And also just to note, this has some really funny moments in it too that the art once again supports perfectly. While this covers some really heavy topics and emotions, it also shows the balance in life that there can still be joy and laughter even when things feel overwhelming.
Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a free copy. This is my honest review.