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A review by book_concierge
Bluffton: My Summers with Buster by Matt Phelan
4.0
Subtitle: My Summers With Buster Keaton
This graphic novel explores the early 20th century era of Vaudeville, and one particular summer resort that catered to many of the era’s Vaudeville stars – including the Keaton family and their talented son, Buster.
It’s 1908 and Henry Harrison, whose father owns the local hardware store, is excited to learn that a troupe of vaudevillians will be taking over a resort near Muskegon, Michigan. Young Henry makes his way there to see the elephant and zebra and tightrope walker! And he meets a couple of teens who join him for a summer of baseball games and swimming in the lake. One of these is Buster Keaton, and Henry begins to dream of following in his footsteps.
What a great way to introduce young readers to a by-gone era. Phelan’s illustrations are marvelously detailed. I love one set of panels that show the day slowly progressing through sunset over the lake and followed by a night sky illuminated by fireworks. And I like how he adroitly shows the passage of time with just a few panels moving from the end of summer through fall, winter and spring and then to the next summer’s adventures when the vaudevillians return.
While the characters of Harry, Sally and the other residents of Muskegon are fictional, there really was an Actor’s Colony at Bluffton on Muskegon Lake from 1908 to 1938. It was founded by Jim Keaton as a place where vaudevillians could gather and rest in their off-season.
This graphic novel explores the early 20th century era of Vaudeville, and one particular summer resort that catered to many of the era’s Vaudeville stars – including the Keaton family and their talented son, Buster.
It’s 1908 and Henry Harrison, whose father owns the local hardware store, is excited to learn that a troupe of vaudevillians will be taking over a resort near Muskegon, Michigan. Young Henry makes his way there to see the elephant and zebra and tightrope walker! And he meets a couple of teens who join him for a summer of baseball games and swimming in the lake. One of these is Buster Keaton, and Henry begins to dream of following in his footsteps.
What a great way to introduce young readers to a by-gone era. Phelan’s illustrations are marvelously detailed. I love one set of panels that show the day slowly progressing through sunset over the lake and followed by a night sky illuminated by fireworks. And I like how he adroitly shows the passage of time with just a few panels moving from the end of summer through fall, winter and spring and then to the next summer’s adventures when the vaudevillians return.
While the characters of Harry, Sally and the other residents of Muskegon are fictional, there really was an Actor’s Colony at Bluffton on Muskegon Lake from 1908 to 1938. It was founded by Jim Keaton as a place where vaudevillians could gather and rest in their off-season.