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britt_gorey94 's review for:
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return
by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis 2 rounds out the Persepolis series in an unexpected way.
The story picks up, more or less, where Persepolis 1 left off. Marjane, or Marji, is in Vienna after her parents sent her there to finish her education. Marji finds herself struggling to make meaningful connections in Vienna, partly due to the initial culture shock, the language barrier as well as the predisposition of some of her classmates to 'foreigners'.
As Marji attempts to carve a life out for herself in Vienna it becomes increasingly and appallingly clear that the culture gap is too wide and the loneliness too deep to overcome.
Hence, the title of this book: the return.
What strikes me about Satrapi's writing is how gobsmackingly beautiful and sad it can be at the same time. I wanted to race through this book but simultaneously, the deep set tragedy of the Islamic Revolution sets a sad back drop to even the best moments of Satrapi's young life.
I also loved Marji as a character who I felt smashed so many stereotypes of what a woman can be. I think there is an idea that people are good at one thing and one thing only, either being creative or being brainy. Marji constantly blurred those lines, showing nuanced and deep reading of sociological studies and simultaneously, continuing her studies in creative arts as an artist. It feels like a rare gem to have a book about a woman but also to have her nuanced even small ways like this. Even in some biographical and autobiographical writing this doesn't come across clearly but here it does.
I strongly recommend the Persepolis series to anyone who wants to learn more about Iran or someone who wants a strong female lead.
****
This Book is similar to:
- Persepolis 1: The Story Of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi (Probably obvious)
- Maus The complete Collection, by Art Speigelman
The story picks up, more or less, where Persepolis 1 left off. Marjane, or Marji, is in Vienna after her parents sent her there to finish her education. Marji finds herself struggling to make meaningful connections in Vienna, partly due to the initial culture shock, the language barrier as well as the predisposition of some of her classmates to 'foreigners'.
As Marji attempts to carve a life out for herself in Vienna it becomes increasingly and appallingly clear that the culture gap is too wide and the loneliness too deep to overcome.
Hence, the title of this book: the return.
What strikes me about Satrapi's writing is how gobsmackingly beautiful and sad it can be at the same time. I wanted to race through this book but simultaneously, the deep set tragedy of the Islamic Revolution sets a sad back drop to even the best moments of Satrapi's young life.
I also loved Marji as a character who I felt smashed so many stereotypes of what a woman can be. I think there is an idea that people are good at one thing and one thing only, either being creative or being brainy. Marji constantly blurred those lines, showing nuanced and deep reading of sociological studies and simultaneously, continuing her studies in creative arts as an artist. It feels like a rare gem to have a book about a woman but also to have her nuanced even small ways like this. Even in some biographical and autobiographical writing this doesn't come across clearly but here it does.
I strongly recommend the Persepolis series to anyone who wants to learn more about Iran or someone who wants a strong female lead.
****
This Book is similar to:
- Persepolis 1: The Story Of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi (Probably obvious)
- Maus The complete Collection, by Art Speigelman