Manu Larcenet

i really wasn't into this at the beginning but it very much improved as it went along. the art never really did it for me, but it's not bad, just not a style i appreciate. the story, though, touches on so much. it's very realistic, i think, in its depiction of anxiety/panic attacks, an artist's struggle, dealing with a dying parent, settling into a relationship, discordant views in politics.

i loved the relationship between the two brothers and seeing the strength of that bond, especially show more toward the end. i loved the discussions about someone's past and if that should affect your ability to be in relationship with them now, especially as compared with someone's behavior now - specifically voting for a fascist politician - and whether that should change your relationship. (this was published in 2004 in france, so this isn't about donald trump, although obviously there are strong parallels.) i usually want more words when i read graphic novels, and i'd have liked those conversations to be longer and more in depth, but actually he did a nice job with them, without saying much. overall, i'd say that he gets a lot across without saying too much, and none of the storylines are left unfulfilled. (it's super unusual for me to say that, and it makes me wonder if i should rate this higher, in fact.) i am not 100% sure i understood the last page of the book, and what he meant with the ending, which is too bad. Other than that, this is well done and really does tackle a lot.

(man the french smoke a lot.) show less

Un fumetto che affronta che cosa vuol dire stare al mondo prendendo di petto la vita e la morte, il perdono e l'arte, nonché il bisogno di impegnarsi a raccontare quel che serve, ciò che è importante. Lo stile del disegno è leggero è mobile, umorale nel modo in cui usa le atmosfere del giorno e della notte. Questa edizione raccoglie i 4 volumi da cui l'opera è composta.

This is considered a "grown-up" graphic novel in my library system, but I think YAs would love it. There's no rampant sex, and only the most light-hearted consumption of large amounts of marijuana, so why not put it in the teen collection?
This is about a young Frenchman named Marco, who used to be a renowned photographer of foreign wars and exotic locations but who is somewhat of a self-pitying slacker. He still loves photography, but wants to do it on his own terms - however, it takes him show more a while to find his vision. He does, eventually (by photographing the unique and weathered faces of the guys down at the shipyard where his dad used to work) and he finally commits to his patient but increasingly irritated girlfriend.
Marco's confusion, self-doubt, and moral certainty (which becomes more uncertain as time goes on) are all realistically and entertainingly portrayed.
And man, do I wish I lived in his nifty old French country farmhouse! show less

A masterful, somber adaptation of a tense and dark novel. The spare text and gloriously gloomy art really capture the spirit and tone of the source material.