Grace Ellis (1)

I didn't much like Patricia Highsmith's Carol (a/k/a The Price of Salt) when I read it in December of last year, but at least now I'm very glad I did read it so as to better appreciate this amazing fictionalized account of the book's creation.

In the late 1940s, Highsmith is begrudgingly writing comic book stories for Standard Comics, publisher of Black Terror, as she sends Strangers on a Train off to her agent to shop for publication. She dreams of day when she can ditch comics and just show more write real books, "good books." Due to self-loathing from the homophobia of the time, she also dreams of ditching the sexual attraction she has for women, seeking the help of psychoanalysts to make her heterosexual. Of course, psychoanalysis is expensive so she seeks extra work from Timely Comics -- leading to a bizarre but true special appearance by Stan Lee -- and as a clerk in the toy department at Bloomingdale's, which is going to trip some alerts for anyone familiar with Carol.

What drew me into the book was the characterization of Highsmith as an angry and bitter jackass who is self-destructive and hateful to those around her but simultaneously rightfully troubled and creative as hell. It reminds me of some of my favorite movies: Amadeus, The Doors, and most pertinently Professor Marsden and the Wonder Women. She blazes through life, leaving scorched earth behind her.

This may not be the way it actually happened, but it's so well told, it's how I hope it did happen. show less

Pat Highsmith is a writer of literary thrillers, but is unfortunately only paid to write comic books. She’s resentful of the (in her view) trash she has to write, of herself for not being heterosexual, of society that won’t allow her to be a lesbian, of the women she sleeps with who go back to their husbands, of Jewish people, of Black people. When her first real novel, Strangers on a Train, finally gets published, she thinks she’ll have the life she wants. But her second novel, Carol, show more which is loosely based on her own romantic experiences, does not have such an easy path.

The real Patricia Highsmith was not a pleasant person, and neither is this very lightly fictionalized one. She had a very hard life, both in childhood and as the struggling young adult here, and lashed out about it at anyone she could. But she wrote a book that resonated with women all over the world, even if she couldn’t publish it under her own name. I really appreciated the author’s thoughtful depiction of a complex person. I loved the illustrations, especially Pat’s mind wandering to thriller plots while she’s trying to do anything else. I’m glad I read Carol/The Price of Salt before this one, as there are many parallels. show less

Lumberjanes takes the stereotypical shenanigans that boys at summer camp might imagine getting into but its with a crew of totally badass girls. I didn't know what to expect coming into this but was absolutely delighted at what I found. Laced within the silliness and paranormal is very real lessons that every young girl should learn from the Up All Night badge (conquering the unknown) to the Pungeon Master badge (never take life too seriously). I can't wait to read more of these girls' show more adventures! show less

You may search near, you may search far, you may search high, you may search low, you may follow the first star on the right and go straight on till morning, but rare will you find a comic as packed to the rafters with sheer shenanigans as this. From the very first page and a night-time tussle with three-eyed foxes leading to a mysterious message about a holy kitten, Lumberjanes kicks off the shenanigans with all the joy and energy and impulsive insanity of a group of friends with not a show more moment of summer to waste on non-shenanigan-type activity. This comic charms, delights, thrills and warms the cockles of the hardest heart and melts the soul of the most frozen grouch. It's also a masterpiece of fast-paced story-telling that conveys character and setting and background with minimal effort and maximum effect, while pausing only for quiet moments and to take an occasional breath. Not a panel wasted, not an extraneous word-balloon, but every moment packed with everything you need need to know, and a fizzing, popping spray of sheer fun coming out of every page. This is the absolute best. show less