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Art imitating life. That's what happens in Lynn Johnston's perennially popular comic strip, For Better or For Worse. By reflecting on her own family and experiences, she created the Pattersons: Elly, John, Michael, Elizabeth, and April, along with grandparents, grandchildren, friends, and coworkers and the everyday situations they deal with. In Never Wink at a Worried Woman, life is progressing for each character. Elly and John tenuously think of retirement while still being preoccupied show more parents of a preteen. Michael and Deanna grow into their roles as new parents while Michael's career gets a new boost. Elizabeth takes more steps to adulthood, by beginning her student teaching and facing the fact that Anthony is marrying another. April is racing to turn 13, busy with her band and also helping out at Lilliput's, where she makes a painful discovery about a coworker. Add in Grampa Jim's quest to maintain his aging dignity and baby Meredith's burgeoning curiosity, and you get a full dose of life. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
The 2005 For Better or For Worse collection leaves much to be desired. Grandpa Jim is going downhill, healthwise, and Elly is getting played by an unscrupulous employee. The ongoing soap opera of Elizabeth's love life takes a creepy turn when her ex-paramour, Anthony, gets married to another woman despite the fact that he still longs for Liz. The rest of the family is up to the usual antics, but they just don't seem to be as fun as they used to be. The closest this collection comes is the storyline that takes John and Elly on vacation to Mexico. But even that seems a bit tired. I don't know if it's because Ms. Johnston is trying to get too dramatic with the strip, or if it's just that the funniest part of the older strips is the antics show more of the kids, who are now getting into more adult and less interesting shenanigans.
--J. show less
--J. show less
Another great collection of my favorite active comic strip. Anthony and Therese are getting married, and invite Elizabeth, who lands a date for the wedding, a gay friend of Lawrence's, Dennis, who nevertheless becomes good friends with Elizabeth. At the reception, Dennis and Elizabeth trip the light fantastic, but Elizabeth departs early, uncomfortable about Therese's jealousy of her. Mike, just as he is feeling at a professional low, is offered the editor's job at Portrait magazine. April begins working at her Mom's bookstore after work, and runs afoul of the lazy and larcenous employee Kortney. Elizabeth begins student teaching. Michael finally has words with his intrusive, controlling, judgemental mother-in-law. Elly's dad Jim feels show more some more effects of encroaching age. Elizabeth runs into her old favorite teacher, Sharon, at the mall, in a particularly moving reunion. Weed falls for one of his models. Jon and Elly vacation in Cancun, realizing again that the best reasons for vacations are the homecomings. show less
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Author Information

88+ Works 6,080 Members
Lynn Johnston, creator of the popular family cartoon strip For Better or For Worse, was born in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada, and grew up in British Columbia. She attended the Vancouver School of Art. She was the first woman to win the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year in 1985. In 1992, she received show more the NCS award for Best Syndicated Comic Strip. Lynn and her husband, Rod, live in Northern Ontario, Canada. Andie (Adrienne) Parton was born in Northern Quebec, Canada. She has lived in many cities across North America and knows plenty about leaving home. She was a life-skills coach for many foster teenagers and has well prepared them and her own three children for life on their own. Andie works as a lab technologist at McMaster Medical Center in Hamilton, Ontario show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Never Wink at a Worried Woman
- Original publication date
- 2005
Classifications
- Genres
- Graphic Novels & Comics, Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 741.5973 — Arts & recreation Drawing & decorative arts Drawing Comic books, graphic novels, fotonovelas, cartoons, caricatures, comic strips History, geographic treatment, biography North American United States (General)
- LCC
- PN6728 .F6 .J66 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Collections of general literature Comic books, strips, etc.
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 128
- Popularity
- 254,250
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.16)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 1
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 1























































