Blankets (original 2003; edition 2003)

by Craig Thompson (Author)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
5,227	245	2,076	(4.07)	271
Loosely based on the author's life, chronicling his journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring the people, experiences, and beliefs that he encountered along the way.

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Member:	AmaroqDeQuebrazas
Title:	Blankets
Authors:	Craig Thompson (Author)
Info:	Top Shelf Productions (2003), 592 pages
Collections:	Your library, Currently reading, Wishlist, To read, Read but unowned, Favorites
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Tags:	to-read, writing, psychology, movies, filmmaking, literature, graphic novels, screenplays, painting, drawing, reading, music, anthropology, sociology, sciences, liberal politics

Work Information

Blankets by Craig Thompson (2003)

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Andronian, petervdzwaag, teknologyguru, greigroselli, spiritedstardust, AFBIBLIOTECA, sweetpea2000, ggulick, prairiemage

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▾Member reviews

English (228) French (3) Dutch (3) Danish (3) Italian (2) Spanish (2) Catalan (2) German (1) All languages (244)

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Showing 1-5 of 228 (next | show all)

DNF

Child sexual assault/abuse right at the start and heavy on the religion - I am not the reader for this.

spiritedstardust | Jun 1, 2024 |

I read this nearly 600-page book in one sitting--the coming-of-age story is beautiful, sad, funny, intelligent and haunting. I loved the illustrations. Quite an accomplishment for Craig Thompson. (

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prairiemage | May 29, 2024 |

Blankets has become one of my favorite graphic novels. This is a deeply engrossing coming-of-age story of an artist growing up in a conservative culture. Its characters are treated with respect and empathy, and the reader is left with hope and respect for the trails that our lives make in the snow. (

)

vverse23 | Jan 9, 2024 |

A really good coming of age graphic memoir. Now 20 years old, it has some aging language issues, but still an honest, awkward, sometimes unflattering, portrayal of the author when he was in his late teens. (

)

rumbledethumps | Nov 25, 2023 |

Art style was a bit meh. The back and forth nature of flashbacks was overly confusing. I frequently didn't know which character was which due to style and/or dialogue. There's a lot of big topics here about sexual abuse, domestic abuse, violence against children, emotional manipulation, problems with institutional religion, homophobia, the American education system... It's a lot. But I don't find the way it's told compelling, and I can find things on it written elsewhere. Also the fact that it's got a quotation by Joss Whedon on the back saying "it's one of the greatest love stories" REALLY turned me off. (

)

AnonR | Aug 5, 2023 |

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Showing 1-5 of 228 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

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thingScore 95

Blankets is an attempt to rejuvenate such well-trod themes as social isolation, religious guilt, and first love; the vitality of which has become too frequently obscured by countless hackneyed dramas and endless clichés. Toward the very end of this “illustrated novel,” Craig notes, while walking in snow, how “satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface.” In Blankets, Thompson does just this: through daring leaps of visual storytelling, he makes wonderfully fresh marks upon a surface long worn blank.

added by stephmo | editThe Modern World, Ismo Santala (Nov 18, 2003)

In telling his story, which includes beautifully rendered memories of the small brutalities that parents inflict upon their children and siblings upon each other, Thompson describes the ecstasy and ache of obsession (with a lover, with God) and is unafraid to suggest the ways that obsession can consume itself and evaporate.

added by stephmo | editNew York Times, Ken Tucker (Sep 13, 2003)

...credit writer-artist Craig Thompson, 27, for infusing his bittersweet tale of childhood psyche bruising, junior Christian angst, and adolescent first love with a lyricism so engaging, the pages fly right by.

added by stephmo | editEntertainment Weekly, Tom Russo (Sep 5, 2003)

I would be unlikely to share Blankets with someone who told me they wanted to understand comix. Instead, I would give it to anyone who told me they wanted to read a book that made them feel transcendent, sad, generous, hopeful — but above all, to truly feel something.

added by stephmo | editPowells.com, Chris Bolton (Aug 23, 2003)

Part teen romance novel, part coming-of-age novel, part faith-in-crisis novel and all comix, "Blankets" is a great American novel.

added by stephmo | editTIME, Andrew Arnold (Jul 11, 2003)

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Thompson, Craig	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Assis, Érico	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
David, Alain	Traduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Dohmen, Toon	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Fliege, Claudia	—	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Blankets

Original title

Blankets

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For my family, with love.

First words

When we were young, my little brother Phil and I shared the same bed.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Feiffer, Jules

Gaiman, Neil

Bendis, Brian Michael

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

Blankets (comics)

File:Blankets foreign editions.jpg

▾Book descriptions

Loosely based on the author's life, chronicling his journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring the people, experiences, and beliefs that he encountered along the way.

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▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

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