I loved this book so much! Perhaps I am biased, because I was raised in a church very similar to the one the author's family attended, so I related to a lot of his experiences and feelings. Everyone should be able to relate to the joy and pain of falling in love for the first time. This was everything a graphic novel should be: the drawings speak just as eloquently as the words.
Wow! I read this book in just about two days and I loved every single panel of it. Author and artist Craig Thompson here writes about his religious upbringing in Wisconsin, his first love, and making peace with his artistry and life through exquisitely drawn panels. The only thing I didn't like was the resolution of the love story part of it. That, and the ending came too soon. I really wanted to keep reading more of this story. I plan to read more of Craig Thompson's work.
This is the first graphic novel that I have read. The artwork is detailed and beautiful. When you are not a comic book reader, a graphic novel is an experience that you should do at least once in your life time. The pictures create the mood of the story more than the words. Without the art, this novel would have been so so. The story is somewhat juvenile in my mind but they did tackle some serious topics. The experience of the graphic novel was very interesting. Because I normally read regular novels I had to remind myself to take each page in and to really experience the art. It was a very quick read even though it is a very long book. I'm not sure if I will continue to read graphic novels, but I did enjoy this especially because I lived in Minnesota for 10 years so I can appreciate the winter experience.
