Blankets by Craig Thompson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Blankets
Book Review: Blankets
Summary: 5 Stars
Have not read the book yet since I need not until the end of this semester, but I received the book in a short amount of time.Book Review: Boring
Summary: 2 Stars
I guess I'm one of the few who just "didn't get" this one. I found it to be really boring. I work at a library and would read this on my breaks, but it felt more like a chore and less like a pleasure to get to the end of this book.
The drawings are nice and everything but I never liked the main character. I understand that its semi autobiographical, but maybe the author should have embellished the story a little more before committing it to paper.
The basic story follows a boy growing up in an overly religious family/town as he enters his teen years an awkward scrawny, artistic outcast feeling out of touch with most people looking only to Jesus for guidance (and friendship?) the main character doesn't have any friends that I can remember other than Jesus.
Anyway, he meets a girl at bible camp and after months of keeping up a pen-pal type relationship with her, convinces his parents to let him spend his winter break with her and her family. (The girls "chaotic" family was really the only interesting part of the book.) He spends 2 weeks with her, then goes home, just to dump her over the phone and burn (almost)everything she ever gave him, including the letters she wrote him during the pen-pal thing.
I'm sure a few people aren't going to like this review but thats basically what I got form the story. It was very boring to me. I wanted to like it, I just didn't.
Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the kind of book I like. It's got depth, it's got feeling and it doesn't loose it's grip on reality.
Craig Thompson is really good at combining everyday reality and deeper psycological refelction.
This is a very good book about an outsider, a boy, who discover that there's more to life than it appears to be.
I strongly recomend buying tha Soundtrack as well. Tracker: Blankets - it does the trick.
Book Review: Brilliant "Blankets" A Must-Read
Summary: 5 Stars
At long last, Craig Thompson returns and it was worth the wait. After wowing the comics world with his "Goodbye Chunky Rice" Thompson left us all wanting more. 'Rice' was a beautiful tale, a poignant little love story and one you could read over and over again and always find something new. It was cute and grotesque, charming and bittersweet, layered and fullfilling. A tough act to follow it would seem. But after devouring his latest (and prolific) illustrated novel "Blankets", we see that 'Rice' was just the tip of the iceburg. For "Blankets" is everything it should be and then some. Thompson's storytelling skills have skyrocketed to amazing new heights. His drawing skills, brilliant from the begining, continue to amaze and fascinate. Facial expressions, body gestures and scenery are beautifully crafted into each meticulously designed page. The narrative and dialogue are naturalistic and without the usual hint of drama that comes along with these types of stories. From all these somewhat technical aspects of the book, Thompson is no doubt in top form and at the top of his game. There is little to criticize here. He has, no doubt, transcended the genre while at the same time lifting it up to new heights.
But what is most impressive here is the heart of this tale. Thompson isn't telling us a brand new story. On a very basic level, this is an angst teen romance. But how he tells it is key. He wraps his love story in memories of his childhood, his religious beliefs, his family. This, we come to see, is a love story about love. It is about first love. It is about brotherly love. It is about spiritual love. It is about all the complexities and nuances that come with all the different ways in which we love. Thompson avoids using his tale as a soap box to eloquently voice his hatred of the "popular kids". Nor does he candy-coat his childhood memories. Like so much of Thompsons work, it is a mix of joy and darkness. He never overstates to make a point. Such restraint is what sets his work miles apart from any other comic artist/storyteller out there. In one memorable scene, the two young brothers see static electricity in the blankets of the bed they share. These three pages (250-252) sum up the brilliance of this book and capture it's heart so perfectly. These are the passages that make you stop and think. To read over them too quickly would be cheating yourself of the full impact of this book. Like 'Rice' before it, "Blankets" demands to be read more than once. But I'll be happy if everyone read it at least once.
Book Review: Brutally honest, gorgeous book
Summary: 5 Stars
This book fits into my newly discovered genre of graphic novels. How lucky I was to have read this book as one of my first graphic novels. At almost 600 pages, this book may be daunting for the reluctant reader. It may take some extra encouraging to have those students pick up this book. Yet once they do, they will discover one of the best coming of age books written in recent years.It is a memoir about the author growing up in a conservative, religious family and his experiences and feelings. The book is so honest and full of feelings that it makes your heart break. I think because of the 1st person comic book layout, you're immediately drawn into the story.
This book would be great for reluctant readers who would probably think a big comic book is a cool read. Other students (and adults) would also enjoy it because of its simplicity and intensity that is lacking in many of the other coming of age books out there. I would recommend it to students who have expository writing projects to demonstrate both the different styles of writing and to give an exceptional model of a memoir.