Rating: 
Summary: You will cry, I promis.
Review: I read all 590 some odd pages in a matter of 2 hours. It pulled me and and chewed at my heart and soul. I never cried while reading a novel in my life but Blankets did it.What I find really amazing about the story is that this is no new idea. There have been a million movies and books about first loves. But some how Thompson executes this story of real life experience without being predictable and using cliches. And he doesn't just write about one type of love. This novel is about romantic love and brotherly love and spiritual love. I don't think there is a single person in this world who can read this book and not feel connected to the experiences portrayed by Craig Thompson. And the amazment of it is that something so typical is made so not boring. This is one of those books that you read and read and when there isn't anymore to read you read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Brutally honest, gorgeous book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!!!!!!!! IF I COULD GIVE MORE STARS I WOULD
Review: I'm more of a superhero comic fan then an indy fan, but this graphic novel was amazing! Craig Thompson's book was amazing on so many levels. I don't want to talk about it so i won't ruin it for any customers, but this is one of the best stories you'll ever read, in any book, or anything!!!
Rating:
Summary: The graphic novel at its finest
Review: When you first come into physical contact with this book, taking this brick-sized 600 page monster into your hands and cracking open the covers - the heft alone should tell you that this is no ordinary graphic-novel/comic-book. A few pages into this book and you'll immediately be hooked. Your fingers will flip through page after page and before you know it you'll already have consumed several hundred pages of what will surely go down as a monument to the medium of the graphic novel the way Art Spiegelman's, 'Maus,' did in the 80's and Neil Gaiman's, 'Sandman' series offered throughout the 90's. 'Blankets,' at its core is a simple, timeless story (coming of age, first-love, alienation, anxiety, pursuit of spiritual identity, teen-angst) told thousands of times over the millenia (books, poems, songs, movies, television) but perfectly captured, perhaps for the first time, in comic-strip form. This book is exquisitely plotted, paced, written and drawn and by the end of it all one can't help but be left dazed at the sheer artistic excellence demonstrated by Thompson, from start to finish, through thousands of panels. Visually, the black and white artwork is a stunner but perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of all is Thompson's gift for prose with not a wasted word to be found in his minimalistic narrative that still manages to be filled with layer after layer of subtext. This truly is a title not to be missed by anyone with an appreciation for the written word, not to mention the graphical novel format. The stylish cover design and paper quality also lends itself very well as a gift-giving item.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant "Blankets" A Must-Read
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Big let down
Review: Blankets had it's moments. But the ending was pretty limp IMHO. You'd figure that after all Craig went through he would lead you to some conclusion, but at the end he was even more confused and depressed. So what's the point after all 600 pages? A big disappointment that's what.
Rating: 
Summary: Not under my Christmas tree!
Review: This book gets so much praise, it makes me want to write a few words about it myself. I bought this after reading a lot of positive reviews, and had in mind of giving it away for Christmas present. There has got to be something good about a book that everybody gives best grades, right? But when I read it, I think maybe it gets all this praise just because it is a graphic novel showing big amition. It is well drawn and very many pages. To people with a big interest in graphic novels, this is of course a big thing. Comics fans probably has been waiting for a book like this to come out. A big, well drawn book with an epic with depth and emotion, suitable to convincing non-belivers about the medium's greatness. But I want to say, that it does not necessarily appeal to everyone. The story is a bit sentimental and predictable. What does the story tell us? That it is hard growing up, OK. Some people who likes Daniel Clowe's "Ghost World" and may find Thompson's version of teenage angst a bit naïve and puppy eyed in comparison. This is a pretty nice story, with neat artwork. I'm just trying to point out, that there is room for a lot of different tastes and directions in the art form of graphic novels. Nowadays I think many people doesn't have too much prejudice about comics - the media isn't the important thing, but the content is. Personally I like storys like Adrian Tomine's and Daniel Clowes', artists who may have more in common with film directors like Todd Solondz and Paul Thomas Anderson than with Craig Thompson. I'm not saying Clowes should be the measure to all new comics, but in comparison Thompson's story here reminds me more of some made for TV harmless drama. What I mean is, just try to forget about the medium, and what you have here is a predictable and sweet, traditional and quite nice story about growing up, that doesn't say anything new unless you haven't read to many stories about growing up.Or, of course, if you're about to grow up yourself. If I wanted to persuade any of my friends that graphic novels are't nessecarily boring, this is actually not my choice of book to give them.
Rating:
Summary: Transcendent of what can be done in comics
Review: I have long been a fan of comics, graphic novels, penny dreadfuls, whatever you decide to call them. I've read a lot of exceptional comics; Sandman, Jimmy Corrigan, Maus, Watchmen....the list goes on. However, none of thses books, with the possible exception of Maus, touched me on such a personal level. "Blankets" is a masterfully told tale of love and loss, a beautiful story rife with powerful imagery, incredible storytelling and a looming sense of inevetibility. Craig Thompson, on an artistic level, may well be the next Art Spiegelman. Spiegelman has long been the best in my mind, in his inate ability to draw anything. Craig Thompson follows in his footsteps with the incredible art in this heartbreaking book. When "Blankets" first arrived on my doorstep, i had thought the art to be ridiculously cartoony and the writing to be almost trite. That was the first page. After that, i fell into a moving, realistic and wonderfully non-pretentious story that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go even after you've closed the book. Craig's doomed romance with Raina, the failing relationship of her parents, the awkward atmosphere between Craig and Raina's adopted brother Ben, and characters that moved and spoke realistically enough to make the entire world that Craig Thompson tells his story through entirely believable, a spitting image of our own, flaws and all. The other wonderous thing about his world is that his art really works with his characters. He's not one of those artists who draw cartoon people and photorealistic buildings, or vice versa. His world looks like his characters would actually live there. The story was almost too real for the art, however. His conservative christian life was utterly believable, as was his relationship with other people and especially the way they talked. Not like Alan Moore dialogue, like realistic, but more like his people did not ask stupid questions that are all too common in most mainstream comics. Each character had their own voice, and they never lost it throughout. The end of the story honestly made me cry. More than the despair of Maus or the intensely depressing story wraught by Jimmy Corrigan, this story made me cry at the end because the end was not sad. It was hopeful, and said that even after the things that happened, even after events unfolded the way they did, the world did not end. This story alone continued past the pages for me. I saw the miracles Thompson spoke so reverently of, and felt that things would just keep on going beyond the eye of the mind. Easily the best effort made in comic form in memory. BUY THIS BOOK!!
Rating:
Summary: such amazing honesty and emotion
Review: Today I read "Blankets" by Craig Thompson, a nearly 600 page illustrated work aka comic. It's only been a few hours and I can't yet entirely put into words how and why it resonated with me. It is almost perfect, and maybe that imperfection at the end just makes it more so. It's hands down the best depiction of Christian teens dating that I've ever come across, in any medium. And it is so much more than that. The protagonist's relationship with Raina, their different worlds... it was intensely real and bittersweet. I lived some of these scenes, and others which at first seemed extreme and foreign I soon realized were not so far from my experiences growing up. There are little things that I now realize must be universal among guys like me, like tucking the girl's hair behind her ear as she lays there because you can't bring yourself to do more but you have to touch her. The "psalm" in appreciation of, and thankfulness for, her creation is sublime. This book has rocked me.
Rating:
Summary: A glorious book.
Review: The day this arrived, I figured I'd be able to ration it out,a few hundred pages a day. This book must be read in one sitting, as I soon found out. I stayed up late into the night, and it was well worth it. This book will make your heart cry softly, and get warm fuzzies, sometimes all at once. The artwork only helps to bring this story to life even more.
|
