Rating: 
Summary: Lynn Johnston super fan
Review: I only started with Lynn in the newspapers 9 years ago and started collecting all the books. This book is excellent in that it takes you "through" the history of the strip and you seem to be a part of it rather than just quoting --In 19-- I did this and then in 19-- I did that.
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Summary: A new, refreshing perspective.
Review: I own every FBOFW collection in published exsistence, and this is probably one of my favorites. Though it lacks in drawings compared to the other ones, I have always loved commentary. I found that it gave me a totally new persective when reading the added strips to each characters chapter. For instance, they showed what Connie was intended to be, and how she ended up being, two totally different characters! It went deeper into the persona of each character, as if they were real. Now, some people are cynical of this, thinking that people go overboard. I disagree. This book helps the stories come alive for readers, it helps them connect with the characters and enchance their reading experience. Though it is at times a bit schmultzy, this book is overall a must-have for FBOFW readers everywhere.
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Summary: A Great Book
Review: I started reading For Better or for Worse close to twenty years ago. It has always kept my interest as well as that of my wife and two children. Mike is one year older than our son and Lizzie is one year younger than our daughter so we can identify with much of the strip. As in real life the actions of some of the characters irritate us at times but overall we look at them as family. Even April has worked her way into our hearts. Going through this book was almost akin to looking at an old family album. You know the characters but forgot where they came from. My personal favorite was the bylines on Mrs. Dingle. Connie's mis/adventures, Lawrence's dilemma, Gordo & Tracy, the Enjos and many more I'm not mentioning here help make this the finest written cartoon I've ever followed. I realize that Ms. Johnston will be pulling the plug on this series at some time. I certainly hope it's a long time before she does. If in fact she retires from the strip before I permanently retire I want to say thank you for all the years of laughter and sometimes tears. I also enjoy Fox Trot, Baby Blues, The Duplex, Dilbert and several others but they do not have the impact that this strip has. Again, thank you very much for many happy hours of reading. Larry Michaels
Rating: 
Summary: a big disppointment
Review: I usually love anything in the "For Better or Worse" collection, but this one was quite a disappointment. Though the character descriptions were interesting, there were very few cartoons to back them up. And though I have always considered Lynn Johnston's work to be very family oriented, this book contained a fair bit of profanity, crude language and adult content that was inappropriate for my 10 year old to read (and she was so disappointed). I am afraid I am a bit disenchanted with Lynn Johnston.
Rating:
Summary: A Book for Fans
Review: If you are a fan of For Better or For Worse, you will love this book because it tells you how Johnston's real life entertwines with the comic strip. I got it for Christmas and before the end of the day I was finished it. It has great stories and insights into how Lynn Johnston writes her comics.
Rating:
Summary: A Book for Fans
Review: If you are a fan of For Better or For Worse, you will love this book because it tells you how Johnston's real life entertwines with the comic strip. I got it for Christmas and before the end of the day I was finished it. It has great stories and insights into how Lynn Johnston writes her comics.
Rating:
Summary: 20 years of imaginary family adventures
Review: Lynn Johnston is an excellent comic strip artist with a very good eye for realistic details in her art and storytelling about a typical Canadian family. However, though I truly enjoy the humor, the drama, and the pathos in some of the plots presented over the years, all that schmaltzy preaching about domestic life really gets to me at times and I sometimes pity the poor long-suffering mother who has to put up with the endless difficulties of being a good wife and a patient parent. And I'm sorry to say this, but I don't have much liking for April, the family's young princess.
Rating: 
Summary: a different anthology from most
Review: lynn's greatest strength is as a comic strip creator, so i will be a little persnickety here in stating that she overdoes the prose and underdoes the art work. still in all, this is a fine collection for the longtime fan who will be interested in the development of the characters; however, for the casual fan who wants a "best of" collection, i would think twice about picking up this particular book...
Rating:
Summary: Great comic strip, but please get a life.
Review: There may be no family protrayed more realistically than the Pattersons in the American funnies. And of course, the comic strip is based on the creator's real-life family and oh, yes...the characters grow older and go through all the same milestones in a standard human life like first romance, death of a family dog, birth of a new sibling, going off to the college, getting engaged, and so on forth. But...things can still go too far. There are long, very detailed stories all about each character, homes, and pets in this 20th anniversary book instead of the author's very own autobiography and how she came to invent the comic strip in the 10th anniversary book. And what's more, there's even a webpage totally devoted to every little detail of a character's personal life and you even get to write an e-mail to your most favorite character and oh, YES...he or she will definitely answer your e-mail. Sheeesh! No matter how lifelike those characters are made out to be and how similar your own family is to them, they are still fictional and I am sorry to say that they don't even exist at all except on the pages of the funnies and the author's very fertile imagination. Hey, you can always associate with your own family and friends - there just isn't any difference at all, okay?
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT! A GENTLE PORTRAYAL OF LIVES
Review: This absolutely delightful book gives a very interesting overview of the development, thought and care that went into creating these high caliber, sympathetic and very believable characters. I have known Lawerences, Gordons and Sharons. I am so delighted to find their "cartoon" counterparts vividly portrayed in this book. Lynn Johnston is not only a very gifted artist, but she is a wonderful realist and is truly skilled at maintaining her readers' interest. There is no cartoonist I have read to date who is in her league. Like the title of the 1992 baseball movie, she really is in a "league of her own." Kudos to this wonderful book and it was the very first book I ever bought on line! (I bought all her other books at the store). THREE CHEERS FOR THIS BOOK!
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