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saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a monster.
It doesn't surprise me that Nilsen was working on it for years and years and years. You gotta admire a monsterwork like that.
I really dug the slow burn of this book. It starts out so so simply. Two birds...
Bird 1: Sure am getting sick of these seeds.
Bird 2: I know what you mean.
And Nilsen adds elements to the story so so quietly, so gradually, that you barely notice how complicated the story becomes until you're finished.
It is epic.
One word of caution: I had a really hard time telling the birds apart, and I'm not sure, but maybe I would have connected more with each one as a character if I had kept them straight. I didn't realize until I finished it that the flaps on the cover have a key to each bird/character. This might have helped if I had noticed it earlier.
And a note about the stars: If I was honestly indicating my affection for this book, I'd give it three stars. I usually reserve four stars for books I looked forward to reading and found enthralling. This was not that. But its pure epicness makes me admire it so much that I feel a responsibility to bump it up a star out of pure awe.
It doesn't surprise me that Nilsen was working on it for years and years and years. You gotta admire a monsterwork like that.
I really dug the slow burn of this book. It starts out so so simply. Two birds...
Bird 1: Sure am getting sick of these seeds.
Bird 2: I know what you mean.
And Nilsen adds elements to the story so so quietly, so gradually, that you barely notice how complicated the story becomes until you're finished.
It is epic.
One word of caution: I had a really hard time telling the birds apart, and I'm not sure, but maybe I would have connected more with each one as a character if I had kept them straight. I didn't realize until I finished it that the flaps on the cover have a key to each bird/character. This might have helped if I had noticed it earlier.
And a note about the stars: If I was honestly indicating my affection for this book, I'd give it three stars. I usually reserve four stars for books I looked forward to reading and found enthralling. This was not that. But its pure epicness makes me admire it so much that I feel a responsibility to bump it up a star out of pure awe.
kaosita's review against another edition
5.0
Un libro de una belleza maravillosa, abrumadora por momentos, conmovedor, emotivo. Un ejemplar que ya se ha instalado para siempre a donde quiera que yo vaya.
La construcción es hermosa. La simplicidad de los trazos de los primeros dibujos, el cariz de las primeras conversaciones te hacen pensar que no “te sucederá nada” durante la lectura de esta obra protagonizada por una bandada de pajaritos dotados de un intelecto cuasi-filosófico; en el que todos los personajes y elementos terminan imbricados. En el que unos animalitos confluyen en un paraje donde pronto sucederá algo insólito. Por eso “hay que vivir cada día como si fuera el último”.
Se habla acerca de las relaciones interpersonales, es un tratado fabulado del comportamiento social y las unidades que lo regulan: el miedo, el poder, la envidia, la fe o el espíritu de supervivencia.
Hay seres humanos, sí, pero casi todas las lecciones nacen de algún acto heroico, noble o simplemente respetable por parte de sus “animales sabios”; como si la naturaleza fuera, realmente, el origen definitivo del conocimiento, nuestra referencia última para encontrar respuestas; y como si el pensamiento humano, nuestra capacidad intelectual, demandara de un filtrado "panteísta" que nos condujera a su adecuada disposición.
La construcción es hermosa. La simplicidad de los trazos de los primeros dibujos, el cariz de las primeras conversaciones te hacen pensar que no “te sucederá nada” durante la lectura de esta obra protagonizada por una bandada de pajaritos dotados de un intelecto cuasi-filosófico; en el que todos los personajes y elementos terminan imbricados. En el que unos animalitos confluyen en un paraje donde pronto sucederá algo insólito. Por eso “hay que vivir cada día como si fuera el último”.
Se habla acerca de las relaciones interpersonales, es un tratado fabulado del comportamiento social y las unidades que lo regulan: el miedo, el poder, la envidia, la fe o el espíritu de supervivencia.
Hay seres humanos, sí, pero casi todas las lecciones nacen de algún acto heroico, noble o simplemente respetable por parte de sus “animales sabios”; como si la naturaleza fuera, realmente, el origen definitivo del conocimiento, nuestra referencia última para encontrar respuestas; y como si el pensamiento humano, nuestra capacidad intelectual, demandara de un filtrado "panteísta" que nos condujera a su adecuada disposición.
dkai's review against another edition
4.0
It has a plot, but the driving force is the questions posed by events. While the birds will ask some of these questions, I felt more that the questions were tickling the back of my mind while I was reading it without becoming explicit. For this reason, I consider it a "stewing" book rather than a discussion book. You may be able to discuss it, but the real questions posed are ones that language cannot express without changing their essence.
ajaggers324's review against another edition
This is difficult to rate. Parts are very compelling. Parts seemed unnecessary. Overall an interesting read. It is definitely dark.
deepfreezebatman's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not really sure what to make of this comic... sure it's beautifully drawn, contains interesting ideas, weird surreal imagery, and wasn't unenjoyable to read.. but it just doesn't have any re-read value for me. Maybe all of the hype made my expectations too high, maybe I put too much pressure on the ending to bring things together/sell me on this epic story... who knows.
I actually enjoyed reading the Afterward about the inspiration behind the story (darn you evil art grad school!). Overall I felt like Nilsen was really starting to get the hang of this comic medium thing towards the end, and I would be interested in checking out some of his future work.
I actually enjoyed reading the Afterward about the inspiration behind the story (darn you evil art grad school!). Overall I felt like Nilsen was really starting to get the hang of this comic medium thing towards the end, and I would be interested in checking out some of his future work.
sydneyrp143's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pustulio's review against another edition
4.0
Dios mío que libro tan más bonito. La historia es bastante simple pero con tanto significado detrás de cada una de las acciones y visualmente el libro es muuuuy bonito. Definitivamente sí llego a verlo en vivo es de esas joyas que quieres tener en tu casa.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
Huh. That was deep. And than it was weird. And then it was a little deep. And a lot weird. And then it went off the rails. Basically a philosophy graphic novel centered around these birds. And then random crazy stuff happens to the birds and the story gets lost. But for awhile there it was pretty great. 3.5 of 5.
thegayngelgabriel's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. The incredibly beautiful artwork and poignant philosophical musings are often overshadowed somewhat by the fact that all the finch characters are exactly identical, so determining who is doing what and when, especially given the episodic nature of the narrative, is often very difficult. Also, not sure how I feel about the character of the Idiot--he seems like a needlessly literal and somewhat insensitive rendering of the Holy Fool archetype.