Reviews

In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel by Marcel Proust

jiayuanc's review

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slow-paced

3.5

Beautiful artwork, lovely adaptation. I felt the weakest part was the middle section dealing with Swann's courtship of Odette. This section was very text heavy and dragged. The ending section of Marcel and Gilberte was lovely and moving. 

hamckeon's review

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I remember analyzing one sentence Proust wrote in a college undergraduate creative writing class. That sentence turned me off from attempting to read Proust; however, my mind changed when I saw this graphic novel version. It was definitely easy to understand and follow. It was also very different from what I expected. I find it hard to rate since I cannot compare it to the original and also the story itself is a little too random for my taste. I am happy that I read it and thought the illustrations were very well done.

kittymamers's review against another edition

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3.0

raamat inimesele, kes ei taha Prousti lugeda, aga tahaks olla Prousti lugenud.

ma tegelikult ei tahtnud isegi olla Prousti lugenud, olin alati kindel, et nagunii ei viitsi ja et ega millestki väga ilma ka ei jää. aga kuidagi langesid asjaolud kõik kokku ja ühe ja sama nädala jooksul vestlesin sõbrannaga sellest raamatust (just kontekstis, et kas ma olen suutnud "Swanni poolel" läbi lugeda ja kui, siis mis keeles - tunnistasin, et pole üritanudki), muigasin Barbie-filmi Prousti-viite peale ja siis leidsin raamatu graafilise versiooni müügilt ühest toredast raamatupoest, kust nagunii tahtsin kohaliku väikeettevõtluse toetuseks ostu teha ja miski muu ei kõnetanud. seega otsustasin, et kaotada pole palju - kui ma lihtsustatud versioonist ise jagu ei saa, siis sõbranna vast ikka saab, sest teda päriselt ka huvitas. ise võtsin siis ette lihtsalt kui silmaringi laiendamise projekti.

pildid olid ilusad. lugu oli selline... meh.

"Swanni poolel" on "Kadunud aega otsimas" jõgiromaani (mis kena sõna lihtsalt selle kohta, et üks inimene ei suutnud kirjutamist järele jätta ja kirjutaks ilmselt siiamaani seda romaani, kui ta juba sada aastat surnud ei oleks) esimene osa seitsmest, ja ta koosneb ise kolmest osast. neist kaks äärmist on täitsa mõnusad lapsepõlvelood, enamvähem see, mida ma oodanud olekski - et mis ühel inimesel meeles on sellest, kuidas tema lapsepõlves asjad olid ja juhtusid ja mis tunded ja mõtted tal nende asjade suhtes tollal olid ja kuidas see kõik praegu tagasi vaadates tundub. aga siis seal vahepeal on see "Swanni armastus", mis on lihtsalt üks üsna banaalne lugu ühest mehest, kes oli armunud ühte naisesse ja kuidas nende suhe nende tollaste seltskonnanormide ja kommete taustal edenes. appi, kui igav see oli, ja ma ei saa siiamaani aru, miks see kirjutati ja miks ma seda lugema pidin. okei, ma sain sealt teada ühe väljendi, mis sealtkaudu prantsuse keelde on tulnud. äkki läheb kunagi vaja.

ei läinud see lugemine mul pildiversioonis üldse nii palju ladusamalt ja kiiremini, kui ma eeldanud olin, aga tõesti hindan kunstnike ja muude asjaosaliste pingutust sellise versiooni valmistegemisel - ma nüüd ikkagi saan öelda, et olen kui mitte Prousti, siis vähemalt "Swann's Wayd" lugenud ja olen oma silmaga ära näinud selle madeleine'ide koha ja... noh, tean enamvähem, millest me räägime, kui me Proustist räägime.

jade_courtney's review against another edition

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3.0

While I'm sure it's much easier to read than the original novel, I still found this to be fairly dense and the language/ideas very sophisticated at times. The art however is gorgeous- I love the colour pallet! On the whole, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would but could by no means say I loved it. I've heard this is a fairly accurate adaptation, so if you're interested in Proust but don't want to read the full thousands of pages, it may be worth checking out.

romcm's review

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5.0

Compared to the non-illustrated text, I found the narrator, Swann, Odette and Gilbert MORE horrible and annoying. I had more sympathy for them all when reading the extended and often beautiful prose. But this was absolutely brilliant to read because it’s a reminder of the way in which the book is structured (which does get lost in the detail of the full text). I found the art of the interior scenes a bit ordinary in comparison to the gorgeous landscapes. Beautiful version of the classic.

mundinova's review

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4.0

"No one knows his own happiness. No one is ever as unhappy as he thinks."

Memory is complicated.
This might be the only way I'll ever read Proust. His work, I first learned about thanks to Gilmore Girls, was something I lumped into a theoretical basket with Homer (try as I might, I'm just not a fan), Virgil (bad college flashbacks), and Philip Roth (I don't get him, but he makes me angry).

Thank the book gods for the comic form!

Heuet does an amazing job of transporting the reader into the storyteller's world with little to no effort from the reader. The book is complete with maps and a historic glossary to educate as well as entertain. So many complex feelings are universal and boundless by time - a lover's slow withdraw - are shown, felt, and believed within these pages. I would linger on a page, rereading the text over and over, taking in the beautiful art, wanting to drink tea and eat madeleines.

Poetry. Beautiful, beautiful poetry masterfully translated into pictures. I'd recommend listening to Satie's Gymnopedie and Gnossienne while reading. Your transportation to another place in time has never been so easy.

Story: 4 stars
Art: 3 stars
Prose/Language: 5 stars

steven_nobody's review

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5.0

This is a beautiful aide to reading the novel of the same name.

lysippos's review

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emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

13delathauwere's review

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

slhandy45's review

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4.0

My first attempt at Proust. I think I got an idea of what he is all about in the first and third parts of this graphic adaptation, but the middle part is maybe too much about this-happened-then-that-happened? Perhaps that echoes the original... The art work is a thing of beauty.