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saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
This is a story about twin sisters. They live in New York's lower east side in the 1910s. As we follow their lives, one goes to work for a brothel and ends up having an illustrious career as an entertainment object. The other goes to work for a doctor, who provides illegal birth control to women. This is basically a feminist compare & contrast.
It could be dry, but it isn't. I'd seen Corman's work before (in [b:Sexy Chix|1065127|Sexy Chix Anthology of Women Cartoonists|Joyce Carol Oates|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347720559s/1065127.jpg|1051770]), and she has a unique quality. Her drawings are old-fashioned, in a way; stark, and whimsical. The story of the two women is complex, with a fair amount of supporting characters and a plot with its fair share of tragedy and misfortune. While I didn't find it as engaging as some other historical graphic novels about brothels I've read, giving the sexual politics context is really good.
Yay feminist comic books!
It could be dry, but it isn't. I'd seen Corman's work before (in [b:Sexy Chix|1065127|Sexy Chix Anthology of Women Cartoonists|Joyce Carol Oates|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347720559s/1065127.jpg|1051770]), and she has a unique quality. Her drawings are old-fashioned, in a way; stark, and whimsical. The story of the two women is complex, with a fair amount of supporting characters and a plot with its fair share of tragedy and misfortune. While I didn't find it as engaging as some other historical graphic novels about brothels I've read, giving the sexual politics context is really good.
Yay feminist comic books!
beehan__'s review against another edition
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kaleidoscope04's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kp_writ's review
2.5
Confusing pacing with poor transitions between storylines. Unnecessary flashbacks, visually confusing cast of characters, almost tempted to call this trauma porn? Even if things don't pan out exactly how you expect, it still falls into the cliche. The art was quite nice though, and some pages worked better than others.
magnetgrrl's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not entirely sure this was actually a memoir but it certainly read like one. It was definitely taking a lot of cues from Persepolis, and a few from Maus, and I would describe this as like 80% Persepolis takes, 10% Maus homage, and like 5% Berlin by Jason Lutes and 5% Will Eisner "Contract With God" tenement stories. The end.
literatehedgehog's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeous work, in thick, dark, loose panels and a story that skips easily through decades. It's a story of twin Jewish sisters in early 1900s New York, so a story of girlhood and sisterhood, of choices, accidents, and fate, of liberties, literacy, and limitations, of bodies and their ownership... And so much more. It might not be for everyone, but the art, storyline, and sisters' relationships hit me just right.
(Note - definitely a mature read, perhaps not your best bus read.)
(Note - definitely a mature read, perhaps not your best bus read.)
jenage's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nick_jenkins's review against another edition
3.0
Rather sloppily constructed, unevenly paced and about as subtle as a pratfall, the art is, however, extremely effective and the recreation of the lower east side is very enjoyable.