Reviews

The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew

generallama's review

5.0

Clever retelling of Singapore's history, including historical events the government would rather you forget. Anyone with an interest in Singapore should read this.

lottpoet's review against another edition

emotional funny informative slow-paced

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

4.25

starduststyx's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

I was recommended this book by my honorary father and this was a seriously good read! The way Liew beautifully illustrates and ties together the life of the fictional Charlie Chan and the real history of Singapore was just *chef's kiss* I learned so much about Singapore's history and it made me curious to dive deeper afterwards especially because I got confused if Singapore was a part of Malaysia for a sec. I feel that some people might not enjoy going into this without some prior knowledge on Singapore, but I think there's enough notes and direct references to events for folks to follow along.

I also think people who enjoy Alison Bechdel's work would enjoy this due to the sociopolitical commentary that's incorporated throughout the book. It's dense, but you just need to take your time with it! It's worth it!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality and Colonisation

Minor: Suicide attempt

arcyeus's review against another edition

challenging informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A solid entry in the canon of singlit, especially in the graphic novel department. Sonny Liew does such a good distillation of Singaporean culture and there are just so many intertwining layers to this text, from the history of the comic as a medium to orthodox and revisionist narratives of 50s and 60s Singaporean history. You could reread this again and again and find more to discuss in the interesting variety of techniques used to tell the story. 

carkaroake's review against another edition

informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

what does it say about my own stunted relationship with creativity that the most unbelievable part of this novel was that a comic artist would take himself so seriously?

imperious, doleful, charlie chan is not exactly likeable

or as it turns out, real

. sonny chiew’s own rare appearances offer more comedic relief. this is an inspiring use of the frame narrative and all in all a genius conveyance of the story of the history of singapore

adelheid's review against another edition

informative fast-paced

4.0

aoosterwyk's review

5.0

A super dense graphic pseudo-biography of a terrific comic creator, Charlie Chan Hock Chye. His comics relate the political happenings in Singapore as World War II ends and the transition from Japanese to English to Chinese control takes place. The book was created by Sonny Liew, creator of ShadowHero, and is composed of artwork by Chan and other local media which puts Chan's life's work in context.
This book is probably too much for middle grade and of more interest to older readers, high school or above.

enml's review against another edition

4.0

4.5

clare_tan_wenhui's review

5.0

The pseudo-biographical meta-narratives skillfully weave Singapore's history with that of the comic industry, while point-blank laying the inconvenient hard truths about the Singapore story. It's been cathartic reading this when I am about to cast my vote in a few day's time.

jszymczakk's review against another edition

4.0

Doskonały pomysł - opowiedzieć o historii kraju przez postać fikcyjnego komiksiarza i jego fikcyjne dzieła. Artysta Charlie Cham rozwija się rownolegle z młodym państwem. A mistyfikacja jest na tyle udana, że sam zostałem oszukany - zorientowałem się, że nie istnieje w połowie lektury, gdy chciałem opisywanego artystę zguglać.