Court
Read in a larger collection, but wanted to mark separately. I thought this was fantastic. Of course I'm reminded of The Dresden Dolls' Coin Operated Boy.
This story is from the jealous would-be lover's perspective via his washed ashore journal, which I thought was a clever format.
Haha, he thinks she had ten or more lovers because she can kiss, sigh.
I had to stop at 30%, chapter 3 of part 2: “the monster was in pain” ... “He sacrificed his true self, all that unfelt pain and anger, to the Underworld, to the murky world of the unconscious. He lost touch with who he really was. And the man who lured Tara to that isolated spot was a stranger as much from himself as he was from everyone else...but Tara provoked him somehow - and the terrified child inside him lashed out, and reached for a knife.” NO sorry you are incorrect, do not blame the actual victim, do not give the villain victimhood/misunderstood status, when one's psychopathy, psychosis, or “childhood trauma” has a body count I am allowed to suspend my empathy; the fundamental social contract has been broken.
Mariana, similar to Theo, is incompetent as both a therapist and a detective.
I was very disappointed and unimpressed with Mariana; I felt that she was a very weak, passive character. I dislike the way Michaelides writes women also between the two books there's at least three sex scenes that take place outside, and I think two of them don't make sense, who wants to have 'aggressive, animalistic sex' on top of stone? but maybe I'm just a prude
I hadn't realized that she wasn't showing the police the post cards, Mariana WAS obstructing justice/an ongoing investigation, ugh she's awful
The twist, although disgusting, was not what I was expecting, but followed the usual motives for murder: sex/love and/or money However I find it VERY difficult to believe that Mariana didn't recognize her dead husband's handwriting. I guess that's maybe why he wasn't too psyched to have a kid with her? Also, I had hoped Fred was going to be the twist, but then again I also kind of rooted for Mariana's death
2.5?
sigh aunt does not equal great-great aunt, ‘The Head' should have introduced it as ‘distant relative', what an insensitive person. Oh and she's mandated to go to her funeral, not ‘your parent would like you to go' or ‘you're expected to go'.
Thank goodness Miss Pippit keeps misplacing things so Anne can have these ‘curious' moments with strangers.
Who says dude at an all girls school?
Kind of weak in story/writing, art was decent. Characters were ok, I think it's a little difficult with so many, so not bad overall.
I like this better after reading The Passionate Shepherd to His Love. The Nymph's reply is necessary or at least I find it satisfying. The Shepherd is young and passionate, but youth fades; passion might fade. Another fun lens is the mentality of a is nymph/supernatural mentality And then to learn this poem leads to another: Raleigh Was Right by William Carlos Williams.This feels like an [a:Anne Fadiman 7982 Anne Fadiman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202836366p2/7982.jpg] essay moment.
published 1934 CLARE HARNER
Do not stand
By my grave, and weep.
I am not there,
I do not sleep—
I am the thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints in snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle, autumn rain.
As you awake with morning's hush,
I am the swift, up-flinging rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight,
I am the day transcending night.
Do not stand
By my grave, and cry—
I am not there,
I did not die.
So lovely and fitting for a somber occasion where one is seeking comfort.
“A bit of history before we go on. Montmartre, which means “mountain of the martyr,” was given its name because of the martyrdom of Saint Denis, the bishop of Paris and now the patron saint of France, who was unfortunately decapitated on the hill by the nasty Romans. (Legend has it that Saint Denis simply picked up his head, washed it off and carried it 5 miles to the north to what is now the town of Saint-Denis before he finally dropped down dead.)”
Thank you for teaching me about the architect Haussmann.
First tale was St. Colman and didn't seem very cohesive and had a variety of animals plus a fly.
I was very surprised that St Werburge reanimated a goose; she's interesting.
St. Francis' story was about the wolf of Gubbio.
St. Medard, sheltered from the rain by an eagle, but I don't think that an eagle could fly that slow.
St. Canice: a buck holds his book in his antlers, I guess because the book was heavy...sigh
St. Hilda has snakes turned to stone, which is supposed to explain the snake-like shaped rocks that are found there, although wiki says “legend tells of a plague of snakes which Hilda turned to stone, supposedly explaining the presence of ammonite fossils on the shore. It was not unknown for local “artisans” to carve snakes' heads onto ammonites, and sell these “relics” as proof of her miracle.”
St. Keneth (of Wales, so as not to be confused with St. Canice who was also known as St. Kenneth in Scotland) is probably my favorite tale of the collection because it made me think. His disability/deformity is healed by Father David (also a saint), but St. Keneth requests that his “infirmity be restored to him, for it was the source of his blessing.” And then St Keneth limped away.
St. Brendan and the whale.
St. Kevin and the blackbird
St. Jerome and the Lion, felt more like a classic and is one of the stronger stories, he's also a more interesting saint in general.
This made me happy. I loved the introductory metaphor of how she/one is at first Persephone and then Demeter; a certain kind of loss and experience of life. I also loved the meta aspect: drawings about drawings; visual art about visual art. I greatly enjoyed the technical and whimsical aspects of her profession. I thought that the places she lived and visited were interesting.
Additionally, I love graphic memoirs in general. I found her to be endearing, a keen observer of life, a fun mom, a working creative, a loving daughter, and an overall great artist.
Easy to read and helpful.
I read the summary rather than the book for book club because it was so new/popular that the wait list to borrow it was too extensive for me to get it in time.
Helpful for knowing the broad strokes so with this and Jaouad's own highlights on goodreads I was able to participate in my group's discussion.
