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Dan Clowes described the story in Ghost World as the examination of "the lives of two recent high school graduates from the advantaged perch of a constant and (mostly) undetectable eavesdropper, with the shaky detachment of a scientist who has grown fond of the prize microbes in his petri dish." From this perch comes a revelation about adolescence that is both subtle and coolly beautiful. Critics have pointed out Clowes's cynicism and vicious social commentary, but if you concentrate on those aspects, you'll miss the exquisite whole that Clowes has captured. Each chapter ends with melancholia that builds towards the amazing, detached, ghostlike ending.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
YA?Eight interconnected stories about two teens. Enid and Rebecca have been friends for so long that it's difficult for either of them to let the other grow or change. Now Enid will probably leave their working-class neighborhood and go away to college and Rebecca cannot accept this change in their relationship. Enid is the more radical and dramatic of the two, the one who talks a male friend into escorting her into an X-rated "adult" store. Rebecca is not so much a follower as simply more circumspect. She's the one who reasons that Josh, a friend they're both guilty of provoking sexually, really deserves to sleep with one of them after all the teasing he's weathered. While the vocabulary here is raunchy, it is accurate for the characters. These realistic 18-year-olds don't always talk nice and don't always act nice but they do have moral fiber underneath their tough-girl exteriors. It's just that they're at a point in life and a place in society where exteriors are a lot more important than nice. This is a book with distinct appeal to urban high school students, but it's certainly not for their younger brothers and sisters. Depending on where your comics are shelved, add this one where the age-appropriate audience is most likely to find it. The artwork is evocative and tasteful and the book can serve as a bridge to more literary stories of friendships.?Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant,
This review is from: Ghost World s/c (Paperback)
This is the first graphic novel that actually made me feel sympathy for some of the characters - made me care about them and their experiences. There's a point in the story that the girls go to a strangeish retro diner that has a hippie for an employee. One of them seems to realize something about this happy-happy seeming middle-aged man and spends some time leaving a large tip. It then flashes to a couple panels that depicts this man - no longer smiling and all - cleaning up and collecting the tip then depositing coins into a machine. I must've read those 1 or 2 pages a dozen times. I can't quite put it into meaning the reason I stuck to those pages but it really meant something to me. I guess the author just fleshes out the characters to such an extent that you just have to care about them. There are many other notable scenes too. Ghost World is simply a brilliant book about people and their "real" lives as opposed to the ones other people think they lead. Don't listen to the haters because this graphic novel changed my opinion about comics once and for all after reading an umpteenth amount of pulpy Batman ishes. They really can have heart and meaning about them and that's the important thing. Get it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brillinat writing, Brilliant art,
By Sibelius (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ghost World (Paperback)
Daniel Clowes', 'Ghost World,' is a shining example on how effective the medium of the graphic novel can be when coupled with fantastic, highly literate writing. Clowes' brilliance is demonstrated with his remarkable ability in capturing dialogue and the psyches of his late-teenage female characters - Enid and Becky. In fact, their characterizations and conversations seems so authentic and natural that it's almost as if Clowes videotaped real-life snippets of actual teenagers lives and then fashioned comic strips out of them.Unlike the movie adaptation, which had a sustained narrative, the graphic novel is comprised of episodic vignettes that seem more like a collection of short stories. These little tales are packed with so much melodrama, sharp-humour, keen observation and emotion that by the time you're finished with this 80 or so page book you'll feel like you've already digested volumes. I can't recommend this book highly enough and whether or not you've seen the movie you definitely need to read the original source. Top quality stuff all the way through.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Daunting,
By
This review is from: Ghost World s/c (Paperback)
This graphic novel relates the wanderings of Enid and Rebecca, who have just finished high school and are ambivalent about everything, whether it is about their future, their opinions, their place in society or their orientation.Enid and Rebecca are obsessed by losers and mediocre culture. They are witty and judgmental on what surrounds them - and quite vocal about it as well - but on the other hand they are uncomfortable in their few attempts at self-assessment. I "think" that I enjoyed this book (not sure yet, since the novel makes me uneasy) because, as a reader, I found myself being absorbed by Enid and Rebecca the same way they are obsessed with mediocrity. For me, the fact that the author was successful in transferring to the reader the main character trait of Enid and Rebecca makes reading this graphic novel quite an experience. In my view, Daniel Clowes is to graphic novels what Todd Solondz is to filmmaking.
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