Customer Reviews

Blankets (New Hardcover Edition)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is by far one of the most outstanding pieces of literature i've ever had the pleasure of reading. I would have to say my only negative thought is that it rips me out of my terminal state of uniqueness. It's the first thing i've ever read that tells my story growing up to a T. I remember vividly some of the same exact thoughts the protagonist encounters (and even some of the same events). As oddly close to my own experiences it may be, this book finnaly put an answer to that eternal question i've had of "what happened to her?" And what exactly I could do about it.
You have to read it to find out.

This is going to be brief because I'm in agreement with most of the others here. It should be known that I never write reviews here on amazon, I've only written one before.

Secondly, I rarely read, and when I do, it's hard for me to read for very long even if I enjoy it. Call it ADD, call it someone having trouble sitting in one place for too long, call it whatever you want. But I picked up this book and read it in one sitting. I've never done that.

Third, I don't like the majority of comic books out there. I find most of the writing to be corny, forced, and just plain laughable. The dialogue here flows naturally and feels entirely genuine. Beyond the writing, the art is some of the best I've ever seen. It's simple, but incredibly expressive and unique. Craig Thompson is also very gifted when he frames (or composes) his scenes. It's almost like watching a film. He's got the pacing, editing, directing, and quality of "photography" down brilliantly.

I really had no idea there were comics (or "graphic novels") like this. I can't recommend this high enough. I will be lending the book to my friends and buying an extra copy for my library. Everyone should read this book. As well, I will be checking out the rest of the quality graphics novels ("Box Office Poison" and "Goodbye, Chunky Rice" for example) that I've missed. Thank you Craig Thompson for this book. I envy you for you have made a brilliant piece of work that will be remembered fondly by many. You can rest easy now!

Pour ceux et celles qui ont appris à aimer les romans graphiques grâce au personnage de Paul de Michel Rabagliati, vous aimerez beaucoup Blankets. Autobiographique, Craig Thompson y dépeint son enfance avec une telle sensibilité, cela grâce à son écriture et encore plus à son dessin intuitif et raffiné. Ce roman graphique est vraiment des plus touchant! Francophones, n'hésitez pas à préférer la version originale anglaise.

Cheesy and sentimental, still I loved it, it tugged on me in just the right places to remember first love lost. Perfect for that infatuated teenager also.

When you first come into physical contact with this book, taking this brick-sized 600 page monster into your hands and cracking open the covers - the heft alone should tell you that this is no ordinary graphic-novel/comic-book. A few pages into this book and you'll immediately be hooked. Your fingers will flip through page after page and before you know it you'll already have consumed several hundred pages of what will surely go down as a monument to the medium of the graphic novel the way Art Spiegelman's, 'Maus,' did in the 80's and Neil Gaiman's, 'Sandman' series offered throughout the 90's.

'Blankets,' at its core is a simple, timeless story (coming of age, first-love, alienation, anxiety, pursuit of spiritual identity, teen-angst) told thousands of times over the millenia (books, poems, songs, movies, television) but perfectly captured, perhaps for the first time, in comic-strip form. This book is exquisitely plotted, paced, written and drawn and by the end of it all one can't help but be left dazed at the sheer artistic excellence demonstrated by Thompson, from start to finish, through thousands of panels. Visually, the black and white artwork is a stunner but perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of all is Thompson's gift for prose with not a wasted word to be found in his minimalistic narrative that still manages to be filled with layer after layer of subtext.

This truly is a title not to be missed by anyone with an appreciation for the written word, not to mention the graphical novel format. The stylish cover design and paper quality also lends itself very well as a gift-giving item.

WOW.

That is really all there is to say. I just sat down tonight and read all 582 pages in one sitting. This is not to brag mind you -- I am not a fast reader (truly this took most of the night). I am having to force myself not to re-read this book TONIGHT. It is that good. But I must go to work tomorrow and so I need sleep. But I seriously considered calling in sick tomorrow, just to read it again tonight.

This is one of the best introspective and thoughtful, well-paced, books I have ever read. Ever. And it is so accessible. If you have ever dealt with issues with your family, spiritual things, or romantic love, then you will definately get something out of this book -- even if it is just the book getting some tears out of you. But it won't be. There is WAY more to this book than just a rollercoaster ride of emotions. What depth.

Well, i guess i could go on ranting about this book, but then your reading this would just take up time that you could be using to read this book. No, time that you SHOULD be using to read this book. Sufice it to say that this is easily one of the best books that i have ever read in my life. And in addition, it is one of the most relivent to life in general.

This book is, without question, a must-read.

Today I read "Blankets" by Craig Thompson, a nearly 600 page illustrated work aka comic. It's only been a few hours and I can't yet entirely put into words how and why it resonated with me. It is almost perfect, and maybe that imperfection at the end just makes it more so. It's hands down the best depiction of Christian teens dating that I've ever come across, in any medium. And it is so much more than that. The protagonist's relationship with Raina, their different worlds... it was intensely real and bittersweet. I lived some of these scenes, and others which at first seemed extreme and foreign I soon realized were not so far from my experiences growing up. There are little things that I now realize must be universal among guys like me, like tucking the girl's hair behind her ear as she lays there because you can't bring yourself to do more but you have to touch her. The "psalm" in appreciation of, and thankfulness for, her creation is sublime. This book has rocked me.

After having been recommended this novel, I am so glad to own it! Beautiful writing and art work inside, a really wonderful story.

The day this arrived, I figured I'd be able to ration it out,a few hundred pages a day. This book must be read in one sitting, as I soon found out. I stayed up late into the night, and it was well worth it. This book will make your heart cry softly, and get warm fuzzies, sometimes all at once. The artwork only helps to bring this story to life even more.

This is definitely one of the longer graphic novel storylines I've ever read, but worth every second invested in it. The story is bittersweet, and the recollections, emotions and feelings ring so true and feel like such sweet sentiment, it was really hard not to have FEELINGS for the characters at the end of the story.

Feelings and emotion are aspects that are rarely PERFECTED in the medium of the Graphic novel, but seems to be at least close to perfection here. Additionally, there's only few comic books or Graphic Novels that I would be quick to rave about, but this one seems to make the list. Since I've had the book, I've read it three times, and the first time I literally couldn't put it down until I finished (which, at 500+ pages, means it's not always the best idea to start this one around 11:00 at night, like I did...)

I've also lent this book to three friends already, and all of them have either bought the book (2), or I've had to literally STEAL it back from them because they were also as fond of the story as I.

The fact of the matter is that this graphic novel is beyond words. I can't tell ASPECTS of the story without feeling like I'll do it an injustice. I can relate, as just about everyone can to some extent, but I just can't put the words to paper the way I'd like to. I can't even begin to explain how much I liked the story, and my writing ability isn't good enough to give it the credit it deserves...

I will say this, this is a story of relationships, growing up, and just life in general. If you think graphic novel means superheros in tights, this isn't for you, but if you think you'd like a story about growing up and the little things that come along with it, don't miss this book, regardless of whether or not it's a graphic novel, because it's just one of the best stories I've read in a long time (and the fact that it's a graphic novel doesn't deter from the story at all, in fact, it definitely makes it better)...