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Tamara Drewe / Posy Simmonds

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If you’re wondering about all the hoopla regarding graphic novels, you might want to pick up Tamara Drewe and give the genre a try. Forget about comics like Scooby Doo or superheroes like Spiderman or Batman that you might remember from your childhood. Tamara Drewe is a very adult drama (okay, it's a soap opera) loosely based on Hardy’s Far from the Maddening Crowd. It was first serialized in the British newspaper The Guardian, was then compiled into this single volume, and has now been made into a feature film with live actors. My brother-in-law recommended this title to me, and I didn’t quite know what to expect. It’s hard to imagine that a “comic strip” can be so compelling, but I think when I look back on it, I will remember it as a novel and not necessarily as a graphic novel, and certainly not as a cartoon! The graphic novel is finding a new readership. Give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Comments

  1. wclaspyJanuary 19, 2011 at 5:46 AM

    I second this recommendation- it was a good story, even for a "soap opera"!

    ReplyDelete

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