#malgre tout

[taxidermied-feelings]

Always Never by Jordi Lafebre

[nyxqueen97]

Stuff i’ve read (2022)

Step by bloody step by Si Spurrier, Matheus Lopes and Matias Bergara

Rain by Joe hill, David M.Booher and Zoe Thorogood

Poison Ivy (2022) by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara

Hellblazer(1989) #1-40 Jamie delano and various artists

Malgré tout/Always never by Jordi Lafebre

Aquaman andromeda by ram v and Christian Ward

Eight billion genies by Charles soul and Ryan Browne

Elektra: Black, White & Blood (anthology)

Sins of the black flamingo by Andrew Wheeler and Travis moore

Les orgres Dieux:Première-née/The ogre gods: first born by Hubert Boular and Bertrand Gatignol

I am once again having new year amnesia so im not too fond of this list because i feel like i read a lot more but shout out to  Superman infinite city, various ongoing DC series that have been excellent last yr  , Amethyst princess of gemworld, Starman and the madame Xanadu 80s comics, Swamp thing,The ray and Books of magic(1990), i unfortunately haven’t read as much indie comics as i would've liked this year but DC kinda preoccupied my reading time for comics that year lol

[maddiesbookshelves]

Always Never, by Jordi Lafebre

It's a love story in reverse. A platonic passion between two people. On the one side, there's Ana, a charismatic woman in her sixties, former mayor newly retired, a wife and a mom. A fighter with a big heart commanding respect. On the other side, there's Zeno, a confirmed bachelor, bookseller close to retiring and PhD student whose thesis took him forty years to write. A free spirit and traveller, as charming as he is mysterious.

Over the years, they have woven together an impossible and inexhaustible love. While going through the excuses that prevented it to happen, we rewind the clock on this romance, with all its twists and turns... Until its origins.

I bawled my eyes out when I reached the last page, it was amazing.

It was probably the most touching and beautiful love story I've read since... forever, maybe. The art style and the colors were what drew my attention first, and what was inside was just as beautiful as the cover.

The backward narration timewise was a really interesting way to tell Zeno and Ana's story because we know that something happened for them to lose touch and miss each other throughout the years, but we're left wondering what until we get there. It also means that some details come back at different points in time and we only understand where they come from later (the lilies were my favorite). It feels like we're being rewarded for paying attention to what's being said and drawn.

Anyways, much much love for this graphic novel, I'll borrow another one by Jordi Lafebre at the library as soon as possible.

French version under the cut

C'est l'histoire d'un amour à rebours. Une passion platonique mais éternelle entre deux êtres. D'un côté, il y a Ana. Sexagénaire charismatique, ancienne maire tout juste retraitée, mariée et maman. Une battante au grand coeur qui impose le respect. De l'autre, il y a Zeno. Célibataire endurci, libraire proche de la retraite et doctorant en physique qui aura mis quarante ans pour terminer sa thèse. Un esprit libre et voyageur, aussi séduisant que mystérieux.

Au fil des années, ils ont tissé ensemble un amour impossible et intarissable. Tout en égrainant les excuses qui ont empêché qu'elle ne prenne forme, on remonte le temps de cette romance et de ses méandres... jusqu'à sa source.

J'ai pleuré comme une madeleine quand je suis arrivée à la dernière page, c'était incroyable.

C'est probablement l'histoire d'amour la plus touchante et la plus belle que j'ai lu depuis... peut-être toujours. Les dessins et les couleurs sont ce qui a attiré mon regard en premier et l'intérieur de la BD est aussi beau que la couverture.

La narration à rebours était un moyen super intéressant de raconter l'histoire d'amour de Zéno et Ana parce qu'on sait qu'il s'est passé certaines choses pour qu'ils se perdent de vue et se ratent au fil du temps, et on se demande comment ça s'est produit jusqu'à ce qu'on y arrive. Ça permet aussi d'avoir des détails qui se répètent et dont on ne comprend l'origine que plus tard (les lys étaient mon détail préféré). On se sent récompensé quand on fait attention à ce qu'il se dit ou ce qui est dessiné.

Bref, gros gros gros coup de cœur, j'emprunterai une autre BD de Jordi Lafebre à la bibliothèque dès que possible.

[anditendshowyoudexpect]

[bluebellravenbooks]

A coffee and Malgré Tout by Jordi Lafebre

[balu8]

Jordi Lafebre

[bluebellravenbooks]

Malgré Tout by Jordi Lafebre

This probably holds the record for shortest time ever between me learning about a book's existence and placing the order. I chanced upon the cover, loved the art style, read the blurb and immediately knew this would be my jam. I'm definitely not disappointed - the story was good, if a bit predictable (but that's what you get for writing in reverse chronology), and the character design is outstanding.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⛅

What's going on: Ana is a devoted city mayor with a family, and Zeno is a vagabond who couldn't stay in one place for a week if he tried. This is the story of their lives, driven apart by both fate and their passions, from the moment they are finally together, to the moment they met some forty years before that.

What I liked:

Excellent art style and character work

A good story - I'm a big fan of lifelong relationships; your typical Hollywood falling-in-love montage that takes a couple weeks is so not my thing. This story is a bit angsty, but not too much so; it feels like the Before Sunset trilogy without all the darkness of the last movie.

The story is slow-paced and not exactly full of surprises - reverse chronology be like that - but it's imaginative, and a vast cast of secondary characters keeps it interesting

What I didn't like:

Again, reverse chronology - it's a tricky thing. I thought it was an interesting style experiment, and it was rooted in some thematic lines of the narration itself, but still it failed to deliver any sort of emotional punch at the end

Zeno spent all forty years of the narrative writing what he calls a doctoral thesis in physics, which he finally presents with a jar of butterflies and some ramblings about how time can sometimes go backwards; it was very poetic and all that, but I couldn't help being very irritated by this plotline. But that's just me, an actual doctoral student in a physics-related field, so feel free to disregard that :)

Overall thoughts:

A very solid read, can recommend to anyone interested in the genre. I'll be definitely reading more work by this artist.

[bluebellravenbooks]

10.04.21 It's been raining miserably all day, so I have a good excuse to postpone my errands till tomorrow and spend the day at home. Some current bookish things:

Malgré Tout by Jordi Lafebre - I can't believe I haven't heard of this author/artist before. I had one look at the cover and the blurb (the story being about two lifelong friends, sort of) and ordered it immediately. I'm reading it now and very much not disappointed - the art style, especially the character design, is delightful, and I always enjoy stories about long-lasting connections between people. This book feels like the Before Sunrise trilogy, but without the nightmare turn of its last movie

Also currently reading: The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud, and Robot Dreams by Isaac Asimov (almost finished with this collection)

Got the rest of the Imperial Radch series and it's next on my list once I finish some of the current reads

And also in book mail, I received word that the amazing London-based bookshop/publisher Persephone Books is moving to Bath! No doubt Londoners will be annoyed, but I'm very selfishly happy - I'd prefer a day in Bath to the bustle of London almost any time. (Don't get me wrong, I love London and all the interesting stuff it has on offer, but I've grown soft after years of living in Oxford - I like the quiet and not needing public transport... Plus, Bath is just a lovely place. I'm really looking forward to paying a visit once the pandemic is over.)