Thursday, March 26, 2009

Maus II by Art Spiegelman


Spiegelman, Art. 1991. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began.

If Maus I was great, Maus II is even greater. If you thought the first one was heart-felt and moving, wait until you get to this one. Everything is more intense. The sorrows and griefs are even deeper; the actions even more troubling. For here we get to the heart of the story. The darkest place of all. Artie's father and mother have been captured by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp. (In this graphic novel, the name is "Mauschwitz" instead of Auschwitz.) In the contemporary story line, we see that Artie's father isn't doing well; in fact, it becomes obvious, that he's dying. This complicates things tenfold. More guilt. More anger. More frustration. Even in fine health, Artie had a difficult time getting along with his father. Now, when his father perhaps needs him more than ever, he's crankier and grouchier and meaner than ever. Life isn't easy. Never easy. This is a complex novel--graphic novel--with heart and soul. Highly recommended.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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7 comments:

Donna (Bites) said...

I love these graphic novels. Truly an amazing read.

Stasia D said...

I can't wait to see this one.

Liviania said...

Maus is awesome - Spiegleman uses the visual medium to great advantage.

Staci said...

Maus I and II were both truly outstanding books. I loved the graphic novel medium and I believe that teachers could get a lot of reluctant high school readers interested in the Holocaust and learning more about it by using these powerful books!!

Debi said...

Oh Becky, your reviews were so wonderful! You truly nailed the things I loved so much about these books. Especially in the way they captured the aftermath.

Ana S. said...

Maus is indeed amazing, and I really liked your review!

Tif Sweeney said...

I believe that these books are so very powerful and highly recommend them too! In case you may be interested, I reviewed them a while back on my blog. Here is the link . . . http://tiftalksbooks.blogspot.com/2007/11/maus-i-maus-ii-by-art-spiegelman.html