First sentence: No one would believe me, but at the age of 13, I feel totally alone in this world.
Premise/plot: This is a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl. It is not unabridged by any means; the text has been condensed/adapted. But much of the text remains recognizably Anne's own words.
My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I don't usually enjoy graphic novels....but...every now and then I find myself loving one. Did I love this one? Yes, for the most part. I think the adaptation was well done. It condensed some of the material--which almost by necessity is a bit repetitive--and put the emphasis on some of the more dramatic sections. The book remains a coming-of-age memoir; readers witness Anne's emotional ride through puberty in the midst of war and uncertainty. I liked how the amount of text varied throughout. Sometimes Anne's own words are more powerful than any image could ever hope to be. And sometimes the illustrations really convey Anne's inner life remarkably well. For example, there's a spread where the illustrator is showing how Anne feels about being compared to her "perfect" sister Margot. That was PRICELESS in my opinion. Another great example is an illustration revealing Anne's disgust with her dentist roommate. She finds HIS UNDERWEAR on Kitty--her diary. That would certainly explain a lot if it is true.
I reviewed the definitive edition of her diary earlier this year where I discussed my reactions to Anne's text.
© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
1 comment:
Post a Comment