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Nov 17, 2007

Amy rated it:

You know that feeling when you see something for the first time, and it perfectly defines an undefinable emotion? Like the first time you heard Pink Floyd's "Great Gig in the Sky?"

Same thing here. This book manages to completely encapsulate that raw loss---of friends, of family, of innocence, of whatever while going to seek your fortune. I don't want to sound corny, but it's like an elegy to what you leave behind in order to get to your future.

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Apr 07, 2008

Chris rated it:

As powerful, sweet, sad, and beautiful as Blankets, but in 128 pages. And starring a turtle. And his dear mouse lover.

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May 10, 2008

Wellington rated it:

After reading Craig Thompson's book, Blankets, I had to read Chunky Rice. I ran home and immediately dug in. Why am I reading about a mouse and a turtle? I put it down figuring I had adjust my expectations (note to self - be careful of Indiana Jones Crystal Skull)

A few days later, I picked it back and was rather charmed by this book a goodbye between friends. You will have to suspend belief that you have a turtle and a mouse being friends and they interact in the human worl More...

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Nov 10, 2007

Carter rated it:

Good-bye, Chunky Rice was a beautiful book. It took me a bit to get who the characters were and how they related to one another, but once I did I found the story very moving. The various relationships between the characters are in a way interwoven. We learn the back story on a few characters (we learn how Merle's wings get damaged) and I like how this knowledge weaves its way into further relationships. Chunky and Dandel, Chunky and Solomon, Solomon and his father, etc. Some of the images a More...

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Sep 08, 2007

Laura rated it:

As good as Blankets but in a different way. I'm interested in how Thompson deals with "disability," and this book addresses it in even more direct ways than Blankets. About a turtle improbably named Chunky Rice, who is perhaps even more improbably best friends with a mouse named Dandle. Chunky Rice moves away from his home and away from Dandle, meeting a crew of what should be misfits on the boat that takes him far away from his friend. Unexpectedly, the book ends up being a really More...

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Aug 19, 2011

Martin rated it:

Hm. Where to begin. let's start with the good.

Solomon's dialect. This is the only thing giving the book any sense of place. As no place is ever mentioned except the fictional Kahootney Islands, it was nice to have an anchor, even if it was only a gulf-coast/Louisiana accent that did it. Solomon's dialect also made him one of the more endearing characters, in my opinion. Also, the book is well drawn. While I find some of the transitions and juxtapositions gimmicky, it was overall good i More...

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Apr 18, 2011

Christian rated it:

What makes "Good-bye, Chunky Rice" such a great book--what makes all of Craig Thompson's books great, for that matter--is how relatable it is.

The story follows Chunky Rice, a turtle who is leaving home. Most of us have moved to other places in our lives and lost friends, or we've had friends move away. In the days before social networking, these departures could mean good-bye forever. Thompson turns an unlikely journey featuring talking animals into something emotional powe More...

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Feb 25, 2010

Ginfur rated it:

This is the first Craig Thompson book I've read. After reading some reviews about some of his other work, I'm glad I started with this one, because I'm pretty much in love with his stuff now.

Thompson's tale of leaving love, finding your way, and all the bumps that come with taking an uncharted path is told through a turtle and a mouse. It is such a lovely and bittersweet story. Some of the scenes were so tender and heartfelt, it made me want to hug the characters and the author to p More...

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Jan 18, 2009

Sarah rated it:

This is a story about a turtle and a mouse who love each other. That's the simple version of things, but come on! How can you NOT read a book about that?

I had read Blankets and so was already a fan of Thompson's when I picked this volume up. More than anything, I would love to go back in time and have read this book first. It encapsulates something so different and undefinable about moving on, losing the people you love most to gain others--or other things--that I wish I had read More...

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Oct 14, 2007

Lindsay rated it:

I've seen this sitting around at comic book shops for years but never felt compelled to buy it. I saw it in my local library so I thought I'd give it a try. Oh what I've had missing from my life for so long. The story is heartbreaking and uplifting. The black and white (no grey) artwork is beautiful and has so much emotion in each drawing. I'm probably going to go out and buy this now.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 17, 2011

Mike rated it:

Touching and poignant, this is a wonderful offering from Craig Thompson that is deeply felt and really strikes a chord. There is such a profound sense of loss throughout these pages, but also hope. Through this turtle, Chunky Rice, Thompson examines, in a fable-like manner, the idea of leaving home and friends and the safety of the known to find oneself and one's purpose. Through the character of Solomon, Thompson touches on feelings of remorse, regret, loneliness, and discovering the harsh real More...

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Jul 03, 2010

Lindsay rated it:

I checked out this book at the library when I needed a graphic novel for my young-adult literature class. I read Persepolis first and loved it, so I assumed that this one would also be poignant and touching. Sadly, I was quite disappointed. The graphics in the novel sadly remind me of Sponge Bob Square Pants--I can't stand Sponge Bob Square Pants. But it tells the story of a young turtle Chunky Rice who leaves his best friend Dandel the mouse in search for adventure. The book explores some prett More...

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May 29, 2007

Isaac rated it:

Not as massive and compelling as "Blankets", but I prefer it, being a sucker I guess for the fantastic over the realistic. A beautifully affecting little parable about a turtle who goes to sea.

(For those who don't know, Craig Thompson is one of the new generation of comic artists' brightest stars and is required reading.)

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Nov 10, 2010

Nikki rated it:

I picked this up from the library because I enjoyed Thompson's Blankets, but I wasn't sure what to expect. From the cover and a quick glance at the illustrations, it seemed like it might be a bit cutesy, and my experience with cutesy books lately is that they are cute without being deep, and they try to hard to make me care about characters I don't care about. Goodby, Chunky Rice isn't like that at all, I'm happy to say. Sure it's cute, but it's also deeply moving.

Thompson made me fee More...

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Dec 16, 2009

Todd rated it:

this touching story of friends and that need to see the world... i hate this. i am going to stop. basically i am puting books on my list that i think you should read. if i don't like it i am not going to spend the time to look it up, rate it, and write about. i am the feel good book critic of goodreads.com

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Feb 25, 2011

Ofa rated it:

This is my first graphic novel read. It was surprising. I had my doubts that a "comic book" could not possibly have the same literary experience as a novel. It was charming. It was heavy in literary devices, such as foreshadowing and types. It had heavy ties in myth and interweaving stories. The types and symbols in this book are so much more stark and obvious but not obvious enough to be cheap. Anyone reading this would have to look into those symbols: do some research. It's not dumm More...

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Jun 16, 2010

Gabriel rated it:

I wish everything was as easy as giving 3 or 5 stars to a book;
I wish those actions -giving stars, rating- could really explain something;
I wish that act could say as much about ambiances, about feelings, as some pictures and some words can say.

I wish I could relate to people the same way I can relate to some books; the way I can relate to this book.

I wish I could understand the urge of some people -my own urge- to run away. What's that strange artifac More...

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Feb 28, 2009

Samantha rated it:

A touching story about friendship and loss featuring a cast of colorful characters. Chunky Rice, a turtle, is leaving on a journey to find himself and travels by ship. He leaves behind his best friend who is a mouse. She spends her days after he leaves gathering glass bottles that she uses to send Chunky letters in.

Overall, this book made me think. There are many shades to loss and Thompson says a lot on the subject, but in a subtle way without too many words or simply with pictures More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Sunil rated it:

Good-bye, Chunky Rice is the tale of a turtle named Chunky Rice who leaves his best friend, a deer mouse named Dandel, to find a place where he belongs or something. He travels on his landlord's brother's ship and meets some Siamese twins. And I don't know, stuff happens.

The art is pretty. I expected that. But, man, I could not really get into the book at all. Chunky Rice, the apparent protagonist, doesn't really have a personality. Dandel isn't actually a character; she just spouts po More...

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Mar 28, 2008

Tony rated it:

This is a pretty heartbreaking little book. I challenge anyone to read it and not take a decent chuck out of a box of tissues. A good reflection on change and how it effects our lives.

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Nov 07, 2010

Annarosepenny added it

Sad & sweet, of all the friends that I've known, for a time...
Chunky Rice is not quite sure why he's leaving this small town for the open sea and wind-swept islands. His mouse friend rides her bike, goes to work, and sends letters that say "I miss you" in collected corked bottles to the sea... (Who do you choose to live with, and why do you leave?) On the boat is a captain that couldn't stop riding the high seas if he wanted to, and Siamese twins that couldn't be separated if More...

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May 28, 2011

J.F. rated it:

Having read Thompson's memoir, "Blankets", first helped me to better understand the psychology behind Chunky Rice. I can see in Chuck all the bullies that Thompson dealt with in his youth, and Chuck and Solomon's father seems to mirror Thompson's own father. However, what this book captures best is the innate need for companionship and acceptance that we all have. Life truly is a meaningless journey if we do not have someone to share it with. Life can be so cruel without friends an More...

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Jul 09, 2009

Zack rated it:

Memorably bizarre characters meditating on loss and love; striking high-contrast cartoony style; quirky mixed print-and-cursive lettering; handfuls of narratives jostling together like branches in a fast current; all this and more await the reader of "Good-bye, Chunky Rice." I wanted to read it because I really enjoyed Thompson's autobiographical "Blankets," and though this book's surreal personnages are a far cry from the "hey I know someone just like that!"-cast o More...

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May 13, 2011

oriana rated it:

Holy fuck, this book is really really really sad. (I could tell it would be from the very first page. A cartoon turtle riding a bike with a cartoon mouse-deer whose eyes are so big and luminous that they take up 3/4 of her face? Yeah.) In a lot of ways I think this tells the same story as Blankets—the despair of leaving, loneliness, finding a stunning connection with someone else only to lose it, sort of on purpose—but in a much more succinct, much more devastating way. Mostly very beautiful, al More...

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Nov 10, 2010

Bryce rated it:

Nope. I get the allegory (...I think that's a good descriptor, but I know there are better), and the story indeed has its precious moments. But it holds not a candle to "Blankets," or for that matter many of the other better graphic novels I've read as of recent. I wish I could reach through the ether and just tell Craig Thompson to finish the thought this book starts...drive home the idea...but he cliffhangs on a few of the more substantive ideas and for that matter all of the indi More...

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Feb 28, 2011

Frenchhornbook rated it:

Best graphic novel ever :) The plot was seemingly simple because the story was so short but there was really a lot to it. The art was amazing and I loved the layout of tha pages. There were so many little stories interwoven with each other. Thanks so much Fin for lending me this! The undertones of love were great. I love how Dandel sends the messages in bottles because I have always been fascinated with that concept. THe thing with Marle destroying her wings was interesting and I'm not sure I un More...

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Jan 10, 2012

Naomi rated it:

This book is endlessly charming. All the characters are entertaining and touching (though I admit I was sort of continually disturbed by the glassy shine of Dandel's round mouse deer eyes). I especially enjoyed the story about Solomon & Merle, though all the stories together reveal certain hard but beautiful truths about life & friendship.

I recently had the good fortune to see a few of the original pages from this work at The University of Iowa's art museum (a time-limited exhibit More...

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Dec 13, 2011

Ashlea rated it:

I checked this book out of the public library and absolutely adored it! This book tugs at your heart as the story surrounds the idea of being away from a loved one and what it is like to be captivated by the feelings you get from reflecting and caring for another. It is visually depicted in the manner of children's book but the idea behind it is incredibly mature. I later had my 14 year old brother check it out from the library. He is typically drawn to action/hero types of graphic novels but sp More...

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Oct 03, 2011

Lindsey rated it:

A wacky little book. A turtle and another critter (maybe part deer?) are best friends. The turtle decides to leave for reasons that he doesn't completely understand while the part deer creature pines over his departure. Meanwhile a weird man, who used to rent a room to the turtle, reflects on his difficult childhood involving his beloved pets and abusive father. Now an adjoined twin duo enter the picture, again for no reason I can fathom, and the brother of the weird guy with the past all get on More...

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Sep 10, 2009

Christie rated it:

Amazing how so much emotion can be packed in only a few pages.

Raw. Heart wrenching. Beautiful.

With the recent departure of my very good friend for dental school, Thompson's words certainly hit home. A sorrowful love story illustrating the tired and true adage, "If you love something, let it go."

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"What does a breathtaking view of the ocean mean without you?"

"Dandel. I'm a turtle. My home is on my back. An More...

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