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490th out of 1,496 books
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3,009 voters
Notes for a War Story
"The war arrived in our village on the 18th of January. Obviously there were other wars going on, but they didn't have anything to do with us. There were wars for blacks. Wars for Arabs. Wars for Slavs. Our war started on the 18th of January, and in a few days, everything had changed."
So recounts Giuliano, a loner among outsiders, one of threeyoungdrifters caught up in the...more
So recounts Giuliano, a loner among outsiders, one of threeyoungdrifters caught up in the...more
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
August 7th 2007
by First Second
(first published 2004)
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Maybe I should just find the list of what's won best book at Angouleme each year and go by that for a while because they certainly seem to have taste. I wasn't really looking forward to reading this, with its William Steig-esque art and its serious subject matter (war in an unidentified Balkan country), but it really grabbed me. For one thing, Gipi's art has a real depth to it. The drawing bit might be scritchy-scratchy, but the oils (yes, oils) that overlay it suggest night and rain and Europe...more
short notes for review: I'm a bit torn about what to make of this book as I feel like I'm thrown into the middle of a story without any idea of where I've landed, the time period, or anything else. Part of my troubles maybe that the book was originally written in another language and I've always found it difficult for graphic novels to be translated to other languages, in part because not only are you translating the words, but in some ways you have to translate the images as well as the visual...more
Well I don’t know where to start with this book. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it. I don’t like it but I don’t hate it. I think I understood what happened through the novel but to tell you the truth I’m really not sure. From what I could gather rich kid leaves his family joins a, what I would call gang and then they go to try and sell some car parts and during this whole time they are in a war. They can’t sell the parts so they go to this bigger “gang” and these people take them in and s...more
This is the story of 3 young men in an unnamed war-torn country trying to survive the conflict. They meet a local gangster and begin working for him. The narrator is a middle class boy who's left his family to be with his friends, both of whom are orphans. One of the orphans called Little Killer becomes leader of their small group as they become gangsters themselves. Eventually they become involved as freedom fighters in the conflict but the narrator is separated from his two friends. He returns...more
This is the fourth work by Gipi that I've read to date, and I have to say that this one is the best of the lot. Gipi uses a wonderfully loose line coupled with monochromatic watercolor fills that shift in intensity as he moves backwards and forwards in the timeline of this compelling story. [return][return]There is a definite thematic sympathy between Notes for a War Story and Joe Sacco's Safe Area Gorazde, but Gipi delivers a fictional storyline that focuses on the difficult proposition of youn...more
Notes for a War Story is a graphic novel that discusses the trials of being a teenager growing up in a "war zone." The narrator Giuliano, is a boy of 17 who is trying to figure out where his place is during the war. Is his place with his friends as they steal, deliver mysterious packages, and collect debts for a man they barely know to make ends meet, or is it at home with his computer, comfortable home, and parents where all the comforts of home are available?
According to Giuliano's friends Ste...more
According to Giuliano's friends Ste...more
It was... okay. I thought the most interesting part was actually the analysis that someone included as an afterword. The drawing was of the crude school, and part of me was dubiously- 'oh great, another comic about war and/or bosnia,' but it wasn't like Safe Area Gorazde or anything. Not even very graphic. Dream-like, in a way. And short enough that I didn't feel like I wasted my life reading it.
That doesn't sound like a rave review, because it's not. It's not bad, it's not wonderful, it's an a...more
That doesn't sound like a rave review, because it's not. It's not bad, it's not wonderful, it's an a...more
Notes for a War Story covers the experiences of three friends in the war torn Balkans as they move from teenage hoodlums to organized criminals working for a local crime boss. They travel far from home, shake people down for money, deliver packages, and make more money than any of them have ever seen. As a result, they are increasingly drawn into the lifestyle until the final climax when the war comes to their town and they join the rebel militia, believing this will position them for even great...more
I was hoping that this book would be an account of the Balkan conflict suitable for teens- its not.
However, this book does get into the more general theme of gang violence and the question of choice.
What I like is that the characters acknowledge both the positive and negative things that come from running with a gang. It acknowledges the fancy clothes, piles of cash, the sense of family and brotherhood. It also addresses stress, intimidation, pain, power, and murder. One of the characters begi...more
However, this book does get into the more general theme of gang violence and the question of choice.
What I like is that the characters acknowledge both the positive and negative things that come from running with a gang. It acknowledges the fancy clothes, piles of cash, the sense of family and brotherhood. It also addresses stress, intimidation, pain, power, and murder. One of the characters begi...more
An extremely heartfelt piece that balances its realistic monotone oil-painted settings with a skilled stylization of its human characters. Its a coming of age story set in the midst of a war in the Balkans in which the teenage narrator Giuliano and his friends Christian and Little Killer wander the landscape surveying bombed out villages and dodging soldiers. They eventually cross paths with a slick war-profiteer named Felix who takes a liking to Little Killer in particular and sends the three o...more
Gorgeous monochrome artwork with what I thought was done in watercolour until I read the afterword, turns out is was all done in oils(?!!) compliments the harsh tale of 3 teenage lads trying to stick together and fit in as an unnamed civil war takes place around them.
I'm off to buy more of Gipi's stuff.
I'm off to buy more of Gipi's stuff.
This was interesting...and good...but stayed pretty superficial. I would have loved for it to go into the characters' lives before the war instead of painting them as broad archtypes. I would have loved more detail about the criminal underworld that sprang out of the destruction, and I would have liked things to not be so cut and dry for the characters and their entry into this world. I would have liked for the characters to be more distinguishable from one another visually. I would have liked f...more
The art is breathtakingly good. The story is compelling, but unfortunately, with a protagonist who is removed from his feelings in many ways, we wind up being removed from caring as much about the characters as we might. I have to say, too, that the small panels meant VERY small print which was hard to read--the book could have been about an inch bigger in all dimensions. A good read if you're in to graphic novels.
One of the best graphic novels that I have ever read. Taught me a lot about the power of the medium. It's a totally unique tone that I have never felt before, even if the drawings lack the deft hand of a master cartoonist. Phenomenal.
L'unica cosa negativa è la descrizione del libro qui su Goodreads...
in the whirlwind of a war in the Balkans.
Ma quando mai? I protagonisti si chiamano Stefano, Giuliano e Christian. La guerra si svolge in un posto dove i paesi hanno nomi di santi. Sarà magari l'Italia, azzardo io?
Dark graphic novel dealing with three young men, two of which are orphans, and their struggles making a living in a war torn country. Recounts their journey as they begin working for a man using the war to his advantage.
Three teens scrounge for a living in a war-torn country, and get involved in racketeering and crime sprees led by a charismatic leader named Felix. They deliver "packages" for him in exchange for money and prestige in his gang. It's an ok story, a look at how war affects people, and how young people can be easily influenced by leaders. I just didn't like the illustrations, they're that scribbly line-style that looks too much like it should be animated, to me; when it's used in still image form i...more
I just don't find Gipi's humans appealing or relatable at all. Too many sharp noses and unibrows. Or maybe I was feeling lazy the night I picked it up. I like his landscapes.
I love the ending when Stefano a.k.a. Little Killer (and the other guy I can't remember the name of) come of the train with no heads.
This is not a cheerful story and has very little in the way of a resolution. But, as the afterword says, Gipi's graphic novel about an unnamed war in an unnamed modern European country brings up real issues about what happens when boys grow into men in a war zone, when petty crimes committed to stay alive turn into bigger crimes committed with guns - and then someone realizes that being a soldier means having even better guns. The characters each have their own way of coping, and you could almos...more
Good book. I liked how vague it was, and how it focused on the characters rather than violence or suspense.
Amazing graphic novel about what it is like to be on the bottom of the food chain in a Balkans civil war.
Es muy triste que Gipi haya dejado de dibujar comics, es muy bueno contando historias, me gusto mucho el final
Interesting read. Thought the story lacked development.
A beautifully illustrated story set during an unnamed war.
Authentic teens drifting through a war-torn land.
Great visual life story exquisitely told.
A truly beautiful graphic novel!
Blown away.
Fabulous artwork, yes it is oils, amazing dialogue and a truly eye opening account of youth in war. The three main characters represent the very worst of an impressionistic youth and how we as humans try to survive abandonment, false unity and ideology. Anorexic in detail and unashamedly masculine throughout the book, Gipi portrays pain, isolation and tragedy of conflict on society without ever really going in to detail of a / any / the war beyond three young boys lives.
Brilliant!
Deserves 3 1/2 stars here...
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Born in Pisa, Gianni Pacinotti (Gipi) started out illustrating for the publishing and advertising fields. From 1992, he creates illustrated stories and comics, published in magazines like Cuore, Blue, Il Clandestino, Boxer, Il Manifesto and La Straniero. In 2000, he founded Santa Maria Video, a studio through which he creates video and animation shorts.
His graphic novel 'Appunti per une Storia di...more
More about Gipi...
His graphic novel 'Appunti per une Storia di...more
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Aug 26, 2008 05:05am
Aug 23, 2009 01:08am