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16th out of 131 books
—
232 voters
The Night Bookmobile
by
Audrey Niffenegger (Goodreads Author)
Audrey Niffenegger's two novels, The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry, have made her one of the most popular writers in the world. She is also the author of two extraordinary novels-in-pictures, The Three Incestuous Sisters and The Adventuress. Now, with The Night Bookmobile, she has written her first graphic novel.
First serialised in the Guardian, The Night B...more
First serialised in the Guardian, The Night B...more
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
October 7th 2010
by Jonathan Cape
(first published September 1st 2010)
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I really don't know how to classify this book. It's like literary fiction...with pictures! The images aren't robust and integral enough to make it a full throated graphic novel - nor is it long enough - so graphic short story? The story itself is too light to be a short story with any depth, just to mix my metaphors of measurement. And it's not in comic format, more the shape, size and texture of a children's book, which lead to some awkwardness when I was bitching about this book to my husband,...more
What if there were a place that housed all the books you've ever read, from the picture books of your preschool years to the pile on your nightstand right now? What if that place were a mysterious bookmobile with rock music blaring loudly from its speakers and an enigmatic driver who knows more about you than you know yourself? What if that bookmobile only came around at night, and only every few years when you least expect it?
The narrator of this intriguing graphic novel, Alexandra, becomes ob...more
The narrator of this intriguing graphic novel, Alexandra, becomes ob...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Oct 09, 2012
Carrie
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
badly-drawn,
resting,
on,
laurels,
graphic,
novella,
dream,
dreamscape,
supernatural,
fiction
So just because Audrey Niffenegger wrote it, I'm supposed to like it? Sorry. I haven't read The Time Traveler's Wife yet, and now I'm certainly not going to. This book presents itself as a children's book, which it is absolutely not. Also, the illustrations are horrible. They are just not good. They are very, very bad. The story itself is superficial. Whatever point Niffenegger is trying to make here is inconsequential when one has to contemplate how such bad drawings actually made their way int...more
This graphic novel is AWESOME! Of course, I both work in a library and am an avid reader, so I may be biased. [return]Niffenegger's main character, Alexandra runs across the title bookmobile during a late night/early morning walk. When she enters the bookmobile, its shelves are crammed with books she has read. The librarian, Mr. Openshaw, then tells her that it is "her" bookmobile, and it carries only what she has read. Very cool![return]She is ushered out of the bookmobile as dawn approaches. S...more
http://andalittlewine.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-night-bookmobile-by-audrey.htm...
I was deeply unsatisfied by Audrey Niffenegger's The Night Bookmobile.
I have two reasons for my reaction, a simple one without spoilers and a more complicated one that will be one long spoiler. The first goes above the jump, the second will be below.
In Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud writes about the difficulty of defining what is a comic. He opts for the widest view: all art in sequence is a comic. I take th...more
I was deeply unsatisfied by Audrey Niffenegger's The Night Bookmobile.
I have two reasons for my reaction, a simple one without spoilers and a more complicated one that will be one long spoiler. The first goes above the jump, the second will be below.
In Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud writes about the difficulty of defining what is a comic. He opts for the widest view: all art in sequence is a comic. I take th...more
A graphic novel about a woman who stumbles upon a bookmobile in the middle of the night and finds every book she has read up to that point on the shelves. She longs to return to the bookmobile and encounters it at irregular intervals of time. After one visit the woman decides to go to library school and after much study she becomes a reference librarian in Chicago.
Her life revolves around books and after the final visit to her bookmobile she goes home and makes a drastic decision. She ends her...more
Her life revolves around books and after the final visit to her bookmobile she goes home and makes a drastic decision. She ends her...more
The story wasn't fully satisfying. The metaphor not quite completely thought through and it left me a bit puzzled, but despite all that I am giving the book a four star. It might be my attempt at salvaging the Rs. 1630 I just spent on it but even at the bookshop i knew that no matter how it turned out this was a book I wanted to own. The nocturnal ambience of a big city that it evokes so movingly. The life of a lonely woman increasingly consumed by the books she reads. A dreamlike Chicago of lat...more
![Tennille [A.K.A Blair] Chase [A.K.A Mirth]](http://d.gr-assets.com/users/1327111504p2/3988998.jpg)
Thoughts:
I miss the good old days of reading picture books and after recently throwing away the old censor that told me I am too old to read them, I decided that I was going to enjoy a book for being a book and forget about these thoughts or challenges that ask me to read one over 100 pages or it doesn’t count as reading a book. When I popped into the library yesterday with my partner I came upon a treasure of a picture book. Now called graphic novels or stories that are written for adults, The...more
I miss the good old days of reading picture books and after recently throwing away the old censor that told me I am too old to read them, I decided that I was going to enjoy a book for being a book and forget about these thoughts or challenges that ask me to read one over 100 pages or it doesn’t count as reading a book. When I popped into the library yesterday with my partner I came upon a treasure of a picture book. Now called graphic novels or stories that are written for adults, The...more
I just read this in the original serialized version which is still available on The Guardian website (here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/...). The story is a loving, quasi-Gothic paen to literature, to the act of reading, to librarians and librarianship, to library school, to memory. There are moments when it doesn't totally hang together or sort of veers off a little, which makes me wonder how much of the story the author had planned out ahead of time, and?or whether she was writing it...more
This short graphic novel is finely crafted, but the ending was so bad that it cost the book two full stars, in my estimation.
The book is a graphic adaptation of a short story, one in which a woman seems to love books more than anything else in her life. The reason for this is never explored or explained, but that was okay, given the short length of the story.
Then, one magical evening, she finds an old Winnebago on a street, one filled with every book that she has ever read. The story progresses...more
The book is a graphic adaptation of a short story, one in which a woman seems to love books more than anything else in her life. The reason for this is never explored or explained, but that was okay, given the short length of the story.
Then, one magical evening, she finds an old Winnebago on a street, one filled with every book that she has ever read. The story progresses...more
Maybe someday you will get really lucky and come across the Night Bookmobile. You can't go looking for it; you'll have to wait for it to find you. When you do see it, it will be blasting music that you know and love. When you board it, you will slowly begin to realize that you've read everything on the shelves. Every. Single. Thing. When you finally have to tear yourself away from the wonders of the Night Bookmobile, you'll find that morning has arrived. You also won't be able to take anything f...more
I am so sad to say that I did not enjoy this book. I really wanted to love it since it’s by a favorite author about a favorite topic in a new favorite format. But alas, The Night Bookmobile could not live up to expectations. The premise is interesting enough…there is a bookmobile that turns up unexpectedly throughout a young woman’s life. In this bookmobile is everything she has ever read and there is a librarian whose job it is to collect and arrange it all. The woman wants to become a night bo...more
I found this book interesting, and yet somehow not really satisfying.
Interesting because of the idea of the Night Bookmobile (which, beyond being the title, is hard to describe without spoilers, so I won't go further). I think it would be appealing to anybody who's an avid and devoted reader. We love books, we love reading, and we even love reading about books.
I think my lack of satisfaction had to do with 2 things:
1. The author only mentions in the "After Words" that this is "the first installm...more
Interesting because of the idea of the Night Bookmobile (which, beyond being the title, is hard to describe without spoilers, so I won't go further). I think it would be appealing to anybody who's an avid and devoted reader. We love books, we love reading, and we even love reading about books.
I think my lack of satisfaction had to do with 2 things:
1. The author only mentions in the "After Words" that this is "the first installm...more
I'm in the middle of listening to Her Fearful Symmetry, and am loving it, and also just found The Night Bookmobile on the graphic novel shelf at the library. There's so much here in this little book... which, like one reviewer said, is more of a graphic short story than a graphic novel. But... like all amazing short stories... it is packed full, rich, deep, and somehow enormous. Of course it appeals to me as a book lover--that whole idea of a library containing every book you've ever read, your...more
I was intrigued by this book when I saw it. Initially, I thought it was children's book, but as I started to read it (it's a pretty quick read), I realized it was a graphic novel geared more toward teens or adults.
The Night Bookmobile, is a somewhat disturbing book, but one that gave left me thinking about the story. The protagonist is a quiet, young woman, named Alexandra, who is obsessed by books.....sound familiar book lovers? One night when she is out late after a fight with her boyfriend, s...more
The Night Bookmobile, is a somewhat disturbing book, but one that gave left me thinking about the story. The protagonist is a quiet, young woman, named Alexandra, who is obsessed by books.....sound familiar book lovers? One night when she is out late after a fight with her boyfriend, s...more
While out walking one night, Alexandra comes across a bookmobile that is full of every book that she has ever read. This library of Alexandra fascinates her, and after she leaves, she spends years looking for it again. Alexandra begins to isolate herself, becoming obsessed with reading, wanting to impress the librarian with her choices. Eventually she becomes a librarian herself, and each time she encounters the library she is amazed at how many books it contains.
This is a beautifully illustrate...more
This is a beautifully illustrate...more
I was excited when I saw a graphic novel written by Audrey Niffenegger at the library, so I immediately checked it out. Unfortunately I was really disappointed with the book. The graphics were normal, not bad , but nothing to talk about either.
The Night Bookmobile is about a young woman who finds a night bookmobile when roaming the streets one night after having a fight with her husband. She is surprised to find all the books that she has ever read in her life in the bookmobile. I wont tell you...more
The Night Bookmobile is about a young woman who finds a night bookmobile when roaming the streets one night after having a fight with her husband. She is surprised to find all the books that she has ever read in her life in the bookmobile. I wont tell you...more
A woman, walking the 3AM streets of Chicago after a fight with her boyfriend, encounters a parked, lit-up Winnebago. She's welcomed on board by the driver, a scholarly looking gentleman who is the librarian for the Night Bookmobile. On the shelves of the bookmobile she discovers every book she's ever read, including her childhood diary.
After her initial encounter with the night bookmobile, the woman is driven to find it again, but the bookmobile proves elusive. This fantasy tale is an interestin...more
After her initial encounter with the night bookmobile, the woman is driven to find it again, but the bookmobile proves elusive. This fantasy tale is an interestin...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Very quick read. Surreal is best word to describe; found it enjoyable & haunting because of the subject matter--life of reading--and becoming consumed by it, which we can. In Niffenegger's "After Words" section, she wrote, "When I began writing The Night Bookmobile, it was a story about a woman's secret life as a reader. As I worked it also became a story about the claims that books place on their readers, the imbalance between our inner and outer lives, a cautionary tale of the seductions o...more
I read a review last Christmas which explained that the night bookmobile was a mobile library where everything you have ever read was housed, from books and newspapers to cereal packets and road signs and from that moment on, I knew I had to find it.
Looking in real-life bookshops however, failed to produce any results because what the inspiring little review didn't tell me, was that The Night Bookmobile is in fact a graphic novel.
I'm not normally a fan of graphic novels but I was so intrigued b...more
Looking in real-life bookshops however, failed to produce any results because what the inspiring little review didn't tell me, was that The Night Bookmobile is in fact a graphic novel.
I'm not normally a fan of graphic novels but I was so intrigued b...more
The premise reminded me, very vaguely, of something that Charles de Lint might have written. There's a definite charm to the idea - a roving bookmobile that shows up only when you're not expecting it and contains everything you've ever read - right down to the backs of cereal boxes! What avid reader wouldn't want to browse around a collection like that? I know I smile when I encounter an old favorite in a place I don't expect it to be.
But the premise was about all I truly enjoyed. The drawings w...more
But the premise was about all I truly enjoyed. The drawings w...more
In the wee hours of a Chicago morning, Alexandra stumbles upon a bookmobile that houses her entire reading life, and she becomes obsessed with gaining access to these collective memories. Unfortunately for her, the visits to the Night Bookmobile and librarian Mr. Openshaw are fleeting and inconsistent; Alexandra pursues a career as a librarian in an attempt to fill the void.
Niffenegger's illustrations are relatively simple, but expressive. I particularly enjoyed how alive the book became when sh...more
Niffenegger's illustrations are relatively simple, but expressive. I particularly enjoyed how alive the book became when sh...more
I picked this one up because it's about a library and I saw the nice blurb by Neil Gaiman on back. Unfortunately I didn't find it at all to be a story "perfectly told". The Night Bookmobile is the first of a larger work being titled The Library, as explained by the author in the "after words". Because of this I feel it's possible that my understanding of the story is in fact out of context until I read the completed book. But since it is published here as a single book, I also find it fair to re...more
I really, really loved the premise of this short graphic novel: on a walk at 4:00 in the morning, a young woman finds a mysterious trailer full of all the books she has ever read. It is driven by a mysterious man who claims to be a librarian of the "Night Bookmobile," open from dusk to dawn. Finding this bookmobile alters her life--she sees a portrait of herself as a reader, and it drives her to read more and more, and eventually becomes a librarian (of a more mundane sort) herself.
There's a gor...more
There's a gor...more
Audrey Niffenegger has a good thing going on with her lobes. In her graphic novel "The Night Bookmobile" -- which walks like a children's book, but certainly doesn't talk like one, Alexandra goes out for a walk in the streets of Chicago in the middle of the night. She has recently fought with her boyfriend Richard, a ponytailed lover with no time for make believe. She finds a bookmobile blasting Bob Marley and gives the driver a little peek as she walks past.
Robert Openshaw greets her, invites h...more
Robert Openshaw greets her, invites h...more
For this Fearless Friday, I’m venturing into a genre I don’t ordinarily read: the graphic novel. I love art, I love all things visual, how they provoke me. But I think I’ve always preferred the written word over the illustrated version because the worlds I imagined in my head were always superior. My only previous experience in this genre is with Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons…unless you count a minor obsession with Wonder Woman’s representation in comics over the years (the creator’s...more
The Night Bookmobile is a short graphic novel about a woman named Alexandra who one night, after arguing with her boyfriend, goes for a walk on a quiet Chicago street. During her walk she comes across an old Winnebago which holds a library and a driver/librarian named Robert. Robert, like every good librarian, invites Alexandra to browse the shelves. However, Alexandra quickly realizes that the collection consists of every book she has ever read. She is frightened at first but later becomes obse...more
I definitely expected something better here. I have no idea what the author wants me to come away with here. It's like the protagonist loved rediscovering all the books, magazines, periodicals, etc. she had ever read, but then later felt she had wasted all of her time reading, and thought of everything she had "given up" for reading. I, however, didn't see that at all, since she got a career and joy out of her passion for books, and found joy in her ever-expanding library. Weird and confusing en...more
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Audrey Niffenegger (born June 13, 1963 in South Haven, Michigan) is a writer and artist. She is also a professor in the Interdisciplinary Book Arts MFA Program at the Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts.
Niffenegger's debut novel, The Time Traveler's Wife (2003), was a national bestseller. The Time Traveler's Wife is an unconventional love story that centers on a man with a stra...more
More about Audrey Niffenegger...
Niffenegger's debut novel, The Time Traveler's Wife (2003), was a national bestseller. The Time Traveler's Wife is an unconventional love story that centers on a man with a stra...more
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“When I began writing The Night Bookmobile, it was a story about a woman's secret life as a reader. As I worked it also became a story about the claims that books place on their readers, the imbalance between our inner and outer lives, a cautionary tale of the seductions of the written word. It became a vision of the afterlife as a library, of heaven as a funky old camper filled with everything you've ever read. What is this heaven? What is it we desire from the hours, weeks, lifetimes we devote to books? What would you sacrifice to sit in that comfy chair with perfect light for an afternoon in eternity, reading the perfect book, forever?”
—
19 people liked it
“Have you ever found your heart's desire and then lost it? I had seen myself, a portrait of myself as a reader. My childhood: days home sick from school reading Nancy Drew, forbidden books read secretively late at night. Teenage years reading -trying to read- books I'd heard were important, Naked Lunch, and The Fountainhead, Ulysses and Women in Love... It was as though I had dreamt the perfect lover, who vanished as I woke, leaving me pining and surly.”
—
14 people liked it
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I get the whole...more
Nov 02, 2011 09:45am
updated Nov 02, 2011 10:20am