Clumsy
by Jeffrey Brown (Goodreads author!)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 520)
Jeffrey Brown's crude artistic style is certainly an acquired taste, and many may not get past his drawings. However, those willing to delve into his comics will find that his style coincides nicely with the intensely personal nature of his stories. Brown, in both his art and his writing, not only brings himself to a level at which the reader can relate to him (or even, perhaps, look down on him), but uses his unique storytelling style to offer what seems like a completely honest and exposed a...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
people who like the art of comics but not the violence.
10$. It looks like a small paperback novel with an attractive cover. From the first page you see the black lines and stark-white paper make a bold impression. His book is the story of a young man who has loved and lost. Simple and clear he brakes down the story in to scenes and jumbles them up so the reader must paste together the emotions. It is a little bit of a challenge in the beginning to keep the order correct, but after a while it all starts rolling much more smoothly.
Violence Fa...more
Violence Fa...more
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Read in April, 2008
When a work as reaching and compelling as Jeffrey Brown's <em>Clumsy</em> appears, it cannot but force the skeptics to re-think their instinctive criticism and second-guess what they think they know. Through an artistically sound vision and intricate storytelling, it's hard to not consider "the funnies" as a legitimate medium where the combination of picture and word can come together to elevate.
Through a fragmented narrative, Brown's autobiographical love story is tol...more
Through a fragmented narrative, Brown's autobiographical love story is tol...more
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I read this book in the comic book store until they kicked me out. "Sorry, no reading" they said. Sorry, I said, I am not spending $10 for a book I can read in 10 minutes. (Note: I didn't actually say that.)
I like the drawings because they remind me of my drawings: quick, crude, no rulers. I don't like comics of fat, harry people having sex. (Note: this book contains lots of fat, harry people doing it.) Comic sex in general tends to bother me except when Daniel Clowes does it becau...more
I like the drawings because they remind me of my drawings: quick, crude, no rulers. I don't like comics of fat, harry people having sex. (Note: this book contains lots of fat, harry people doing it.) Comic sex in general tends to bother me except when Daniel Clowes does it becau...more
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It may not have been the wisest desicion to go from Brown's most recent book to his very first one. On the other hand, you can see how much better a storyteller he has become in that time. His art is MUCH nicer now, and his stories seem better organized than they are in this collection. He also doesn't focus on the sexual side of his relationships as much either. Honestly, if this book was prose, we'd be looking at a Zane-esque type of market, as every other page has poorly drawn people having s...more
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Read in June, 2008
I think it would have taken a fair amount of courage to create this, there is so much honesty as Jeffrey reveals the love, pain and joy he shares with his second sexual girlfriend Theresa. No details are spared in the small book and it shows the good and the bad. This can be annoying at times as Jeffrey's insecurities and neediness gets frustrating. But it's also what makes it so great because what kind of story would it be if there was only the cute little strips of them kissing and cuddling. B...more
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recommends it for:
first loves
Sometimes books fall into your lap at the perfect moment. I ended up with this during that brilliant month without context - the first month you're head - over - heels in love with someone. Having 0 concentration, reading a graphic novel - a series of drawings that form peeks into the life of a new relationship- afforded me to pick up and trail off as i please. Personal, honest, accessable, and highly relateable. This book now holds a treasured spot on my shelf and reminds me of that phase ...more
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Read in July, 2005
Clumsy is baldly intimate in a way that should be embarassing, but somehow isn't. It's the autobiographical story of a long-distance relationship, told in comic-style vignettes. Brown's artwork is both crude and nuanced; sometimes his drawings are barely better than stick figures, but their body language and faces are expressive nonetheless. He captures the bittersweetness of a failed relationship perfectly; I think everyone who reads this book finds something in it that is intensely fami...more
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Read in April, 2008
this was the novel i was waiting for the most out of those in my recent spree. i wish that i had read it first, but i instantly devoured whatever arrived. i like the concept - that it's just little moments not in chronological order, because that's how you remember a past relationship. one little thought leads to another and another. i like their clumsy beginning, that you only really see it from one side. it also made me really glad i've never dated a biographical cartoonist.
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Read in December, 2006
recommends it for:
nerds....
i DO NOT read graphic novels/comix..........but i saw this guy direct one of death cab's videos and i liked what i saw.........so i picked this book up......i was simply floored by how good/funny/sad it was...........told in simple snippets.............this shit is 2 real..........i guess its a book 4 guys..........whiny guys.......like me......who pine over way 2 many women...........so my homeboys............read it and weep..............literally.........WAH WAH!!
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Read in May, 2008
Clumsy has a lot of the same weaknesses as Little Things, but it's shorter and there's a lot less time sitting around mentioning records. Also, there's loads of sex. Brown's drawings are still a little bit retarded (and it's unclear whether they're intentionally so--although I assume yes), but they're funny, and my expectations were a lot lower. I wouldn't want to date him, but I liked the book okay.
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This is not an easy book to read, as Jeffrey Brown relates stories of his failed relationship and inability to be happy when he feels he should be happy. The simple art style belies a complex story that delves deep into a person's personal fears and doesn't ever really come up on the other side.
Not a "feel good" but one that speaks to a deep inner life that I am richer for connecting with.
Not a "feel good" but one that speaks to a deep inner life that I am richer for connecting with.
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Read in February, 2008
this little book was tucked away so endearingly on the shelf at the bookstore that i had to pick it up. it was so small, shoved between two large books, with a plain tan cover, not expecting anyone to find it.
it contains crudely drawn, out of order snippets of everyday occurrences during a year-long relationship. horribly charming, horrendously heartbreaking, a lot of sex.
i loved it.
it contains crudely drawn, out of order snippets of everyday occurrences during a year-long relationship. horribly charming, horrendously heartbreaking, a lot of sex.
i loved it.
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While wandering stores covered with graphic novels with friends searching for some obscure japanese edition, I always stumbled upon jeffrey Brown's work. In an attempt to stretch the box I read in, I grabbed it and I love it! sad, real, emotional relationship slices of life-those tiny moments that make up a life with someone you love, good or bad.
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Karam by:
brorecommends it for: early 20s
A graphic novel made up of tiny intimate scenes from a relationship, drawn in simple, almost crude style. Captures in deadly right-on detail, the funny, adorable, sweet, sad, and excruciating moments that can be a part of being in love. I dunno, I should really give it five stars but it had more emotions than I am comfortable with these days.
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Read in September, 2007
The graphic novel Clumsy came to me highly recommended, so perhaps I set my expectations too high. The story is told in an interesting fashion; as a series of one-to-four page comics which all fit together (though not cronologically) to tell a greater story of love and loss. Sadly, I didn't find the story itself appealing at all.
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Read in January, 2008
I wasn't quite prepared for all the comic-book sex in this book (it was a bit embarrassing to be reading this while in my mechanic's tiny waiting room.) So much of what Brown depicts is so touching and so true to life though that after awhile I didn't even care who noticed that I was looking at drawings of fat, hairy, naked people.
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Oh Poor Jeffery Brown. Like Blankets, but crudely drawn. Found little memorable situations. I just remember skinny naked people with wirey body hair. Good to know that there's hope for us primitive drawers though. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't as remarkable as touted by James Kochalka and Chris Ware.
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If this book were shorter and a bit less repetitious then I would have probably given it more stars. That said, it is the first novel length comic I have ever read. Also, line drawings of naked people having sex, it turns out, make me really anxious while on public transportation. I'm such a prude sometimes.
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What a whiner... but I love him anyway. Jeff Brown's Clumsy is an intimate (and one-sided) look at a long distance relationship. It reads like every conversation with a lame boy you've ever had in your life. And yet, it is great. Read with Brown's mini-comic BE A MAN to help balance things out.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.99 (440 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.99 (440 ratings) number of reviews: 61popular shelves
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quote
"-Here's a pretty shell for you.
-Oh, thank you my baby.
-Look, here's another one!
-Thank you.
-Look at this pretty one!
-Thank you.
-Here's a REALLY pretty one.
-Um, thank you.
"
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