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The Life of Saint Nicholas
Offers a wry retelling of the story of Saint Nicholas and the small miracles he performed during his life
131 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 25, 2016
A dilemma. Hardbound, with thick, but not glossy paper. Lots of spaces between the sparse text and small cartoon illustrations. Perfect for writing. You’ll feel an itch to use this for note-taking, maybe even as a diary. Surprise people that you have a book-looking diary, or a notebook for a school subject, or something you write your groceries or expenses on.
The spaces and the paper invite WRITING. Yet if you do write on the pages you mar the story since this is a comic book and the illustrations contribute a lot to the integrity and sense of the entire story. So you wonder why the publisher would package this book this way (why not like other comic books where there are no spaces for writing?).
To be read? To be used? To be read and, later, used?
The spaces and the paper invite WRITING. Yet if you do write on the pages you mar the story since this is a comic book and the illustrations contribute a lot to the integrity and sense of the entire story. So you wonder why the publisher would package this book this way (why not like other comic books where there are no spaces for writing?).
To be read? To be used? To be read and, later, used?
September 7, 2022
The red circle is a sticker on the book but printed into dustcover
Sure, I liked it, but only because it gave good vibes. I would not recommend it for your time or money though.
The plotting is extraordinarily sparce and nearly the bare-minimum is said per the amount of pages. It's just a smattering of facts kind of work that teaches nothing beyond bullet-pointage. I couldn't even understand what he was "doing" with the ending and good-riddanced it.
The art is just as terrible as I've seen from a professional. The line"work" is far too shaky and disconnected to the point where it gives me the feeling that he doesn't care enough about it's quality which sends me straight to the words without any care for examination -let alone appreciation- but the worst of it is the utter laziness of setting/background since there is as little drawn, besides people, as I've ever seen! He'll slap a single color behind characters to sort of frame them but he's very stingy about it and it's the kind of watercolor job that anyone be capable of after no more than an hour of instruction on how brush coloring works.
Sure, I liked it, but only because it gave good vibes. I would not recommend it for your time or money though.
The plotting is extraordinarily sparce and nearly the bare-minimum is said per the amount of pages. It's just a smattering of facts kind of work that teaches nothing beyond bullet-pointage. I couldn't even understand what he was "doing" with the ending and good-riddanced it.
The art is just as terrible as I've seen from a professional. The line"work" is far too shaky and disconnected to the point where it gives me the feeling that he doesn't care enough about it's quality which sends me straight to the words without any care for examination -let alone appreciation- but the worst of it is the utter laziness of setting/background since there is as little drawn, besides people, as I've ever seen! He'll slap a single color behind characters to sort of frame them but he's very stingy about it and it's the kind of watercolor job that anyone be capable of after no more than an hour of instruction on how brush coloring works.
November 16, 2021
There was indeed an actual Saint Nicholas. He lived from 270 to 343 CE and generally resided in Asia Minor. Very little historical facts are known about his life other than he was a Christian bishop and was known for giving gifts. There are many legends of his purported miracles, such as calming a stormy sea, the resurrection of murdered children and saving innocent soldiers from being punished. These stories first appeared in print long after his death, so it is likely that they were significantly embellished years after his death.
Knowing this, reading this book and the supposed miracles of Saint Nicholas must be done with a heavy tilt towards the belief that it is fiction. Blechman is well known as a cartoonist for “The New Yorker” magazine and he has a distinctive, minimalist style. He is also a talented purveyor of puns and wordplay, which emphasizes the fictional nature of the story.
As long as you don’t take the listed actions of Nicholas too seriously, this is a fun book of mythology about a real man that has inspired great legends that are acted on once a year with great exuberance and joy, especially for children.
Knowing this, reading this book and the supposed miracles of Saint Nicholas must be done with a heavy tilt towards the belief that it is fiction. Blechman is well known as a cartoonist for “The New Yorker” magazine and he has a distinctive, minimalist style. He is also a talented purveyor of puns and wordplay, which emphasizes the fictional nature of the story.
As long as you don’t take the listed actions of Nicholas too seriously, this is a fun book of mythology about a real man that has inspired great legends that are acted on once a year with great exuberance and joy, especially for children.
July 28, 2019
My first interest was in R. Blechman’s illustrations (this is more of a graphic novel than book). He first caught my attention as a child for a series of ads he did for Alia-Seltzer as well as some holiday spots for one of the TV channels. I loved his craggy little creatures and I loved the spots (which may or may not have had anything to do with him, but as a child I just assumed). R. Blechman has received many awards for his work, deservedly.
This little book also has a sweet message interspersed with the truffle hunter who supposedly digs up an unknown history of St. Nicholas. Blechman devises his own interpretation of Nicholas’ life, dealing with his confusion as to why some people are poor and his efforts to end suffering. Blechman also improvises on an alternative ending rather than follow traditional routes, but I will leave that for other readers to discover!
This little book also has a sweet message interspersed with the truffle hunter who supposedly digs up an unknown history of St. Nicholas. Blechman devises his own interpretation of Nicholas’ life, dealing with his confusion as to why some people are poor and his efforts to end suffering. Blechman also improvises on an alternative ending rather than follow traditional routes, but I will leave that for other readers to discover!
October 10, 2018
2.5 stars. I liked the drawing and the story was ok.
November 26, 2023
I Laughed. I cried. Most importantly, I loved this little book.
October 28, 2015
4.5 Stars
REVIEW:
This book didn't have a summary or little "bio" so I went blindly into this book not knowing if it was fiction or nonfiction (like I thought). A.K.A. I didn't go on to Goodreads and find out, I decided just to read the book and see what happened.
Once I realized it was meant to be a humorous history of St. Nicholas, it was much more enjoyable. I loved the illustrations, they are simple, but unique and qwerky.
HOWEVER, the font choice was painfully difficult to read. I loved the font and the special touch it gave to this novel, but it was awfully impractical for readers which is why this lost .5 stars.
REVIEW:
This book didn't have a summary or little "bio" so I went blindly into this book not knowing if it was fiction or nonfiction (like I thought). A.K.A. I didn't go on to Goodreads and find out, I decided just to read the book and see what happened.
Once I realized it was meant to be a humorous history of St. Nicholas, it was much more enjoyable. I loved the illustrations, they are simple, but unique and qwerky.
HOWEVER, the font choice was painfully difficult to read. I loved the font and the special touch it gave to this novel, but it was awfully impractical for readers which is why this lost .5 stars.
August 28, 2013
Is this true? Does it matter? It's totally cute, it's very New Yorker cartoony (oh look at that, the artist is a New Yorker cartoonist), I like when the Italian guy yells at his pig. I still sort of felt like it was a vague outline of a story, so I was not in love, but, it was fun. I like Saint Nicholas. Yep.
July 25, 2014
Not great. I mean, it's a cute little story I guess, but in no way did it need to be a book. Maybe a pamphlet or something. Art is meh. Actually, now that I'm writing this review, I'm surprised I gave it two stars. I suppose I liked it a little, but it's a bit hokey.
September 24, 2016
One gets the impression that Saint Nick was a saint primarily on the moral authority of his wealth, which, while perhaps accurate, does somewhat detract from the shmaltzy ending this book attempts. Not without its humor, though.
January 30, 2011
Blechman is one of the greatest cartoonists and illustrators of our time.
April 10, 2013
Gracioso...
July 21, 2015
- cartooned telling of the life of St. Nicholas, apparently based on an actual ancient manuscript discovered by an Italian farmer (in a pot buried in his field) in 1989
January 5, 2015
Magical and sweet.
March 16, 2025
Adorable! Funny. And a quick 15-minute read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews