Ground-breaking for how it "challenges the authority of format" wrt books/graphic novels. And it was interesting to read such different components that were related but distinct. Some parts of the story were more interesting than others - the bee parts annoyed me for the blatant biology errors; but hey, it's fiction, lighten up!(Aside: Some pieces had panels that were way too small for my presbyopic eyes! Should have tried reading them again after my prescription got tweaked.) I've just finished reading the last "piece" of this monumental, painful, work by Chris Ware and I'm in awe just as I was while finishing the first piece that I found emerging from the box. Ware has that rare ability we see in some artists to create works as if the genre* itself exists just so these stories can take place. And what a wonderful use of the language at his disposal; a new level of sincerity and seriousness emerges with each booklet/pamphlet/strip/newspaper and forces the reader to understand why it took Ware eleven years to complete this. A meticulous examination of life, death, sex, religion, gender, technology. No theme is too apparent or overpowering and the use of a truly non-linear narrative allows the reader to follow countless paths through these lives that highlight different things with each read.I could go on and on about the form he uses so precisely to weave this sort of blanket narrative, but I'd like to shine more light on his characters. Ware, more than any male author I've read recently (ever?), writes women like full-fledged human beings. It's a shame that this is a point of reverence and not the status quo, but we're aware of the state of things and Ware addresses this and let's you know that he really does get it and that he honestly recognizes the constant state of stress and unease caused by men and that he is part of it as well; most importantly he does this without falling into the trap of the unrelenting woe and self-hatred of the white-male author. What a breath of fresh air in a literary world bogged down by the same voice filling our heads all these years.Elaborating too much on this work would strip it of the wonderful quality it has that allows the reader to explore and discover. A shining example of the possibilities of comics and character that we could all stand to learn from.________________________________________________________________________________*Ware himself actually claims that sequential art is not a "genre," but a language
Do You like book Building Stories (2012)?
This is a depressing one. Beautiful art though sequencing was tricky.
—Leo66
Staggering. Affecting. Brilliant. Long live Chris Ware!
—AnetaRaWrg
So, so beautiful. Too sad for everyday consumption.
—karenellis121
