Customer Reviews

Graphic Classics: Louisa May Alcott (Graphic Classics (Graphic Novels)) (Graphic Classics (Eureka))

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, I'll admit it. I never read Little Women as a girl, and I'm sure there are quite a few other ladies who might say the same thing. So if you've come to realize you missed out on a classic others simply adore, there's hope for you now. Graphic Classics has compiled the best of Louisa May Alcott's writings in this volume.

Although Little Women is Louisa May Alcott's best-known work, most of us are unaware she wrote some other rather unique tales. The Piggy Girl, The Rival Prima Donnas, A Whisper in the Dark, and Lost in a Pyramid may come as quite a surprise to those who expect domestic tranquility in her writing.

These dramatic stories are accompanied by detailed graphic artistry, enhancing the reader's pleasure. If you already love Louisa May Alcott, you'll want to include this volume in your collection, putting pictures to the words you enjoy. And if you haven't read her work, Graphic Classics: Louisa May Alcott gives you the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with this talented author.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Reason for Reading: I love this series and will eventually read them all.

Comments: I'll start with my immediate response to finishing this volume, "Fantastic!". This is the second full colour offering in the Graphic Classics series and it is a beautiful book. The artwork is absolutely stunning and each artist has worked in a style and palette perfectly suited for each individual story. Usually, in these collection there will be at least one illustrator's rendition I'm not too fond of but I loved them all. The book includes 2 poems, an adaptation of the novel Little Women and 5 short stories. It's been ages since I've read Little Women and, of course, this is a quick run through of the story but the essence of the story is there; the individual personalities of the girls shine through and this graphic adaption pays homage to the novel well, especially with the wonderful artwork by Anne Timmons.

The highlight of this volume, though, is the short stories. I have not read any of Louisa May Alcott's stories before and was wondrously surprised at this ghastly Gothic collection. Four of them are fabulous 19th century sensationalist stories full of corpses, murder and madness while the other is a strange, yet delightful, morality tale for children. My favourite story out of the whole book was the last one, A Whisper in the Dark, which at a full 41 pages is a perfect example of the era's Gothic story with romance, long dark corridors, strange noises in the night and madness, all wonderfully illustrated by Arnold Arre using a palette mostly of browns, going to greys and black to suit the mood.

Yet another fine volume in the series and a must read for fans of the series or Louisa May Alcott. And further research tells me we don't have long to wait for Vol. 19 which is shooting for a May release date entitled "Western Classics". I can hardly wait!

"Graphic Classics: Louisa May Alcott, Stories of Mummies, Geese, Pigs, Flies, Prima Donnas & Little Women" is the eighteenth volume in the Graphic Classics series of comics adaptations of great literature. Printed in full color, it features a new adaptation of "Little Women" scripted by Trina Robbins and illustrated by Anne Timmons. As much of the original language and intent of the author as possible is used in the sensitive scripting adaptation. Also included in this edition are comic illustrated adaptations of five other stories by Lousia may Alcott, including "A Whisper in the Dark," "The Rival Prima Donnas," Lost in a Pyramid," "Buzz," and "The Piggy Girl." These less familiar gothic mysteries and horror stories as well as two poems and two unusual children's stories, are scripted and illustrated by a talented string of writers and illustrators, including, Antonella Caputo and Arnold Arre, Rod Lott and Molly Crabapple, Alex Burrows and Pedro Lopez, and others. "Graphic Classics: Louisa May Alcott" is an edition that will help make the great and beloved author accessible to a wider audience of children (and adults) age 12 and up.

Nancy Lorraine
Senior Reviewer

I saw this at the library, and having recently read Little Vampire Women by Louisa May Alcott and Lynn Messina, I couldn't resist reading the graphic novel version of 'Little Women.' It was wonderful, even though Anne Timmons drew Laurie blond and we know from the book he has black, curly hair. But wait, there's more! 'The Rival Prima Donnas' is a rather predictable tale of jealousy and revenge, but it definitely illustrates the dark side of Alcott, and it was beautifully drawn by Molly Crabapple. 'Lost in a Pyramid,' drawn by Pedro Lopez, is a good dose of ancient Egyptian magic. After 'Little Women,' the best story is the last one, 'A Whisper in the Dark.' It's a Gothic melodrama about a young heiress who desires to marry her "cousin" (they're not actually blood relatives) but, through her uncle's scheming, ends up under a malevalent doctor's care. If it hadn't been for this graphic novel version, I might never have been exposed to these lesser-known stories from a truly very talented 19th century writer. Graphic Classics is an awesome series.

Louisa May Alcott was born, wrote "Little Women," and then she died. At least that's what it feels like. She has always been one of those "One Hit Wonder" authors, whose reputation and literary longevity is based not on a body of work but on that one single book that was good enough to become a timeless classic for the ages.

My favorite thing about the Graphic Classics collection is that they take these One Hit Wonder authors and show you that they actually have variety and style, that they are much more than their one famous book. I would never have suspected that Louisa May Alcott wrote a chilling horror story set in an Egyptian pyramid and involving a mummy's curse. Or that her pen was capable of cruel stories of jealousy and bloody revenge, of madness and sexual desire.

There are seven stories in total in "Graphic Classics: Louisa May Alcott," in different genres and styles showcasing Alcott's abilities. This is the second all-color edition to come from Graphics Classics, and it looks really beautiful. I was worried about losing some of the atmosphere that came with the black-and-white printing, but those worries were unfounded.

Little Woman - Of course, this is the Alcott story everyone knows, and it is always a pleasure to revisit. Adapted by comic book legend Trina Robbins (The Great Women Superheroes) and illustrated by Anne Timmons. The illustrations are very pretty, and perfectly suited to the story. The adaptation is done in the style of a typical comic book, which works well for the familiar tale.

The Rival of the Prima Donnas - Adapted by Rod Lott and illustrated by Molly Crabapple, this is one of Alcott's darker tales of an opera singer thrown over by her painter lover for a younger ingénue. You will be in for a shock if you never thought an Alcott tale could be dripping blood. Crabapple does a delightfully twisted job of the art, with the rosy-cheeked figures having a sinister marionette quality about them.

Buzz - Adapted by Tom Pomplun and illustrated by Mary Fleener, "Buzz" is an autobiographical tale of loneliness and companionship, as the solitary Alcott seeks to make friends with a fly. But any such relationship is short-lived, as so deemed by nature. Fleener's art gives us a flat world of angles and patterns, highly-stylized and sensitive to the story.

The Piggy Girl - Adapted by Tom Pomplun and illustrated by Shary Flenniken, The Piggy Girl was one of my favorites in this collection. A young rebellious girl refuses her mother's commands to be clean and neat, and runs away from home to next with a family of pigs. Over time she grows more piggish her self, fat and lazy and content, until she realizes exactly why the humans spend so much time fattening up the pigs, and what her ultimate fate will be. Flenniken gives this cautionary tale the look of an old children's book, adding innocence to the darker background.

Lost in a Pyramid - Adapted by Alex Burrows and illustrated by Pedro Lopez, this one would be right at home in any Weird Tales collection. The setting is familiar by now; and opened tomb, a mummy's curse, a peculiar blood-red flower. Pedro Lopez keeps the story dark and primitive with lots of black shadows and red blood.

The Lay of a Golden Goose - Probably my least favorite in the collection, this poem was illustrated by Lisa K. Weber. This is a sort of self-pitying piece by Alcott about a goose who only lays one Golden Egg, then is forever hounded by people to lay another. One can only assume how she is talking about the success of "Little Women," something which she never matched again. Weber's illustrations are perfect, and I am always a fan of her work, but unfortunately the poem itself is lackluster.

A Whisper in the Dark - On the other hand, this was my favorite in the collection. Adapted by Antonella Capupto and illustrated by Arnold Arre, this dark tale of family and greed could have come right out of a Sherlock Holmes novel, although the great detective is not on hand to solve the case and save the day. A young woman, who was orphaned as a child and given to a governess to raise, is excited and nervous about her homecoming. She knows that she has been promised from birth to marry her cousin, but her elder uncle seems to have his own designs on his pretty niece, or at least on the inheritance she will come into when she marries. Arre's art gives the girl an almost elven beauty, and I dearly loved the use of color schemes in this story to suggest moods.