Unlovable [Hardcover]

Esther Pearl Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2008

A soon-to-be teen classic: Esther Pearl Watson loosely based this graphic novel on a teenager's diary from the 1980s found in a gas-station bathroom. Unlovable is a first-person account of Tammy Pierce's sophomore year in 1985. The comic has a devoted following because it is serialized Bust magazine: this is the first-ever collection and Watson has created over 100 new pages for the book, which details Tammy's the sometimes ordinary, sometimes humiliating, often poignant and frequently hilarious exploits. Her hopes, dreams, agonies and defeats are brought to vivid, comedic life by Watson's lovingly grotesque drawings, filled with all the eighties essentials - too much mascara, leg warmers with heels and huge hair - as well as timeless teen concerns like acne, dandruff, and the opposite sex (or same sex, in some cases) It will have special resonance for women and young adults. Unlovable will be handsomely packaged in a unique hardcover format with sparkly blue glitter.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Based on a real diary that the author found in a Vegas bathroom in 1995, this episodic collection is an alternately hilarious and exhausting trip through the inner monologue and outer turmoil of overweight high school sophomore Tammy Pierce. Tammy struggles with body image (and body odor), pines for the cute boys who torment her, steals money from her mother's purse and spends way too much time chasing her next fix of French fries from Sonic. Given the source material, it's not surprising that much of the book is self-absorbed, repetitive and insufferable; it is also genuinely poignant. The highlights of the collection are the stretches where Tammy's situation is too excruciatingly painful not to be funny: practicing kissing with her pillow, not shaving her legs sufficiently for prom, dealing with a surprise hair on her chin at school. The art style is jagged in the extreme—sometimes it doesn't look like ink was placed on the page so much as thrown—but it's a perfect fit for conveying the chaos Tammy is so desperately trying to put down in words. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

Watson says this panel-per-page graphic novel draws directly on a diary found in a gas-station washroom. If that’s disingenuous, the protagonist’s voice and candid but awkward self-perception are impressively authentic. Texas high-school sophomore Tammy is overweight, boy crazy, and underdeveloped in social skills when it comes to dealing with her younger brother, her “best” friend (a skanky jerk), and anyone else in her small, nasty circle. Watson’s scratchy, turquoise-and-white art, reminiscent but not imitative of Lynda Barry’s style, amplifies Tammy’s physical and character flaws as well as her pathetic emotional life. Unlike the four Notebook Girls (2006), who are her age-mates, Tammy appears all alone in dealing with social and cultural nemeses she doesn’t recognize. Her insider perspective is just as shocking as those of the notebook girls. Unlovable is a fine example of how art and narrative can be combined to make a potentially trivial book compelling and insight-provoking. In particular, Gen Xers ready for an unvarnished backward glance at the concerns and the cruelties of their high-school years will recognize Tammy with stark clarity. --Francisca Goldsmith

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (December 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560979550
• ISBN-13: 978-1560979555
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,106,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlovable, March 5, 2009

By 

Candace A. Martin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unlovable (Hardcover)

I had read Romeo and Juliet by this same author and thought it was an orignal and halarious take on the old tale so when I saw that she was putting out another book I couldn't wait! Well, I had to wait...they kept pushing the release date back, but it was well worth it! This book is perfect to sit down with and devour in one sitting and it definitely keeps you laughing! It is one of those books that you can keep going back to re-read over and over because there are so many details in the drawings that you might miss the first few times around.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winner. This book is AWESOME., March 3, 2009

By 

Leslie Hall "Leslie Hall" (Ames, Iowa.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unlovable (Hardcover)

I adore Tammy's life and adventures. This book is alot of fun to read. I would HIGHLY recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary Ha-ha, February 28, 2009

By 

L. Plybon "MPD" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unlovable (Hardcover)

This book is brilliant, and any woman who passed their teenage years in the 1980's will find it scarily brilliant. It was the worst of times, it was the....well...yeah, the worst of times. I suggest reading it with Jill Sobule's "Strawberry Gloss" as background music.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who was, or had to endure the presence of, an 80's teenage girl.