Ethel & Ernest: A True Story (Paperback)

~ (Author) "ETHEL! FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! WHERE ARE YOU?..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Review

?A best seller in Britain, this winsome little book is one family?s twentieth century, told as a comic strip that fast-forwards through the decades. Briggs?s artful rendering of his parents? striving captures the English working class, and as the tale progresses, you find yourself slowly sucked into their daily patter, amused by their cooing voices, impressed by their bravery. At the end,you?re hardly prepared for the emotional wallop.? ?Time

?In the details of Briggs?s sparkling cartoons, the characters become richly specific and endearing . . . both pathetic and heroic in the face of overwhelmingevents. [They are] what make you read through Ethel & Ernest over again.? ?Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times

?Ethel & Ernest works brilliantly and artfully as an archetype. It is the author?s willingness to frame his love and anguish so piercingly that makes it such a singular piece of work. We should be grateful that Briggs is so brilliantly equipped to remind us of what we u sed to be, and why.? ?Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review -- Review

Review

“A best seller in Britain, this winsome little book is one family’s twentieth century, told as a comic strip that fast-forwards through the decades. Briggs’s artful rendering of his parents’ striving captures the English working class, and as the tale progresses, you find yourself slowly sucked into their daily patter, amused by their cooing voices, impressed by their bravery. At the end,you’re hardly prepared for the emotional wallop.” —Time

“In the details of Briggs’s sparkling cartoons, the characters become richly specific and endearing . . . both pathetic and heroic in the face of overwhelmingevents. [They are] what make you read through Ethel & Ernest over again.” —Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times

“Ethel & Ernest works brilliantly and artfully as an archetype. It is the author’s willingness to frame his love and anguish so piercingly that makes it such a singular piece of work. We should be grateful that Briggs is so brilliantly equipped to remind us of what we u sed to be, and why.” —Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (October 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375714472
• ISBN-13: 978-0375714474
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #297,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet Ode To Briggs' Parents, March 19, 2002

By	Tom Kelly "film fan" (Keyport, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

Ethel and Ernest are two rather ordinary people. They get married around 1930, live together in the same house for 41 years, have a son, and then die the same year. Neither of them does anything more extraordinary than live and love.

And that's more than enough. Briggs' story is little more than a series of snippets of conversation and events of a long relationship. We see Ethel and Ernest bond, bicker, and regret. We see the love they have for themselves, and how they adjust over time. There's a great conversation between the two while Ernest is watching the moon landing, and Ethel just doesn't see the big deal of it all. I was greatly surprised when the story was done and I felt real sorrow for the two of them. Briggs' artwork is really moving, and displays the changing of the times on his parents very well.

This is a nice, quiet, loving character study about two people who may not have lived an exciting life, but that's probably one of the things that makes this piece of graphic literature work best. Highly recommended to all fans of serious graphic art.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves a wide audience, absolutely charming, December 23, 2001

By	K. Corn "reviewer" (Indianapolis,, IN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Told in mostly cartoon form, with dialogue alongside, this wonderful, unique book tells the true story of the author's parents, two "ordinary" people, from their first shy meeting to their last days together. World War two, the birth of television, the development and use of the atomic bomb are all seen through the eyes of Ethel and Ernest. I was charmed by the two of them, from their earliest days together to the purchase of their first house, birth of their son, wartime experiences (gas masks, blackout curtains, sending their 5 year old son to the country to be safe during the war), their son's marriage and the gradual decline and death of Ethel and Ernest. Jumps off the page!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, June 29, 2002

By	kymm - See all my reviews

A charming, heartfelt and moving story - a lovely memorial to the author's parents (and a reminder of how short life really is).