Books: Gemma Bovery

_________________________________________________________________________________

Gemma Bovery
By Posy Simmonds
2000





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/


Islington is one of the most diverse boroughs in London with an almost 50/50 split between rich and poor. There are representatives from pretty much every single ethnic group out there all combining to make a vibrant, exciting and stimulating enivornment that makes it a great place to live, work and relax - not to mention it's library service which boasts some of the friendliest and most-helpful staff in the country (if not the world).

I find it kinda funny (I find it kinda sad) then that the Islington stereotype(what most people think of when they imagine the typical Islington resident)is a spiffy white middle-class type with some high-powered career in law, politics or the media who spends all their time either chattering about the latest Orange, Costa or Booker nominee or sticking their long pointy noses into a fancy-pants glass of wine ("I'm getting traces of elderflower and chocolatey mushrooms" and all that jazz...). That's only a small minority of the borough but (oh well): it's the ones group that have managed to define the entire area.

But (oh well) the people who conform to the Islington stereotypes are most definitely out there (I've met a fair few). Thankfully tho (and what would we do with out her?) Posy Simmonds is here to skewer them in their hearts - and make them dance and writhe for our entertainment. (Sorry - is that a bit much?).

Gemma Bovery is the first proper Posy Simmonds book that I've read. I started on Fred when I was a kid - then recently tried Literary Life and had such a fun time with that - that I thought I'd give one of her more wordy books a try (I'll admit now that I did write a post on here about Tamara Drewe which was written without me actually reading it - which felt a little naughty at the time: but when I tried to start it just seemed a little too daunting - but I'm now looking forward to properly giving it go...). The thing about her proper books - is that to the weary traveler attempting to scale the terrain for the first time it all looks very rocky and difficult. I mean (joking of course) people like to read comics because all those words in proper books gets a bit much: yet you open up Gemma Bovery and there's millions of the things scurrying across the page like ants - wordy ants made up out of letters (fetch me the spray). But wait - put the spray down - because even tho if it is roaming the bleak no man's land between "graphic novel" and "proper novel" that doesn't mean that it can't sap the strengths and powers of both - which is frankly what it does - with a considerable amount of wit and class (pun slightly intended).

But yes: I'm super glad that I gave this a proper go - because this is a comic that within just a few pages had clasped itself on to my brain and left me with no choice but to devour the whole thing in a few short hours. The characters are all amazing. All Islington stereotypes (even if some of them are French): with a lots of (the comics version at least) of location shooting in the surrounding areas. My favourite was Charlie's ex-wife who takes passive-aggression to sublime jujutsu levels.

No duh: the book is (of course) based the famous Gustave Flaubert proper novel Madame Bovary. I haven't read it (although my fussy and much-more-literary-minded flatmate keeps on pestering me to read it - in much the same way I keep imploring him to read Scott Pilgrim) but that did nothing to stop my fun from reading it (there is a handy French guide to point out most of the parallels but I'm pretty sure there's a few references I missed - oh well). All you need to know is that there's lots of passion, illicit affairs, secret bonking and it all ends in a terrible tragedy.

As well written as proper novels with plenty of spot-on lines ("...it was to feel oneself entering a particle storm of pheromones") and laugh out loud one-liners ("Sh*t. Sh*t! I chose bloody Quality of Life... now I've made myself poor.") and rustic pencils that capture every small glance and private defeat - and I should disclose that I felt myself falling every so slightly in love with Gemma's luminous, wide-open feline eyes. With tons of total throat-in-my-heart moments and a dry humour that drifts through every page like the smell of warm bread: this is a comic that is almost guaranteed to crack the shell of any human heart: romance, death, mystery and jokes - this book's got the lot.

..............................................................................................................................................
Links: Michiko Kakutani New York Times Review, Comics Worth Reading Review Quarterly Conversation Review.

Further reading: Tamara Drewe, Literary Life, Strangers in Paradise, The Rabbi's Cat, Kiki de Montparnasse, Pride and Prejudice.

All comments welcome.

Books: Literary Life

_________________________________________________________________________________

Literary Life
By Posy Simmonds
2003





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

My first encounter with Posy Simmonds was  back as a child - through her marvellous little children's book "Fred" (some kids have a cat, cat dies, a bunch of other cats show up, talk about how cool dead cat was and throw a massive rambunctious wake and kids join in - pretty good fun and a welcomely healthy attitude towards death (someone's died? let's throw a party!) Dang. Writing that has made me want to read it again...). Since then I've been predisposed to like her: her drawings summon up that warm, nice childhood feeling somewhere inside me that's a cross between a favourite blanket and a nice soothing cup of tea. Although that's not completely just me projecting on to her - it's the sort of feeling she does very well to help conjure up with fuzzy pencils and ever so slightly caricatured characters walking through a sharply defined realistic world (think Hergé but with a more Englishly grown-up bite).

Since Fred she's moved on and upwards into the hearts of the chattering classes ("chattering classes" is such a great phrase) with her books Gemma Bovery, Tamara Drewe and - this one - Literary Life. Unlike the other two (which are full stories) Literary Life is a collection of single page strips originally published in the Guardian's Review Section between 2002 and 2004 (for those that don't know - that's it's Saturday literary supplement) Literary Life is a tasty, ever so slightly devilish and most probably brought from Marks and Spencer's chocolate cake of a comic book. A wry take on the ins and outs of the publishing world - spanning all the way from independent book shops to agents to writers to reviewers - it isn't so much a satire (that's much too strong of a word) but is rather an affectionate poke in the ribs or - even better - a gentle joshing between friends - most probably at the tail end of a dinner party when everyone's had just a bit too much red wine. The way that the book works - with every page a different window into a different set of characters - reminded me of the League of Gentlemen (TV show - not the extraordinary Alan Moore comic) - snippets of comical exaggerations that slow combine to create a little mischievous universe. Yes - like her other works - it's pretty impossible to imagine a comic that could be more middle-class - but it's very good fun.

....................................................................................................................................................
Links: Paul Gravett Article, Telegraph Review.

Further reading: Tamara Drewe, Gemma Bovery, Wilson, Couch Fiction, Are You My Mother?, xkcd.

All comments welcome.

Books: Tamara Drewe

_________________________________________________________________________________

Tamara Drewe
By Posy Simmonds
2007





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

Ok _ I'm going to admit it - when I first wrote this I hadn't bothered to read it. I did try - but flicking through the pages and seeing all those words put me right off (urgh! words - in a book? no thanks). Still - having braved it the second time round I'm pretty pleased to see that what I wrote seems fairly accurate and sums up it up rather nicely (observe): "If you're looking for a "proper" "adult" "graphic novel" with the bias more on the words than the pictures then this is the book for you. Orginally published in The Guardian and based - ever so slightly - on Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd” this is a book for those that enjoy snideness, rudeness, or humiliation that only the English countryside can provide. A young woman named Tamara Drewe has moved back to her family estate. She recently had a nose job, likes to wear short shorts, and drives most of the men crazy. The fun begins." (Ha - if you didn't know then I don't think you'd notice...).

What this leaves out (and coming from it after having read Literary Life and Gemma Bovery - the two books which come before this) is how familiar it all seems - at first anyhow. Posy Simmonds is obviously obsessed with writers and all their little quirks and foibles (my favourite line of the whole book is: "Ssh! Godsake, we're surrounded by novelists!") as well as all the dramatic possibilities that only tend to come from secluded places out in the countryside (altho maybe that says more about my big city ways). But it's cool as it progresses how different (younger) voices start to join in the chorus - and the subtle use of different styles of font tickled me too.

I really like Posy Simmonds and would recommend this book for anyone wanting to spend some time in the country. The artwork is (as always) fantastic and all the characterisations (and assioated blind spots) spot-on.

...........................................................................................................................................
Links: Guardian Interview, Comics Worth Reading Review.

Further reading: Literary Life, Ethel and Ernest: A True Story, Gemma Bovery, Blankets.

All comments welcome.