Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Subtle and deliciously complicated, this is a big book on big subjects, but lightly, elegantly done. I loved it'Tessa Hadley, author of Free Love Her compassionate depictions of women alone, women together, will undoubtedly find welcoming audiences * Shelf Awareness * The story itself - so poignant and messy and moving in all the best ways. Alison doesn’t really seem to know herself when we first meet her, and it takes a couple of relationships and one special friendship to really bring out her true self, which was a beautiful journey to follow. A genius graphic novel (but lots of words) about a young woman from Dorset who leaves her life to be with a much older famous artist in London. It's also brilliant on relationships, creativity and friendship (and the art world) -- India Knight Every now and again a book comes along that is such a bright joy, so true, so beautiful and moving. Alison is one of those books. I loved it -- Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist
This book is a testament to the right to choose your own life' Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater But then also, if one creates a story about fictional artists and their lives, and while reading I’m more than once feel the urge to google if they are really just fictional, because it feels so convincing realistic and just real, one just wins for me, full score, 100/100 :) Lizzy Stewart’s new graphic novel charts the adult life of Alison as she slowly learns her own value, finds her own tribe, and falls into a wholly unexpected profession as a painter. Alison is an everywoman who somehow beats the odds to escape a mundane existence, even as she continually questions her right to do so and grapples with her mixed feelings about the role her mentor/predator played in her career path. Stewart paints a richly defined portrait of this most unexpected heroine across multiple decades, revealing the highs and lows that hone an average, listless girl into an acclaimed artist with deep personal relationships. Lizzy's work is beautifully executed with an eye for composition, colour and fine detail * It's Nice That * As the thrill of bohemian romance leads inevitably to disappointment, Alison begins to find her own path - through art, friendship and love.
Summary
Praise for It's Not What You Thought It Would Be: 'This brilliant debut collection explores the intensity of teenage ennui and female friendship, with a deft feel for its slights and tensions -- Rachel Cooke * Guardian * And I liked the way the story was told (mix of paragraphs, comics, letters, picture rows), that made it a really diverse an immersive reading experience. A quietly powerful book, and Stewart's well chosen and often witty dialogue goes straight to the heart. Her artwork is filmic and beautiful -- Isabel Greenberg, author of Glass Town A captivating new graphic novel that could have been dreamt up by Edna O'Brien and Judith Kerr of The Tiger Who Came To Tea fame, had they ever collaborated. * The Gloss Ireland * Every now and again a book comes along that is such a bright joy, so true, so beautiful and moving. Alison is one of those books. I loved it'Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist
This really had everything - if you think that cover is beautiful just wait until you open it up and see the amazing drawings etc inside. I loved the way the author added so many different styles, colours and even interspersed the art with letters at points. A delicious portrait of 80s and 90s London and a more universal tale of a working-class young woman making a life in a world that has not been designed for the likes of her. For all its effortlessness [...] Alison ends up carrying a great emotional heft. It's a lovely book, and I cried at the end.' Guardian First of all: The pictures were stunning and really brought the atmosphere of the story to live and the prose were so delicately beautiful.A genius graphic novel (but lots of words) about a young woman from Dorset who leaves her life to be with a much older famous artist in London. It's also brilliant on relationships, creativity and friendship (and the art world)'India Knight It’s not an easy mix to get right, but Stewart makes this scrapbook approach feel like the most natural thing in the world. There’s a deceptive economy to both her drawings, in which a few short lines evoke an array of emotions, and her prose, which moves with an easy eloquence from “the familiar colours of West Country rain” to “a call that leaves her crumpled and alone in a department store”. The book’s skewering of the art establishment is often very funny, but there’s fury here too, at inequality, misogyny and the barriers put up by established artists and fixers, “all those old men who told me I should paint portraits of myself naked”. A delicious portrait of 80s and 90s London and a more universal tale of a working-class young woman making a life in a world that has not been designed for the likes of her. For all its effortlessness [...] Alison ends up carrying a great emotional heft. It's a lovely book, and I cried at the end. * Guardian * A beautiful depiction of life as an artist, of the movements of love and time. I absolutely loved it. -- Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From The first-person narrative is the tale of Alison Porter, born in 1958 in Bridport, Dorset. The narrator asserts, “We were ordinary, which made me assume we must be happy. Whether we felt it or not.”
Stewart doesn’t answer that question, if it’s even answerable. Instead, she tells Alison’s story - the story of so many female artists, as well as so many others on the margins. For every Alison who ends up with a successful career, there are many others who didn’t. For every Alison who could overcome the men who take advantage of her, there are many others who couldn’t. Stewart presents a nuanced story that forces the reader to ask the questions and, hopefully, to see the power structures that still exist in the art world (and elsewhere) for what they are. Alison might not be able to disentangle her life from those people in power, but Stewart’s question should help the reader begin the work of doing so.Subtle and deliciously complicated, this is a big book on big subjects, but lightly, elegantly done. I loved it' Tessa Hadley, author of Free Love Two years in I realized that my life was no better or worse because of it. I think every girl wants better or worse, ideally better, I suppose. But sometimes worse can be so delicious, so enlivening that we’ll take it, simply to have something to do.” Baby’s first graphic novel! And OMG why didn’t anyone tell me how much I was missing out, and that adding STUNNING artwork to a book doesn’t mean it’s any less of a story?! Consider me sold. I loved it, so well put together. I loved the art style as well as the subtly this book uses to cover some really big subjects. For me Alison had everything - if you think that cover is beautiful just wait until you open it up and see the amazing drawings inside. I really liked the way the author added so many different styles, colours and even interspersed the art with letters, it was visually fabulous.
Great Deal 
New Comment