This One Summer is one of the best comics (or graphic novels, as you prefer) of 2014. I was surprised to find so many reviews here criticising the story. At least they rightfully praise Jillian Tamaki's amazing art, but Mariko Tamaki's writing was just as good, and the two aspects of this book compliment each other.I can see that it wouldn't be for everyone's tastes, however. Mariko Tamaki writes a story that is more about a certain feeling, a certain time, a certain place, than about big actions and life lessons. Everything happens in the details, and that's where Jillian Tamaki's art really shines, because it reveals the nuances of the characters and the situations they find themselves in. Yes, it's pretty to look at, but it goes beyond that, giving the text new meaning with every panel.I suppose this book is a bit harder to grasp than I had imagined. It requires being used to think about images and their relationship with text, as well as a certain sensibility that is more in tune with small developments and internal action. Unfortunately we are not usually encouraged to develop either of those qualities nowadays, but it's always a good time to start, and This One Summer might be an excellent starting point for it. It can be a very rewarding book, if one knows where to look.My four-star rating only reflects that I take ratings seriously, and try to reserve five stars for very few books. Four and a half starts would be a better rating, but unfortunately that is not a possibility with Goodreads' system. Still, a four-star review from me means an excellent book, and like I said, this is one of the best of the year. Do not miss! A story about two young girls on the cusp of teenhood, who spend every summer holidaying together. The illustrations are beautiful and much of the story is relayed through the pictures. The book mostly concentrates on the confusions and feelings of Rose, who thinks that she is now grown up and she largely understands the world around her, but she learns that the adult world is not quite as black and white as she views it.
What do You think about Aquel Verano (2014)?
"My mom told me.Used to tell me all the time.That she dreamed of me before I was born."
—NolaWolf
illustrations and prose are spare, simple, and wonderful...
—tshep
