What can I say about this beautiful YA graphic novel that you haven't already heard from the many, many other people who love it? If you don't already know the story it's mostly about Rose, a girl growing into a young woman. She and her family spend part of every summer at a house on Awago Beach where she meets up with her young friend Windy and her family. Windy's younger and still fairly childish, something that Rose sometimes appreciates but mostly is annoyed by. Windy's family consists of a mother and a grandmother, both comfortably hippy-ish and the group feels at ease. But Rose's family by contrast is anxious and tense. Her parents constantly argue, ostensibly about whether her mom is letting go and enjoying the vacation but in actuality about whether they are going to have another baby. All this swirls in the background as Windy and Rose navigate life among the local kids who have drama of their own and as Rose develops a little crush on the local video store clerk. It's a sweet story about friendship and being at ease in the world. But what is most striking is the beautiful, beautiful artwork. It's all indigo ink which gives it an almost lyrical quality. The mix between more typical multi-panel pages and large spreads is nice, and I particularly loved the large impressionistic beach and sky scenes. It's a pretty book, and a sweet story, and the mix absolutely charmed me. You know, a lot of reviewers have said that they loved the artwork but found the storyline without real plot and that the main charcter, Rose, didn't learn anything from her summer; I have to disagree. I feel as though Rose learned just about as much as anyone in their early teens is able to learn from life's nuanced lessons. At that age, you want things to be black and white but nothing is fully resolved in this story, nothing is completely right or completely wrong, so I feel as if she's just gathering up bits of perspective from this summer. And yes, the artwork is absolutely dreamy.
What do You think about E La Chiamano Estate (2014)?
Loved it. Wonderfully layered, dazzling art and such movement and pacing.
—morellov
People keep describing this as, "gorgeous."I totally get that now.
—kimiko
I wanted to like it more than I did. The ending fell flat for me.
—atpowell
