She then meets Patrick, the older man, the succesful artist, who she runs off to London with as he promises to help her become an artist. Yes, a work of art, I loved the artwork in Alison, Lizzy Stewart’s way of using mixed media in the form of the graphic novel ( some written, some drawn ) works so well. It’s a heartening journey, 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. But there is, of course, one crucial difference: Stewart uses pictures as well as words to tell her story, a tale that is as old as the hills, and somehow this makes it new.

Alison by Lizzy Stewart | Goodreads Alison by Lizzy Stewart | Goodreads

This book was really absorbing and I can't think of any other graphic novels that I could even compare it to. Alison tells the story of a young British woman who, in her twenties, seizes upon the opportunity to escape from her quiet life in Dorset to the thrumming art scene of late-1970s London. 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.British illustrator and author Lizzy Stewart crafts a graphic novel that evokes the atmospheric milieu of bohemian London in the late 20th century, while at the same time exploring the more universal struggles of women who must navigate male-dominated spaces. Patrick Kerr, who visits Alison’s Dorset town in the late 1970s to teach an art class, is the former enfant terrible of portraiture known as “the last great painter”. The marketing people have made comparisons to Sally Rooney, but I think Lisa Halliday's great novel ASYMMETRY is a better parallel.

Alison: a stunning and emotional graphic novel for fans of Sally Rooney Alison: a stunning and emotional graphic novel for fans of Sally

We meet her in her early 20s when she’s married and living in a relationship that’s just not going anywhere, in fact she really doesn’t know who she is. In the city, far from her family, Alison is still isolated, but she has new purpose now, first in the form of Patrick, with whom she’s infatuated, and later in the form of her own art. When this book arrived and I saw all the stodgy paragraphs of left-justified text, my heart sank a bit, but you know what, stick with it, it’s great.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.

Alison by Lizzy Stewart review – the making of an artist Alison by Lizzy Stewart review – the making of an artist

Fa poques setmanes que vaig afegir aquesta novel·la gràfica a ‘to read’ després d’haver vist un parell d’il·lustradores recomanar-la molt. This might seem like a successful strategy for drawing in readers wary of graphic works, but to me it was overkill.I kinda loved that an arty novel like this also centred on the art world and had an artist at its heart. I really enjoyed this imaginary reminiscence filled with relatable characters and slice of life moments. This book is about the extraordinary and ordinary lives and personalities of artists of the fine arts.