'Alison is Posy Simmonds meets Edward Bawden - and really, what higher praise could there be?' Observer '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 Alison is newly married, barely twenty and struggling to find her place in the world. A chance encounter with an older artist upturns her life and she forsakes convention and her working-class Dorset roots for the thrumming art scene of London in the late seventies. As the thrill of bohemian romance leads inevitably to disappointment, Alison begins to find her own path - through art, friendship and love. 'This book is a testament to the right to choose your own life' Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater '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
Lizzy Stewart is an illustrator and author from Plymouth who lives and works in London. She has written and illustrated three picture books for children alongside Walking Distance, an illustrated essay, and It's Not What You Thought It Would Be a graphic short-story collection. Her debut picture-book There's a Tiger in the Garden won the Waterstones Children's book prize for picture books in 2017 as well as a World Illustration Award. She teaches illustration at Goldsmith's college.
Title: Alison: a stunning and emotional graphic novel for fans of Sally Rooney, from an award winning illustrator and author
Author: Stewart, Lizzy
ISBN: 9781788169059
Binding:
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Publication Date: 2022-07-14
Number of Pages: 176
Weight: 0.6002 kg
Subtle and deliciously complicated -- Tessa Hadley
This book is a testament to the right to choose your own life. It is a tender, heartbreaking meditation on the bonds between women, the dazzle of the city, the struggle to become a female artist within the bounds of patriarchy, and the desire to make a mark on the world. It made me long for my friends; the dreams we have shared over the years and the ways in which they make the world feel possible. I want to give a copy to everyone I love. -- Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater and Milk Teeth
Mournful, lovely ... Stewart's dynamic, warm, flowing art invites the reader in * The New York Times *
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 *
Sad and sweet and joyful and hopeful. -- Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground
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
Her compassionate depictions of women alone, women together, will undoubtedly find welcoming audiences * Shelf Awareness *
Lizzy's work is beautifully executed with an eye for composition, colour and fine detail * It's Nice That *
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 *
Her every page looks exquisite, which is entirely fitting, given that this is a book about an artist. Alison is Posy Simmonds meets Edward Bawden - and really, what higher praise could there be? * Observer *
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
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 *
beautiful and true -- Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist
Stewart does a wonderful job * Buzz Mag *