Status
Checked out
Series
Publication
Hyperion (2013), 336 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Humor (Fiction.) JANUARY 1 CURRENT STATUS: No job, no boyfriend, no permanent place to live, no car, and most of my clothes are held together with staples and duct tape. Bank account almost wiped out. Many of my former associates have expressed a desire that I never darken their doorways again for legal and financial reasons. She-Hulk got us got us kicked out of the Avengers Mansion. People keep posting videos online of her New Year's Eve shenanigans: twirling flaming telephone poles in Times Square, climbing the Empire State Building while dangling Anderson Cooper, dancing wildly at parties, and commandeering a motorcycle cop's ride to do wheelies across the Brooklyn Bridge. Saying there are two sides to Jennifer Walters's personality is an understatement. When she hasn't morphed into a 650-pound, crime-fighting, hard-partying superhero, she's a single lawyer trying to get her act together. Hilarious and action-packed, The She-Hulk Diaries tells her story, as she juggles looking for Mr. Right and climbing the corporate ladder by day with battling villains and saving the world by night. Maybe she'll finally take on a case that will define her career. Maybe she won't meet one Mr. Right, but two, and she'll have to choose. Maybe bad guys will stop trying to destroy the planet so she can read her Perez Hilton in peace.… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member WendyABW
The book is written, as the title suggests, in a sort of diary format, from Walters' perspective. When we join her, she really is having some issues: she's lost her job, she needs to find a new apartment, her love life stinks, and she has to see a therapist as part of a settlement with the Avengers
I like the twists in the plot, I like the love interest, I like the little side plots that get tied up fairly neatly. I like that she and Shulkie grow as people, and that she moves toward an integrated self. There are still unresolved issues, the book doesn't end with everything all tidily solved, but I don't know that it's necessarily because a sequel is in the offing. Even though there are places that the pacing is a little slow, I recommend SHD unreservedly. This isn't an adventure-filled romp through NYC with the Jade Goddess; it's a wry and thoughtful look at what it's like to be Jen Walters, who is sometimes She-Hulk.
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for anger issues. She treats She-Hulk more like an obnoxious roommate who is the source of most of her problems, than a part of her. Shulkie is the one who gets party invitations (and then is embarrassingly featured all over the internet. Shulkie is the one that guys fall all over. Shulkie is the one who's made her lose jobs and apartments. And her irritation with She-Hulk makes sense. The issues that she's having in her life, things she's trying to fix with a set of Valentine's Day resolutions, make total sense. It never feels weird or contrived. It's believable that Jennifer Walters has these problems, and those reactions to them. These are the things we don't seen in comics, because, well... they're not action-y enough. This is the mundane side of being a metahuman, and it's definitely readable.I like the twists in the plot, I like the love interest, I like the little side plots that get tied up fairly neatly. I like that she and Shulkie grow as people, and that she moves toward an integrated self. There are still unresolved issues, the book doesn't end with everything all tidily solved, but I don't know that it's necessarily because a sequel is in the offing. Even though there are places that the pacing is a little slow, I recommend SHD unreservedly. This isn't an adventure-filled romp through NYC with the Jade Goddess; it's a wry and thoughtful look at what it's like to be Jen Walters, who is sometimes She-Hulk.
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LibraryThing member DanieXJ
I really wanted to like this book. I'm reacquiring myself with the Marvel Universe after a bit away, and I couldn't resist trying to read a bright purple covered book (with a stick of green lipstick on it). I wish that I'd resisted it a little more.
It's about Jennifer, cousin of Bruce Banner, who
The narrative seemed choppy. I know that it was supposed to be a diary, and therefor a bit off the top of Jennifer's head. Still, it just seemed to jump around quite a lot. At times I wanted to tell Jenn to chill for a minute before she wrote on the page.
I also understand why She-Hulk spoke about herself in the third person in the narrative, and, by the end of the book that makes sense, but, again, it was jarring and took me out of the novel because I was thrown off.
There were a few good things though. First of all. Aw, Man, poor Hawkeye! Also, the Marvel integration was pretty good. The references to different characters in the rest of the Marvel universe was very cool. And then there were the scenes that took place between Bruce and Jennifer. Those were amazing. Made me smile.
So. Like Mary Jane and Rogue and all those books, this is sort of being marketed towards teens, but I actually think that adults might like it too.
For those who love Marvel, who love She-Hulk, or even those who aren't very interested in comics but who love the diary sort of genre of books they'll really like this book. And, I think that's probably one of the reasons that I didn't wind up liking this as much as I thought I would, because I'm not crazy about books that are written as Diaries.
I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Hyperion hoping that I would review it.
It's about Jennifer, cousin of Bruce Banner, who
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also sometimes finds herself turning into She-Hulk because once upon a time she got a blood transfusion from her cousin. Jennifer is a lawyer, or trying to again get a job as a lawyer, She-Hulk is a super hero, and quite the party girl. Those two things tend to crash into each other a whole lot.The narrative seemed choppy. I know that it was supposed to be a diary, and therefor a bit off the top of Jennifer's head. Still, it just seemed to jump around quite a lot. At times I wanted to tell Jenn to chill for a minute before she wrote on the page.
I also understand why She-Hulk spoke about herself in the third person in the narrative, and, by the end of the book that makes sense, but, again, it was jarring and took me out of the novel because I was thrown off.
There were a few good things though. First of all. Aw, Man, poor Hawkeye! Also, the Marvel integration was pretty good. The references to different characters in the rest of the Marvel universe was very cool. And then there were the scenes that took place between Bruce and Jennifer. Those were amazing. Made me smile.
So. Like Mary Jane and Rogue and all those books, this is sort of being marketed towards teens, but I actually think that adults might like it too.
For those who love Marvel, who love She-Hulk, or even those who aren't very interested in comics but who love the diary sort of genre of books they'll really like this book. And, I think that's probably one of the reasons that I didn't wind up liking this as much as I thought I would, because I'm not crazy about books that are written as Diaries.
I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Hyperion hoping that I would review it.
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LibraryThing member samaside
I’m going to start this out by saying that I don’t actually read chick lit regularly, I’ve never watched Sex in the City (even though I referenced it earlier), and I was pretty hesitant going into this one in the first place. Not to say that I didn’t want to like this book. I really did. I
The point is, I struggled to get through this book not because of the character or the story – both were actually really great. I struggled because of the format. I’m sorry but I can only take so many ‘OMG’ and related acronyms before I want to chuck my iPad across the room. It was hard to put up with it to get to the heart of the story which was actually pretty compelling. The book is told in diary format from Jennifer’s own point of view. That’s fine. I like diary format books. My favorite books growing up were the Dear America series and even now I still want to track down the international versions of that series.
I actually was really interested in the slowly developed legal cases that were going on sort of in the background. Jennifer’s inner thoughts were really fun and she was a fun narrator when she wasn’t dropping chat speak all over the place. And there are some fantastic moments where we get some cameos and mentions of some of our favorite Avengers – including her cousin Bruce Banner!
But man. Just the way it was written was a big turn off for me. So was the whole New Years resolution to find a man and whatever. Some of the guys she chased after – and had chased after in the past – were fun characters to explore but for the most part I find any plot like that lacking. Another thing that bothered me was sort of the way She-Hulk was portrayed in contrast to Jennifer. It wasn’t always a problem but at times I was just… I don’t know. Tired of Jennifer complaining about her at times. But at the same time I totally understand being upset about having your life uprooted at times and your reputation marred by some hulking mass of green superhero partying hard and making a mess of things. So it didn’t bother me that much, I guess.
I don’t know. I wanted to like this one. And I did to an extent. It was okay. If you’re a chick lit fan and more forgiving of all the ‘OMG’ moments then you might actually like it. It sticks to the actual comic source material a lot better than Rogue Touch did certainly and has a lot of fun with it, too. Which was nice. As a huge Marvel fan I appreciated all the little things they threw in there.
All in all, it was probably a good book for someone who likes more blatant chick lit and who has fewer expectations. So just because I didn’t like it as much as I had hoped doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out. It’s definitely geared towards the chick lit audience but also comic fans which is an interesting mix. I’m not sure how big of a demographic that actually is but it’s a very strong, well written book for the genre. It just wasn’t my thing.
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love Jennifer Walters as a character and I love She-Hulk. Plus I’m a law student. She’s a lawyer. My dream is to have ABC someday make a courtroom drama starring Jennifer Walters representing human and superhuman clients alike. At the very least she deserves an Agents of SHIELD cameo.The point is, I struggled to get through this book not because of the character or the story – both were actually really great. I struggled because of the format. I’m sorry but I can only take so many ‘OMG’ and related acronyms before I want to chuck my iPad across the room. It was hard to put up with it to get to the heart of the story which was actually pretty compelling. The book is told in diary format from Jennifer’s own point of view. That’s fine. I like diary format books. My favorite books growing up were the Dear America series and even now I still want to track down the international versions of that series.
I actually was really interested in the slowly developed legal cases that were going on sort of in the background. Jennifer’s inner thoughts were really fun and she was a fun narrator when she wasn’t dropping chat speak all over the place. And there are some fantastic moments where we get some cameos and mentions of some of our favorite Avengers – including her cousin Bruce Banner!
But man. Just the way it was written was a big turn off for me. So was the whole New Years resolution to find a man and whatever. Some of the guys she chased after – and had chased after in the past – were fun characters to explore but for the most part I find any plot like that lacking. Another thing that bothered me was sort of the way She-Hulk was portrayed in contrast to Jennifer. It wasn’t always a problem but at times I was just… I don’t know. Tired of Jennifer complaining about her at times. But at the same time I totally understand being upset about having your life uprooted at times and your reputation marred by some hulking mass of green superhero partying hard and making a mess of things. So it didn’t bother me that much, I guess.
I don’t know. I wanted to like this one. And I did to an extent. It was okay. If you’re a chick lit fan and more forgiving of all the ‘OMG’ moments then you might actually like it. It sticks to the actual comic source material a lot better than Rogue Touch did certainly and has a lot of fun with it, too. Which was nice. As a huge Marvel fan I appreciated all the little things they threw in there.
All in all, it was probably a good book for someone who likes more blatant chick lit and who has fewer expectations. So just because I didn’t like it as much as I had hoped doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out. It’s definitely geared towards the chick lit audience but also comic fans which is an interesting mix. I’m not sure how big of a demographic that actually is but it’s a very strong, well written book for the genre. It just wasn’t my thing.
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LibraryThing member MikeRhode
Along with Rogue Touch, The She-Hulk Diaries by Marta Acosta (Hyperion, $15) is Marvel Comics' latest experiment in reaching a new audience. The books are superhero romance novels. As a superhero fan, I'm perhaps 1/2 of the audience they're aiming at; I'm certainly not a woman who reads romance
I'm not currently keeping up with Marvel's ever-expanding Avengers line, so I'm not sure how the book fits into continuity. In Acosta's story, Jennifer Walters and her alter-ego She-Hulk (annoyingly aka Shulky) have a Jekyll and Hyde relationship with one personality displacing the other rather than the comic book's original version of She-Hulk as a more confident, less uptight and fun-loving version of Jennifer. John Byrne even had She-Hulk practicing law (which is referenced in this novel, but not in a believable fashion). Like Byrne, Acosta has a light humorous hand with the character, and refreshingly doesn't take superheroism too seriously.
As with Hyde, She-Hulk is a released Id and has been tossed out of Avengers Mansion for being too destructive and disruptive. Jennifer, narrating the story via her diary, is living in a borrowed apartment and looking for a new life - a new job, a new apartment and a new boyfriend. Her secret identity as She-Hulk is making all of these objectives difficult.
In coincidences that could only happen in a comic book, or a romance novel, Jennifer gets a job at a law firm that is suing over failing artificial organ transplants, and her former lover Ellis Tesla is the son of the firm;s owner, engaged to its hot-shot lead attorney AND being sued by the firm in the organ case. Tesla is a former musician whose most famous song "Flesh-Eating Bacteria Girl" is about Jennifer, although she continually denies it. Acosta keeps a lot of balls in the air as Jennifer works all of these things out, as well as random attacks by a minor league supervillains, while trying to keep a lid on She-Hulk.
The story is full of lines such as "In order to get Ellis out of my head, which is already crowded by Shulky sprawling all over the place, I decided to participate in something outside my comfort zone" (which is a Game of Thrones party at a bar). After a few minutes of reading, one gets used to them and begins looking forward to the next escapade. This novel won't be for everyone, but if you're a fan of strong female superhero characters, give it a try.
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novels. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel.I'm not currently keeping up with Marvel's ever-expanding Avengers line, so I'm not sure how the book fits into continuity. In Acosta's story, Jennifer Walters and her alter-ego She-Hulk (annoyingly aka Shulky) have a Jekyll and Hyde relationship with one personality displacing the other rather than the comic book's original version of She-Hulk as a more confident, less uptight and fun-loving version of Jennifer. John Byrne even had She-Hulk practicing law (which is referenced in this novel, but not in a believable fashion). Like Byrne, Acosta has a light humorous hand with the character, and refreshingly doesn't take superheroism too seriously.
As with Hyde, She-Hulk is a released Id and has been tossed out of Avengers Mansion for being too destructive and disruptive. Jennifer, narrating the story via her diary, is living in a borrowed apartment and looking for a new life - a new job, a new apartment and a new boyfriend. Her secret identity as She-Hulk is making all of these objectives difficult.
In coincidences that could only happen in a comic book, or a romance novel, Jennifer gets a job at a law firm that is suing over failing artificial organ transplants, and her former lover Ellis Tesla is the son of the firm;s owner, engaged to its hot-shot lead attorney AND being sued by the firm in the organ case. Tesla is a former musician whose most famous song "Flesh-Eating Bacteria Girl" is about Jennifer, although she continually denies it. Acosta keeps a lot of balls in the air as Jennifer works all of these things out, as well as random attacks by a minor league supervillains, while trying to keep a lid on She-Hulk.
The story is full of lines such as "In order to get Ellis out of my head, which is already crowded by Shulky sprawling all over the place, I decided to participate in something outside my comfort zone" (which is a Game of Thrones party at a bar). After a few minutes of reading, one gets used to them and begins looking forward to the next escapade. This novel won't be for everyone, but if you're a fan of strong female superhero characters, give it a try.
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LibraryThing member theWallflower
I had high expectations for this book -- a novel about a superheroine who usually doesn't make it past the comic books. I was hoping that, since Jennifer Walters is a lawyer, the book would be about some courtroom drama, a la John Grisham, but with the added complication of superheroes.
Despite it
When she transforms (apparently she can do that -- I thought she was always "on"), "Shulky" takes control. She's not so much a raging beast as a party girl. Walters sits back and waits for her to finish her C-list heroics, then whoop it up at the opening of "pLace". Thus the story feels like those chick lit novels scattered all over Barnes and Noble. You know, the ones with pop art and cocktails on the cover. The text is full of teenspeak, lists, quirky tidbits (even the place she works is named QUIRC), and short attention span writing.
The whole reason I like She-Hulk is because she's not bogged down by these female tropes. She's a super-strong, green-skinned women who uses the skills she's fought for more than the ones she inherited. She's confident, self-actualized, and capable, but has the hang-ups that freaks like the Thing and Beast have. That's what makes her fascinating to me.
But in this she's just another woman with insecurities, passive-aggressiveness, and a positive but cowardly attitude. The She-Hulk I want wouldn't be worried about her ex's fiancee. The central conflict of this book is whether or not the rock star guy she had a one night fling with still remembers her. It's a plot that would be immediately resolved if the main character just TALKED TO THE PERSON.
I don't want a She-Hulk that acts like Ally McBeal (even though Iron Man was in both). I don't get any sense that any of this matters to the world, to Jennifer, and not to the reader.
Despite it
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being "The She-Hulk Diaries", She-Hulk is barely in it. It's more about Jennifer Walters, her human form, and her "girl problems". The crux of the story is Jennifer tooling around, talking to her friend, and trying to get a job. She spends way too much time obsessing over boyfriends -- past, present, and future. I don't mind romantic relationships, but she spends more time thinking about them than I prefer in my protagonists. Especially ones with a higher calling.When she transforms (apparently she can do that -- I thought she was always "on"), "Shulky" takes control. She's not so much a raging beast as a party girl. Walters sits back and waits for her to finish her C-list heroics, then whoop it up at the opening of "pLace". Thus the story feels like those chick lit novels scattered all over Barnes and Noble. You know, the ones with pop art and cocktails on the cover. The text is full of teenspeak, lists, quirky tidbits (even the place she works is named QUIRC), and short attention span writing.
The whole reason I like She-Hulk is because she's not bogged down by these female tropes. She's a super-strong, green-skinned women who uses the skills she's fought for more than the ones she inherited. She's confident, self-actualized, and capable, but has the hang-ups that freaks like the Thing and Beast have. That's what makes her fascinating to me.
But in this she's just another woman with insecurities, passive-aggressiveness, and a positive but cowardly attitude. The She-Hulk I want wouldn't be worried about her ex's fiancee. The central conflict of this book is whether or not the rock star guy she had a one night fling with still remembers her. It's a plot that would be immediately resolved if the main character just TALKED TO THE PERSON.
I don't want a She-Hulk that acts like Ally McBeal (even though Iron Man was in both). I don't get any sense that any of this matters to the world, to Jennifer, and not to the reader.
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LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
The story follows Jennifer Walters as she tries to get her personal, work and romantic life in order. The story is told through journal entries only through the Jennifer Walters personality, although that doesn't stop us from getting a lot of information on Shulky throughout the book. There are
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parts of the book that read as silly and over the top and there are parts of the book that come off as very clever. I don't necessarily think that this was the best way to appeal to existing female comic fans because it feels like pandering at times but I wonder how it did among women who've never read comics before. At the end of the day I did enjoy the silly and watching Jen and Shulky come together. At first I was really annoyed by the Bridget Jones esque style and I wanted a ore action-y novel, but then I started to enjoy the silliness. The silliness made it the right book at the right time, which sometimes is all you need. The book has also made me interested in picking up some old She-Hulk which is something I've been meaning to do forever and this may push me into finally getting around to it; so I suppose that Marvel has succeeded in getting me further drawn in. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
The story follows Jennifer Walters as she tries to get her personal, work and romantic life in order. The story is told through journal entries only through the Jennifer Walters personality, although that doesn't stop us from getting a lot of information on Shulky throughout the book. There are
Show More
parts of the book that read as silly and over the top and there are parts of the book that come off as very clever. I don't necessarily think that this was the best way to appeal to existing female comic fans because it feels like pandering at times but I wonder how it did among women who've never read comics before. At the end of the day I did enjoy the silly and watching Jen and Shulky come together. At first I was really annoyed by the Bridget Jones esque style and I wanted a ore action-y novel, but then I started to enjoy the silliness. The silliness made it the right book at the right time, which sometimes is all you need. The book has also made me interested in picking up some old She-Hulk which is something I've been meaning to do forever and this may push me into finally getting around to it; so I suppose that Marvel has succeeded in getting me further drawn in. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
The story follows Jennifer Walters as she tries to get her personal, work and romantic life in order. The story is told through journal entries only through the Jennifer Walters personality, although that doesn't stop us from getting a lot of information on Shulky throughout the book. There are
Show More
parts of the book that read as silly and over the top and there are parts of the book that come off as very clever. I don't necessarily think that this was the best way to appeal to existing female comic fans because it feels like pandering at times but I wonder how it did among women who've never read comics before. At the end of the day I did enjoy the silly and watching Jen and Shulky come together. At first I was really annoyed by the Bridget Jones esque style and I wanted a ore action-y novel, but then I started to enjoy the silliness. The silliness made it the right book at the right time, which sometimes is all you need. The book has also made me interested in picking up some old She-Hulk which is something I've been meaning to do forever and this may push me into finally getting around to it; so I suppose that Marvel has succeeded in getting me further drawn in. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
The story follows Jennifer Walters as she tries to get her personal, work and romantic life in order. The story is told through journal entries only through the Jennifer Walters personality, although that doesn't stop us from getting a lot of information on Shulky throughout the book. There are
Show More
parts of the book that read as silly and over the top and there are parts of the book that come off as very clever. I don't necessarily think that this was the best way to appeal to existing female comic fans because it feels like pandering at times but I wonder how it did among women who've never read comics before. At the end of the day I did enjoy the silly and watching Jen and Shulky come together. At first I was really annoyed by the Bridget Jones esque style and I wanted a ore action-y novel, but then I started to enjoy the silliness. The silliness made it the right book at the right time, which sometimes is all you need. The book has also made me interested in picking up some old She-Hulk which is something I've been meaning to do forever and this may push me into finally getting around to it; so I suppose that Marvel has succeeded in getting me further drawn in. Show Less
LibraryThing member BraveNewBks
Not a graphic novel--this is a fun twist on the chick lit genre, with She-Hulk's alternate identity as the protagonist. She's a smart, hardworking New York lawyer with the personal- and love-life issues that often accompany that career. Everything is just a bit more complicated by the fact that she
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occasionally turns into a giant green superheroine who doesn't always play nicely with others. Fun read, and some creative science-based song lyrics peppered throughout elevate this from your average beach read. Bonus: the legalese was pretty much appropriate, which means the author is either a lawyer herself or actually bothered to do her homework (a shockingly rare occurrence in books where law practice is a minor thread of the story). Show Less
LibraryThing member TheYodamom
It all started with a separation of self, a bad reputation, and a long lost love.
Chickflick meets superhero comic loving nerd reading. I went into this book expecting action jackson type comic level reading. What I got was a well done mix of superhero fun with romantic drama and a lot of laughable
The evil villains were a bit disappointing. I thought there would be some huge battle and perhaps a few superhero types would jump in a join her. No, but there was one super duper, nasty, wicked, lawyer, hammerhead villain that made even the bad guys look good. Oh, she was so easy to hate. I didn't understand why the other villains were up to their shenanigans. What was the purpose of the water bomb or the fat making fashion show ? They seemed thrust into the story to fill a need for evil.
Jen aka Shulky is really messed up. Shulky has torn up the town and made herself a pariah with the Avengers. They threw her out and told her to get help, psychiatric help. Jen is a top lawyer, and Shulky is hearty party girl. The two don't mix well and that causes major problems. She also has love problems, she was dumped, or not and holds some serious grudge against him when they meet up again. She might be a superbeast but she's all human in the lack of communication area.
I enjoyed the ride and plan on reading more superhero chickflick reads in the future.
Chickflick meets superhero comic loving nerd reading. I went into this book expecting action jackson type comic level reading. What I got was a well done mix of superhero fun with romantic drama and a lot of laughable
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moments.I found myself snickering and enthralled after the first few pages. I had to stop so many times to share what Jen/Shulky were up too with my family. It was too good not to pass on. I had a lot of fun reading it, laughed out loud, and still find myself giggling over a few sections.The evil villains were a bit disappointing. I thought there would be some huge battle and perhaps a few superhero types would jump in a join her. No, but there was one super duper, nasty, wicked, lawyer, hammerhead villain that made even the bad guys look good. Oh, she was so easy to hate. I didn't understand why the other villains were up to their shenanigans. What was the purpose of the water bomb or the fat making fashion show ? They seemed thrust into the story to fill a need for evil.
Jen aka Shulky is really messed up. Shulky has torn up the town and made herself a pariah with the Avengers. They threw her out and told her to get help, psychiatric help. Jen is a top lawyer, and Shulky is hearty party girl. The two don't mix well and that causes major problems. She also has love problems, she was dumped, or not and holds some serious grudge against him when they meet up again. She might be a superbeast but she's all human in the lack of communication area.
I enjoyed the ride and plan on reading more superhero chickflick reads in the future.
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LibraryThing member jovemako
I'll say pleasantly surprised by this one. Kind of a typical comic book twist towards the end, but I expected that. (It's a comic book novel!) It's been on my shelf forever and I just now got around to reading it. I do wish there were more than just the two books in this set though. What about a
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book like this for Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Spider Woman (or Spider Gwen), Gamora, Storm, or Valkyrie? Honestly, the character list could go much further but that's all the female ones that came to my brain in 2 seconds. lol. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013-06-18
Physical description
336 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
1401311016 / 9781401311018