Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Drawn and Quarterly (2013), 232 pages
Description
TV producer Mica Segal accompanies her grandmother, Regina, on the old lady's first return to Warsaw since she fled, pregnant by a gentile with Mica's late father, to Palestine in 1939. On the plane, the son of a friend of Regina's ebulliently accosts the women and thereafter seems to show up wherever they go, even separately. Mica shakes him by dodging into a caf', where she meets a charming Pole who leads Jewish history tours. Not by chance, Regina comes on her own to the same caf' to meet an old man who lives in the buildingyes, Mica's grandfather. While the purpose of the trip is to assert Regina's title to a building her parents had owned, what develops is an intrafamilial tiff, an ultimately fulfilling reunion, and the possible start of a romance.… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member -Eva-
When her grandmother returns to Poland to get some property returned, Mica insists on coming with her, but the trip reveals the grandmother has a deep secret and an unenviable task to complete. Such a great story with numerous layers of human fate in so few pages. I'm already a huge fan of Modan's
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and her ability to describe deep feelings in her very simple drawing style. She outdid herself in this one, though, the mix of humor and severity makes for a combustible combination - I shed actual tears when the true reason for the grandmother's trip became clear. Modan is an unmissable gem - couldn't possibly recommend her work more than I already do. Show Less
LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
This wonderful book by Rutu Modan is the first graphic novel I've read that equals the quality of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home. This time the family involved is a woman and her grandmother who travel from their home in Israel to Poland to claim the grandmother's property which was lost to the family
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in WWII. Modan manages to combine stereotypes for Jews, Poles and old people with both romance and practicality to make a story that appeals to anyone trying to understand family dynamics, politics and interpersonal relationships. Right from the opening scene in the airport you realize the grandmother is a pistol, and she's going to get what she came for no matter who tries to stop her. I'll be reading more of Modan, I'm sure. Show Less
LibraryThing member mkboylan
Rutu Modan was born in Israel and educated in Jerusalem. She is an award winning illustrator and cartoonist. This graphic novel is the first of her books that I have read, but not the last. It is the story of a young woman who accompanies her grandmother on a trip from Tel Aviv to Warsaw for the
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first time since her Jewish grandmother was exiled from the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw. A not uncommon story, it involves loss of property, loss of loved ones and close friends, as well as betrayal. It's a good story with excellent graphics. I particularly liked that this took place in Warsaw because I haven't read much about Poland in this time period. It is both quick and informative, with excellent art work. Four stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member greydoll
Regina Segal and her granddaughter Mica travel from Tel Aviv to Warsaw in an attempt to reclaim a family property lost during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw during World War 2. The visit brings back painful memories for the elderly Regina whose growing secrecy puzzles Mica. Events are further
Distrust and cross purposes veil this story of bitter sweet memories and the possibilities of reconciliation. Some of the characters irritated me, proof of the strength of their characterisation and of Modan's story-telling skills, I think.
Deceptively simple and "flat", coloured graphics that manage still to display expression and characterisation. Flashback passages are distinguished by being rendered in sepia monochrome, providing a clear narrative for the story. I really did relish this graphic novel
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complicated by the coincidental appearance of a friend of Mica's mother. Distrust and cross purposes veil this story of bitter sweet memories and the possibilities of reconciliation. Some of the characters irritated me, proof of the strength of their characterisation and of Modan's story-telling skills, I think.
Deceptively simple and "flat", coloured graphics that manage still to display expression and characterisation. Flashback passages are distinguished by being rendered in sepia monochrome, providing a clear narrative for the story. I really did relish this graphic novel
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LibraryThing member questbird
A nicely drawn story of of a Jewish woman and her granddaughter returning to Warsaw to reclaim a property lost during World War 2 -- and various family secrets.
LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
I love how the genre of graphic novels has developed over recent years. This graphic novel is one good example. The story is of Regina Segal, an elderly Israeli Jewish woman who returns to Warsaw, Poland, many years after World War II in order to reclaim family property. She brings her
This book is very well done. The characters are truly interesting...from Regina Segal, the determined grandmother, to Thomasz, the comic book artist who is a Jewish ghetto tour guide by day, to Avram Yagodnik, the heavyset "nudnik" who follows Micah in Warsaw for his girlfriend's gain.
I'll admit that I had to read this book twice to get what I wanted out of it. My first read-through was for its content. The story seemed a bit complicated, and I wanted to be able to follow it. The second read-through was purely for pleasure. In this second reading, I paid more attention to the drawings and discovered interesting background characters and setting...both of the present and of the past.
I loved that the book was done in colors rather than in black and white. They added much to the story...from the bright blue of the Vistula River to the muted rose tones of the wallpaper in "the property" to the grayish tones of Regina Segal's memories.
This is a terrific book and one that the reader should take the time in reading so that its special details are not missed.
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granddaughter Mica with her. Ruth is somewhat secretive about what she hopes to accomplish by this trip, and Mica does some snooping in order to figure out why her grandmother, once in Poland, is no longer adamant about claiming her rightful inheritance.This book is very well done. The characters are truly interesting...from Regina Segal, the determined grandmother, to Thomasz, the comic book artist who is a Jewish ghetto tour guide by day, to Avram Yagodnik, the heavyset "nudnik" who follows Micah in Warsaw for his girlfriend's gain.
I'll admit that I had to read this book twice to get what I wanted out of it. My first read-through was for its content. The story seemed a bit complicated, and I wanted to be able to follow it. The second read-through was purely for pleasure. In this second reading, I paid more attention to the drawings and discovered interesting background characters and setting...both of the present and of the past.
I loved that the book was done in colors rather than in black and white. They added much to the story...from the bright blue of the Vistula River to the muted rose tones of the wallpaper in "the property" to the grayish tones of Regina Segal's memories.
This is a terrific book and one that the reader should take the time in reading so that its special details are not missed.
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LibraryThing member Sullywriter
A grandmother and granddaughter from Israel visit Poland to reclaim property lost during the Holocaust, and both find their lives unexpectedly changed financially and personally.
LibraryThing member emeraldreverie
I loved this book! Only improvement would be queer rep. Fantastic art and colors. Delightful intriguing story. Deft translation.
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
A couple of months after her father’s death, Mica accompanies her grandmother, Regina, to Warsaw to recover the property her great-grandparents owned before the Holocaust. This is Regina’s first visit to Warsaw since she emigrated to Israel as a young woman before the war. Once they arrive in
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Warsaw, Regina doesn’t seem to want to accompany Mica anywhere or to do anything about the lost property. Mica is attracted to a tour guide she meets on the first day of their visit, and Regina reconnects with someone from her past. And why is the cantor from her father’s funeral following Mica everywhere after they ran into him on the plane? This lovely graphic novel explores relationships, loss, and memory. Despite the underlying sadness and loss, the novel ends on a hopeful note as both Mica and Regina seem to have found what they sought from their journey. Show Less
LibraryThing member labfs39
With family, you don't have to tell the whole truth and it's not considered lying.
-Michaela Modan, epigraph
Mica accompanies her grandmother to Warsaw from Israel, purportedly to recover a family apartment that was confiscated during the Holocaust. Once there, however, Mica begins to suspect that
The illustrations in this graphic novel are at times blocky and at times finely detailed, with wonderful expressiveness. The colors are muted with lots of maroon, black, and mustard. The text is translated into block letters for Hebrew, italics for Polish, and mixed case for English. When Mica doesn't understand what people are saying, the text is just squiggles. The artwork complements the story well.
-Michaela Modan, epigraph
Mica accompanies her grandmother to Warsaw from Israel, purportedly to recover a family apartment that was confiscated during the Holocaust. Once there, however, Mica begins to suspect that
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her grandmother has a different motive for the trip. The Property features strong women, humor with a touch of sarcasm, and understated motifs that are more powerful for the lack of heavy-handedness.The illustrations in this graphic novel are at times blocky and at times finely detailed, with wonderful expressiveness. The colors are muted with lots of maroon, black, and mustard. The text is translated into block letters for Hebrew, italics for Polish, and mixed case for English. When Mica doesn't understand what people are saying, the text is just squiggles. The artwork complements the story well.
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LibraryThing member thisisstephenbetts
A very well crafted graphic novel, about a woman and her granddaughter travelling from Israel to Poland to investigate the woman's claim to a property there. The story, naturally, delves into the past of the woman, revealing secrets and surprises. It's touching, funny and feels very believable -
While I really like Modan's art generally, I sometimes find her colours a little muddy, and in the night scenes a bit over-saturated. Maybe it's just me.
It's not a life-changing book, and on a grumpier day my 4.5* would get rounded down, not up. But the story is of a quality that is not as common in comics as it should be, and has has a general excellence of execution, that it deserves the benefit of the doubt.
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it's kinda got the feel of a quality indie film. The characterisations were particularly well done, I thought - well rounded and believable. While I really like Modan's art generally, I sometimes find her colours a little muddy, and in the night scenes a bit over-saturated. Maybe it's just me.
It's not a life-changing book, and on a grumpier day my 4.5* would get rounded down, not up. But the story is of a quality that is not as common in comics as it should be, and has has a general excellence of execution, that it deserves the benefit of the doubt.
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ISBN
1770461159 / 9781770461154