Dispossession : a novel of few words

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

England, 1873. John Caldigate, a young gentleman, gets into debt gambling and decides to try his luck in the gold fields of New South Wales. On the outward journey, he promises to marry Mrs. Smith, a divorced actress who is traveling in the same ship. Returning home a rich man, John marries Hester, the sweetheart he left behind. Soon, Mrs. Smith also returns from Australia, penniless, and claims that she is already his wife. Inspired by Anthony Trollope's 1879 novel John Caldigate , Dispossession embeds the reader in a uniquely wrought experience of the mid-19th century, including the first ever appearance of the Aboriginal Wiradjuri language in a graphic novel. Taking unique advantage of the graphic form to conjure the material world of the Victorian era in a glittering waltz of intense color and deep shadow, Dispossession is a virtuoso and intensely affecting graphic novel by a master visual storyteller.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Rambunctious young Victorian Englishman John Caldigate cashes out his inheritance to pay gambling debts and then sails south to win big in the Australian gold fields. But his affections for the ladies confound him: Does he marry his high-spirited cousin Julia? His shipboard companion, the clever actress Mrs. Smith? The chaste Heather, daughter of his father's friend? He chooses, but then accused unexpectedly of bigamy, the chastened John must rely on friends and an obsessed civil servant to legitimize his new family. Based on Anthony Trollope's 1879 novel John -Caldigate, this adaptation was commissioned by Belgium's Leuven University as part of the international bicentenary of Trollope's birth in 1815, and adds a touching subplot involving Australian Aborigines. Comic scholar Grennan's charming period art resembles tapestry, with small, colorful figures seen from a distance. Unfortunately, no close-ups, thought balloons, or commentary indicate character motivations. Thus this version lacks much of the meaning of the original, plus it omits key plot details. John appears as merely a cardboard skirt chaser, and the other characters are two-dimensional or opaque as well. VERDICT A lush dramatization of the overall story, but readers must dive into Trollope's splendid creation to understand the whys and wherefores.-MC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Bigamy, colonization, and gambling wreak havoc in this graphic adaptation of John Caldigate, Anthony Trollope's 1879 novel. Driven by debts, John heads to the gold fields of New South Wales and promises to marry a former actress he meets there-only to wed another woman upon his return home to England. This is a work full of intriguing conceits: the usage of Wiradjuri, an Aboriginal language, the six-panel grid used throughout, the arm's-length distance at which each panel is framed. But these conceits do not elevate the work and often feel like gimmicks. Moreover, the process of adaptation seems to have shorn off necessary details of the story, rendering it a dry confusion of manners. That said, Grennan, whose previous work was mostly academic study of comics, is a talented artist, whose sketchy pencil brings out the lush details of 19-century life without devoting slavish attention to each and every curtain-there is a charmingly abstract quality to the way he renders Caldigate's complicated world. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

In 1873, a young English gentleman, John Caldigate, finds himself hopelessly in debt after gambling away his fortune. Disowned by his family, he heads to Australia, where newly discovered gold fields promise redemption and wealth. Upon returning to English society, his reputation renewed, he forgets about a romance with Mrs. Smith, a divorced Australian actress. But his hopes for a second lease on life are dashed when she and several others appear with grim accusations. This graphic adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel, John Caldigate (1879), offers a straightforward story of class, money, and society. The small, brightly colored panels are busy but offer a realistic glimpse into the Victorian period. It can occasionally be challenging to distinguish characters, but the dialogue enables readers to follow the main story arc. Caldigate's behavior and the subsequent lack of consequences for it are historically accurate, and while this story is ultimately one of upper-class male privilege and may not resonate strongly with modern readers, lovers of the classics may appreciate this artful take on the story.--Hayes, Summer Copyright 2016 Booklist