A woman with a head

like a baby grand,
and hand that holds more than that.

This book has landed itself smack dab in the middle of a pile of manga/graphic novel book trading! :D

I have let the fuse and off it goes, to land soundly on her house. With any luck, it'll go right through the window! This is war lady!! :D :D :D

Woohoo! I got home from a day-trip to the Harbor Islands on this hot summer day to find a Big Box O' Books! I asked for this in part because I've enjoyed many non-fiction-in-graphic-novel-format books (there doesn't seem to be a good word for "graphic non-fiction") - and in part because it might interest some dancers I know.

Many thanks!

Later: Very enjoyable - and surprisingly thorough - look at the life of the very complicated Duncan, with notes on the times she lived in to help explain just how innovative or outright shocking she could be. The author has also inserted herself in the story, contrasting her reactions to Duncan's version of her life to those of other - and possibly more objective - sources, which I found refreshing. There are lavish descriptions of her travels, first with her brother Raymond (also a dancer, as well as a poet), and later with various lovers and/or husbands.

There are sequences on some of her greatest performances (including an example of a classic wardrobe malfunction during a dance in Boston's Symphony Hall!) - and on her personal tragedies, which included the tragic deaths of her two young children. She managed to keep working after that, and crossed paths with famous artists and authors wherever she went, until her own tragic death - which, all things considered, was sufficiently dramatic to be worthy of her legend...

I'm adding this book to KateKintail's YA bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Hope someone enjoys it!

*** Released for the 2014 E-less Challenge, for books with no "E" in the title. ***

Took from the YA bookbox.

I thought this was an interesting look at the beginning of modern dance. I love the idea of telling it in comic format as it seems like a perfect way to show Duncan's visual achievements, unfortunately I was a bit disappointed by the art, which I found rather stiff and unconvincing when it came to representing Duncan's dancing. Mostly, the art is very good, effectively conveying the tone of the section, providing all the info we need in a visually appealing way, and providing the character designs with plenty of variety so the reader can tell everyone apart at a glance.

Added to the LFL