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Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

  • Downloads：3587
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-25 06:54:52
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Alison Bechdel
  • ISBN：0224080512
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

One of the most eagerly anticipated graphic memoirs of recent years， Fun Home is a darkly funny family tale， pitch-perfectly illustrated with Alison Bechdel's sweetly gothic drawings。 Like Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis， it's a story exhilaratingly suited to graphic memoir form。

Meet Alison's father， a historic preservation expert and obsessive restorer of the family's Victorian home， a third-generation funeral home director， a high-school English teacher， an icily distant parent， and a closeted homosexual who， as it turns out， is involved with his male students and the family babysitter。

Through narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and fiercely funny， we are drawn into a daughter's complex yearning for her father。 When Alison comes out as homosexual herself in late adolescence， the denouement is swift， graphic， and redemptive。

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Reviews

Marisa Buller ，

L/G/Q

Elle ，

3。5 stars。Let me start by saying that I am not the best audience for this book。 That absolutely played a part in my ability to connect with it。 Bechdel strips bare the hardships of her childhood， an abusive yet absent father， and discovering her own sexual identity。 It is definitely a poignant piece with plenty of emotional currency。 The writing is good， but is a little overly academic。。。this makes sense given the context， but does make the story slightly less accessible。 This is not a linear ti 3。5 stars。Let me start by saying that I am not the best audience for this book。 That absolutely played a part in my ability to connect with it。 Bechdel strips bare the hardships of her childhood， an abusive yet absent father， and discovering her own sexual identity。 It is definitely a poignant piece with plenty of emotional currency。 The writing is good， but is a little overly academic。。。this makes sense given the context， but does make the story slightly less accessible。 This is not a linear timeline piece， but it does weave together the storylines well and draws several connections between past and present， father and daughter。 It can be a difficult and overwhelming read at times。 For me this was just an okay read， but I can see immense value in it and the potential for it to connect with other readers。 。。。more

Indy Hollway ，

Compelling， beautifully written and with beautiful art too

Tyna the Reader ，

I found the language in this graphic novel very challenging and impenetrable at times。 I found myself looking up a lot of words that I didn’t know the meanings for， but that’s not a criticism at all。 To find an autobiography in this format， which covers so many subjects that are important to me （a difficult parental relationship between a father and daughter， suicide， mental illness， queerness， to name a few） was incredibly refreshing。 I found some parts painfully relatable and was educated by o I found the language in this graphic novel very challenging and impenetrable at times。 I found myself looking up a lot of words that I didn’t know the meanings for， but that’s not a criticism at all。 To find an autobiography in this format， which covers so many subjects that are important to me （a difficult parental relationship between a father and daughter， suicide， mental illness， queerness， to name a few） was incredibly refreshing。 I found some parts painfully relatable and was educated by others。I’m not sure it’s one I’d return to again but I’d definitely recommend it。 3。5 stars。 。。。more

Maxine ，

Définition parfaite du "tragicomic"。 Excellent！ Définition parfaite du "tragicomic"。 Excellent！ 。。。more

Rilaaa ，

Interesting exploration of Bechdel's childhood， family life and secrets， emerging sexuality， the books she read and how they formed her personal， political and artistic identity。 Loved the literary references too。 Interesting exploration of Bechdel's childhood， family life and secrets， emerging sexuality， the books she read and how they formed her personal， political and artistic identity。 Loved the literary references too。 。。。more

Zura ，

ერთ-ერთი საუკეთესო გრაფიკული რომანი

Motherbooker ，

I think all memoirs and non-fiction should be written as graphic novels。 I love non-fiction but I don't always have the right attention span for it。 It's why I've got piles of half-read non-fiction books scattered around the place。 However， I've loved every single non-fiction graphic novel that I've ever read。 It's an incredibly engaging way to present a lot of information to the reader。 It also gives writers the chance to include lots of fun things to help tell their story。 Though Alison Bechde I think all memoirs and non-fiction should be written as graphic novels。 I love non-fiction but I don't always have the right attention span for it。 It's why I've got piles of half-read non-fiction books scattered around the place。 However， I've loved every single non-fiction graphic novel that I've ever read。 It's an incredibly engaging way to present a lot of information to the reader。 It also gives writers the chance to include lots of fun things to help tell their story。 Though Alison Bechdel describes Fun Home as a tragicomic， there is more than just heartbreak and pain within these pages。 The illustrations add an extra layer to proceedings and allow dark humour to creep into the story。 By the time you get to the end， you'll really believe that this is a story that could only be told in this form。Although， it's not as if Bechdel didn't have practice telling stories in a visual medium。 You'd expect a celebrated cartoonist to be able to pull off a graphic novel after all。 The fact that she decided to explore her relationship with her father might possibly have made things more complicated but she pulls it off。 Over the 7 sections of the book， we learn about Bechdel's father and begin to uncover the secret that he was hiding for decades。 The secret that came out just before this death and created a strange connection between father and daughter。 Not long after coming out to her parents， Bechdel discovers that her father has been hiding his own homosexuality all of his life。 Instead， he had affairs with students from his English class and focused on interior decorating。The story is told in a non-linear structure and moments are often retold once new information has come to light。 You see as the man that appears at the opening of the book quickly becomes someone entirely different。 The absent father is suddenly the man who gave up his true identity to survive。 His reaction to his daughter's coming out can be viewed in a different light once you find out his own history。 It isn't that he is embarrassed by it but scared for her。 Scared and maybe a little jealous。 He is watching as his child takes steps into a new world and lives more openly than he ever could have。 Then there is Alison's own grief that her father died so soon after she finally got to see the real him。 It's a story that gets pretty heavy before the end。In order to help herself understand her own sexuality as well as her father's， Alison references and alludes to literary works。 Literature is the way that she is able to make sense of the complicated parts of her life。 She sees her father in the guise of literary characters from works by Homer， James Joyce and Oscar Wilde。 It is also through literature that Bechdel is able to confront her own sexuality and find the strength to come out。 She sees her family through a literary lens， so it is no wonder that it plays such a part in the retelling of this story。 Literature is also another thing that she shares with her father and is a way for the pair to reach out about their respective sexualities。 Working these literary references into the graphic novel gives the reader a deeper insight into Bechdel's mind。After all， this is a book that is completely her。 Obviously， the story concerns her family but also the creation of the illustrations。 Fun Home took 7 years to complete because of the intricate process for designing the images。 In order to create realistic human figures， Bechdel took photos of herself in specific poses so that she could reference them in the final image。 She also recreated family photos， letters， maps and her childhood diary entries。 There is such a level of realism here that you connect to the story on a deeper level。 You aren't just hearing somebody's memoir but you're going through their memories。 You are experiencing Bechdel's life up close and getting to see behind the scenes。Fun Home is more than just a memoir presented as a graphic novel。 It is an attempt to make sense of one man's life and death。 It is also the story of self-discovery and becoming comfortable in your own skin。 This is a quick read but it is full of emotion。 There is rage， confusion and pain coming through in every panel。 A story full of regrets but also full of hope。 Bechdel may have been late in discovering just how much she had in common with her father but she learnt from it。 She was able to see her father in a renewed light and understand him better。 Fun Home is a fantastic insight into the LGBTQ experience and， just as literature helped Alison， it will no doubt inspire plenty of readers。 。。。more

Fleur ，

Nu"Joan era poeta e "matriarquista" passei pouco tempo do semestre seguinte fora da cama dela。 Que era coberta de livros uma fusão inédita para mim entre palavra e ato。 Perdi o rumo。 O dicionário havia se tornado erótico。 Algumas de nossas histórias de infância favoritas viraram propaganda。。。 E outras pornografia。 Sob a luz implacável do irromper do meu feminismo， tudo parecia diferente essa mistura de despertar político e sexual foi a mudança bem-vinda。"Grafic Novel autobiográfica da autora。 Re Nu"Joan era poeta e "matriarquista" passei pouco tempo do semestre seguinte fora da cama dela。 Que era coberta de livros uma fusão inédita para mim entre palavra e ato。 Perdi o rumo。 O dicionário havia se tornado erótico。 Algumas de nossas histórias de infância favoritas viraram propaganda。。。 E outras pornografia。 Sob a luz implacável do irromper do meu feminismo， tudo parecia diferente essa mistura de despertar político e sexual foi a mudança bem-vinda。"Grafic Novel autobiográfica da autora。 Repleto de referências literárias como Oscar Wilde e James Joyce， livros caindo por toda parte do início ao fim， relações familiares e descobertas sexuais um túnel que nos puxa pro anos 60，70。 。。。more

Haleigh ，

Absolutely beautiful and gutting。

Bridget Sullivan ，

This made me realize I had （probably still have tbh） OCD as a child so that was fun。 But also incredible and cool

Buttons O'Belhans ，

Loved this。 Insightful exploration of Bechdel's early life， and her thoughts on family， self growth， and queer culture。 I love the format of 'autobiography as visual novel'。 Loved this。 Insightful exploration of Bechdel's early life， and her thoughts on family， self growth， and queer culture。 I love the format of 'autobiography as visual novel'。 。。。more

Alice ，

A fascinating memoir presented in a graphic format。 The illustrations were interesting and overall it was an enjoyable read that prompted me to be pensive throughout。

Adi ，

last chapters felt like a conclusion for the sake of a conclusion。 but the first half of this book！！ so many amazing moments

Charlie ，

watched the play first knowing NOTHING about it and was very startled that the main character was a butch lesbian and not some cis twink

Laura Booth ，

My first graphic novel。 I don't like the format。 Specifically to this book， I felt it snobby。 The author's use of "big" words and references to important （to some people） historic novels is annoying and unnecessary。 The story could have stood on it's own。 I felt for all characters involved。 What a tough experience to live through。 My first graphic novel。 I don't like the format。 Specifically to this book， I felt it snobby。 The author's use of "big" words and references to important （to some people） historic novels is annoying and unnecessary。 The story could have stood on it's own。 I felt for all characters involved。 What a tough experience to live through。 。。。more

Lesa Parnham ，

Bittersweet story， graphic novels not for me。

Bobparr ，

Libro compatto e coraggioso， molto intriso di letteratura “alta”， disegnato benissimo。 Minuzioso e quasi maniacale nelle descrizioni， richiederebbe una buona conoscenza di Joyce per essere apprezzato appieno。

Kiandra J ，

This was a hard one to understand and it was hard for me to tell the children apart。 But I love now telling each illustration was。 From the period rooms to the forced family photos。 I love how some aspects could be felt through the pages opposed to other parts where I couldn’t quite understand the direction of the story。 But then again when I was reading this I couldn’t enjoy it because it was for educational purposes not recreational。

ladywallingford ，

This graphic novel packs quite a punch。 This is the story of the author's relationship with her father who was a closeted gay man who ended up committing suicide。 Usually， I can quickly devour graphic novels， but that was not the case with this one。 It has a lot of content to it， and I think I could go through it again and picked something else up。 It has quite a number of literary references， and I didn't get them all not having read those titles， but I think a variety of readers could relate t This graphic novel packs quite a punch。 This is the story of the author's relationship with her father who was a closeted gay man who ended up committing suicide。 Usually， I can quickly devour graphic novels， but that was not the case with this one。 It has a lot of content to it， and I think I could go through it again and picked something else up。 It has quite a number of literary references， and I didn't get them all not having read those titles， but I think a variety of readers could relate to the author and her relationships and experience in some form or another。 For me， it was the disconnection between herself and her parents。 I really related to that。 Others could probably see their own coming out story reflected in the author or maybe even relate to the experiences of her father。 I think the list could go on。I plan to read the sequel about the author's mother， and I hope to read it a bit more slowly。 I would recommend the book to everyone whether you are a fan of graphic novels or not。 。。。more

Kristina ，

I just love Alison Bechdel。Reading her brings me a richeness of emotions。I might find and read everything she has。"Fun Home" is a brilliant graphic novel that is also a memoir of the Bechdel family。 Most of all， I liked the literature references and symbolism。 Graphics and content - great too。 I just love Alison Bechdel。Reading her brings me a richeness of emotions。I might find and read everything she has。"Fun Home" is a brilliant graphic novel that is also a memoir of the Bechdel family。 Most of all， I liked the literature references and symbolism。 Graphics and content - great too。 。。。more

SnoopMarkieMark ，

So many literary devices drawing her own life in comparison with The Odyssey and Ulysses。 The panel layouts are laborious。 I cared for her dad， but Alison comes off as dense in her own memoir。

Amy Margaret ，

Fun Home: a family tragicomic， by Alison Bechdel was not exactly what I was expecting when I first picked it up。 Bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her father through this graphic novel and the correlations to a number of literary works。 I definitely feel if you are not aware of the references （of which a few I was not） then this made it a challenge to engage with the limited narrative。 Her relationship with her father was complex and it was hard to read of her early childhood experien Fun Home: a family tragicomic， by Alison Bechdel was not exactly what I was expecting when I first picked it up。 Bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her father through this graphic novel and the correlations to a number of literary works。 I definitely feel if you are not aware of the references （of which a few I was not） then this made it a challenge to engage with the limited narrative。 Her relationship with her father was complex and it was hard to read of her early childhood experiences of her fathers violent outbursts， or his predilection for young under-age boys。 Overall I think this felt more like it was a personal cathartic project， rather than one that was intended for public consumption， it was not an easy read for me， or one that had any alleviation in the narrative。 I can't imagine what the Tony Award winning musical adoption of this book would be like， but maybe I need to see it to understand what I have missed。 For me at the moment ⭐⭐⭐ （3/5）。 。。。more

Katie ，

this story was so beautiful and i loved the way that alison would mirror her own experiences with things that she saw her dad experience when she was a young child。 the art was also incredible and i loved the hints of blue to create the melancholy story about family and queerness

Julie ，

Incredible。 Authentic。 This is a must read， if you have or had parents。 If your childhood wasn’t perfect。 If you’re looking for an honest， intelligent read。

Sarah ，

Guess I have to give up my lesbian card bc I didn’t like this one :（ but then again it was more abt her dad than being a lesbian anyway lol

Tara ，

Definitely more appealing to an English teacher given the in depth literary references。 Even with my literature background， I still didn't find it very interesting。 Definitely more appealing to an English teacher given the in depth literary references。 Even with my literature background， I still didn't find it very interesting。 。。。more

＼（`0`）／ ，

¯\_（ツ）_/¯

Ben ，

Ler esse quadrinho foi tipo arrancar um dente que dói demais: eu fiz isso， mas continua doendo e continuo passando a língua no buraco， cutucando a ferida。Não tenho muito o que falar sobre Alison e seu pai que já não tenha sido dito em outras resenhas de forma melhor， então vou me focar naquilo que acabou batendo bem fundo na identificação: 1） a forma como Alison registrou seus comportamentos compulsivos e depois racionalizou-os e 2） a forma como ela foi associando sua vida com passagens literári Ler esse quadrinho foi tipo arrancar um dente que dói demais: eu fiz isso， mas continua doendo e continuo passando a língua no buraco， cutucando a ferida。Não tenho muito o que falar sobre Alison e seu pai que já não tenha sido dito em outras resenhas de forma melhor， então vou me focar naquilo que acabou batendo bem fundo na identificação: 1） a forma como Alison registrou seus comportamentos compulsivos e depois racionalizou-os e 2） a forma como ela foi associando sua vida com passagens literárias， fossem elas algo compartilhado com o pai ou parte da jornada de descobrimento dela。O quadrinho como um todo é bem reflexivo e até pesado， mas cara。。。 realmente foi uma história que adorei ler。 。。。more

Avery ，

3。75 starsI don't read many graphic novels or comic books but this was pretty good。 Some parts kept my interest more than others， I think I could have taken shorter chapters here and there， but I understand the author was trying to tell her story。 I liked the illustrations as well。 I didn't know if I would like the more black， white， and gray tones as opposed to the more colorful graphic novels but I think it actually works with the tone and time periods discussed in the novel。 3。75 starsI don't read many graphic novels or comic books but this was pretty good。 Some parts kept my interest more than others， I think I could have taken shorter chapters here and there， but I understand the author was trying to tell her story。 I liked the illustrations as well。 I didn't know if I would like the more black， white， and gray tones as opposed to the more colorful graphic novels but I think it actually works with the tone and time periods discussed in the novel。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0