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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Item Barcode | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Chelmsford Public Library | Y/GRAPHIC/YVAIN | 31480011005458 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Amesbury Public Library | YA GRAPHIC NOVEL YVAIN | 32114002672955 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Burlington Public Library | YA ANDERS GRAPHIC | 32116003438302 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Merrimac Public Library | YA AND - GRAPHIC NOVEL | 32125001191490 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Newbury Town Library | YA AND GN | 32127001144966 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library | J AND - GRAPHIC NOVEL | 31478003383552 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library | YA F ANDERSON (GRAPHIC) | 31990004459637 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In his first graphic novel, National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson turns to Arthurian lore, with captivating art by Andrea Offermann bringing the classic legend to life.
Eager for glory and heedless of others, Sir Yvain sets out from King Arthur's court and defeats a local lord in battle, unknowingly intertwining his future with the lives of two compelling women: Lady Laudine, the beautiful widow of the fallen lord, and her sly maid Lunette. In a stunning visual interpretation of a 12th century epic poem by Chrétien de Troyes, readers are -- at first glance -- transported into a classic Arthurian romance complete with errant knights, plundering giants, and fire-breathing dragons. A closer look, however, reveals a world rich with unspoken emotion. Striking, evocative art by Andrea Offermann sheds light upon the inner lives of medieval women and the consequences Yvain's oblivious actions have upon Laudine and Lunette. Renowned author M. T. Anderson embraces a new form with a sophisticated graphic novel that challenges Yvain's role as hero, delves into the honesty and anguish of love, and asks just how fundamentally the true self can really change.
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-In this story based on a 12th-century epic poem by Chrétien de Troyes and set in the Arthurian universe, Yvain hears about an opportunity for adventure and a chance to avenge his colleague's defeat at the hands of another knight. Guinevere wants all of the knights to seek vengeance together, but unwilling to share the glory with the others, Yvain leaves early. He fights and kills the knight who had defeated his fellow knight. But the consequences of this action are far-reaching, as he falls in love with, marries, and then deserts the widow of his victim. Much of the tension comes from the themes of love and hate. Yvain, the maid Lunette, and the lady Laudine are all transformed because of Yvain's often thoughtless actions. Ultimately, it is up to Yvain to try to redeem himself and help undo the damage he has done. Offermann's eye-catching illustrations combine modern styles with elements of medieval manuscripts, and emotional close-ups are often used to very dramatic effect. -VERDICT An intriguing selection that will be most appealing to fans of high fantasy and -Arthurian stories.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Anderson's (Symphony for the City of the Dead) clever, nuanced recasting of Chrétien de Troyes's Arthurian legend blends archaic courtliness ("May God hear you") with modern clarity ("Oh, dry up"). Young knight Yvain, banished from the castle for breaking his promise to his wife, the noble Laudine, retreats into the forest: "There was a storm in his head so violent that he did not know who he was." Emerging chastened and transformed, he seizes the chance to stand as champion for Laudine's servant Lunette, hoping to redeem himself in his lady's eyes-only to find that his opponent is his cousin Gawain. Along the way, he rescues innocents from monsters and evildoers with the help of a lion whose life he saved. Offermann's (the Thickety series) sequential artwork provides a thrilling, nonstop barrage of swordplay, gallantry, and magic; her battle scenes pulse with life, especially when the lion comes to Yvain's aid. Throughout, Anderson teases out the story's dark undercurrents, in which friends can be foes, and every emotion conceals its opposite: "I tell you, hatred and love may live cramped together, crouching in the same heart." Ages 12-up. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
This graphic-novel retelling of a twelfth-century epic poem about young knight-errant Sir Yvain's marriage to widow Lady Laudine puts as much emphasis on Laudine's sorrow as on Yvain's adventures. It's a tempestuous counter-story that challenges perceived notions of love by examining women's roles in relationships and society. Anderson's spare narration is set against Offermann's muted tones, detailed panels, sweeping spreads, and turbulent motifs. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The violence and romance of Arthurian legend practically pop off of the pages of Anderson (Symphony for the City of the Dead, 2015, etc.) and Offermann's (Well of Witches, 2016, etc.) striking graphic-novel adaptation of Chretien de Troyes' epic poem.After hearing tales of a magical spring in a far-off kingdom, Yvaina young knight of the Round Tableleaves Camelot to defeat the spring's guardian and thereby claim glory. After killing the kingdom's lord in combat, Yvain later falls in love with his widow, the beautiful Lady Laudine, whom he marries. Yvain's subsequent, selfish decision to abandon his new wife and adult responsibilities for the glory of questing drives this story of hubris and redemption. The author and illustrator weave the richness of human complexity into their interpretation of the medieval poem, crafting three-dimensional knights and ladies who feel heartbreakingly real. Offermann's illustrations are glorious medieval tapestries come to life, and her finely etched pencil lines highlight the white characters' angular features and draw attention to their eyes, which are mirrors for their turbulent emotions. Anderson uses the format's sparseness of text to maximum effect, fashioning a thought-provoking narrative that reflects the grandiosity of Arthurian England while never relinquishing the human element at the core of this story. His perceptive rendering of gender politics within the court is one of the tale's most intriguing features. A compulsively readable and eminently enjoyable retelling that breathes new life into an old classic. (author's, illustrator's notes) (Graphic fantasy. 12 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This adaptation of Chrétien de Troyes' medieval poem beautifully ties together period art and imagery with stylish visual storytelling. When Yvain, one of Arthur's Knights of the Round Table, falls in love with Laudine, the wife of the man he killed in a duel, he's ecstatic when Laudine is convinced to marry him, despite the hatred she bears for her husband's killer. But Yvain fails to keep a promise, she spurns him, and he spends his tormented days contritely fighting to regain his honor and win her back. Anderson makes it clear, however, that all is not rosy: Laudine is politically savvy, and her reconciliation has nothing to do with love, despite her guileless husband's joy at the end. Offermann's swirling, evocative artwork, in muted tones and stylized figures reminiscent of tapestries, does an excellent job of depicting both action-heavy battle scenes and expressive moments full of emotional heft. Teens who might balk at reading an epic poem will likely be surprised and delighted by Anderson and Offermann's thoughtful, entertaining, and provocative presentation of this centuries-old story.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
A graphic novel with a wandering hero raises questions about honor and social codes in medieval society. "YVAIN THE KNIGHT OF THE LION," by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Andrea Offermann, is based on a 12th-century epic poem by Chrétien de Troyes, the original source of the King Arthur stories. In it, a young knight widows, woos and disappoints a lady in short order, then sets out to redeem himself. I finished the book and gave it to my 11- year-old nephew, who was halfway through "The Once and Future King," T. H. White's Arthurian fantasy novel. Hank read "Yvain" in one sitting. He's a taciturn texter; when I asked what he thought, he wrote back, "Good." Then he wrote, "I think TOAFK is better." Of course, "The Once and Future King" is really four novels for adults, so that's not entirely fair, but it's an interesting comparison for context. The two books do share the Round Table. The callow young Yvain, as a protagonist, isn't learning to be king, like Arthur is, or even learning to be good. But Anderson is interested in the overlooked aspects of epic stories. His National Book Awardwinning "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation" is the story of a young slave raised by philosophers in colonial Boston, who becomes part of an uprising - the American Revolution - that won't extend its hard-won liberty to him. "Yvain" begins with a knight, Calogrenant, pouring water on a magical weather stone, bringing storms to devastate a French lord's land. The lord says, "You attack my home! My wood! My castle! If a man has been wronged, it's his right to complain." Calogrenant is beaten in the fight, and limps home to tell his story to Arthur's court. To avenge his cousin, Yvain pours more water on the stone and kills the freshly annoyed lord. When he sees the grieving widow, Laudine, he falls in love, in knightly fashion. Yvain's efforts to become worthy of Laudine, with the help of her sorceress servant, Lunette, are guided, and often misguided, by chivalric code. Laudine struggles with political necessity, while Yvain is diverted by side quests, with a rescued lion beside him. Trained falcons open and close the book, fierce but constrained, like the human characters. The humans are angular in flowing clothes and armor, passing from forest to tent camp to castle, weighing questions of honor and loyalty. Some passages are wordless, told with Andrea Offermann's swirling double-page spreads. She uses tapestries - the graphic novels of the Middle Ages - for recounted stories. And a tapestry-making sweatshop with captive women is one of the wrongs Yvain has to right. Offermann choreographs fights with slashing swords, horses charging from both pages toward the center, and Yvain's devoted lion leaping in. The result is a sharp critique of medieval social strictures, with stunning battle scenes, monsters and blood. My nephew devoured all 134 pages of it. I finally asked him: "Why do you think TOAFK is better?" "Because it's longer," he said. MAILE MELOY is the author of the Apothecary trilogy for middle-grade readers. Her latest book for adults, "Do Not Become Alarmed," will be published in June.