Book Review: Fragments Of Femininity; Olivier Pont & Laurence Croix.

I said at the start of this year that I wanted to read more graphic novels. Netgalley has definitely helped me achieve that, and I have to say that this is one of my favourite so far!

SOURCE: Netgalley
TYPE: E-Read

TITLE: Fragments Of Femininity
AUTHOR: Olivier Pont & Laurence Croix
SERIES: --
PUBLISHER: Europe Comics
PAGES: 118
GENRE: Graphic Novel, Adult, Short Stories

RATING: 4.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
This is a collection of portraits of 7 women, of all different ages, backgrounds, circumstances and eras. Each one of them is facing a defining moment in her life. They are bound together by the symbol of their femininity: their breasts. 

We see an awkward college girl getting to grips with her womanhood; a 1960s house-wife freeing herself from the restraints of propriety; the manager of a small underwear shop fighting against corporate giants; a woman nude modelling for an unexpected reason... 

Love, illness, sex, liberation, sensuality: Olivier Pont draws us into the lives of these women with astounding force.

What I Liked:

• This collection is beautiful. Every story served a purpose and resonated with me in some way, which I loved. Breasts are such a taboo topic, for absolutely no reason, and art like this will help to start conversations about why exactly that is. Each story was very different too and touched upon different themes - liberation, frustration, insecurity, femininity, etc. My favourite was Faith's. It was heart-aching to read but wonderful.
• The art is of course what I always look for in a good graphic novel. And here, it is beautiful. Pont did a wonderful job marrying the beautiful panels together and I loved the thought that went into everything. Croix's colour schemes were also beautiful. It was a well designed, likeable, collaborative effort.

What I Disliked:

• I did feel that there was room for an eighth story here concerning breasts: motherhood and breastfeeding. I'm passionate about this topic of course, which is why I hoped to see some commentary on the matter, and so found myself disappointed that Pont didn't include a 'fragment' that involved the  main purpose of the topic each segment was based upon.

Overall Conclusion:

This is truly a beautiful read for a number of reasons, but mostly because it sensitively covers a taboo topic that really shouldn't be taboo. Breasts are something I feel very strongly should be talked about more and this is definitely a read that's going to resonate strongly with feminists. Interesting plots, gorgeous artwork and a great development of each character.