Description

AN IRISH TIMES FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
A GUARDIAN BEST COMIC AND GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2022
A TELEGRAPH BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2022

‘Alison absorbed, delighted and moved me with its quiet truthfulness’ Helen Garner

‘A genius graphic novel (but lots of words) about a young woman from Dorset who leaves her life to be with a much older famous artist in London. It’s also brilliant on relationships, creativity and friendship (and the art world)’ India Knight

‘Every now and again a book comes along that is such a bright joy, so true, so beautiful and moving. Alison is one of those books. I loved it’ Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist

‘Alison is Posy Simmonds meets Edward Bawden – and really, what higher praise could there be?’ Observer

‘Subtle and deliciously complicated, this is a big book on big subjects, but lightly, elegantly done. I loved it’ Tessa Hadley, author of Free Love

Alison is newly married, barely twenty and struggling to find her place in the world. A chance encounter with an older artist upturns her life and she forsakes convention and her working-class Dorset roots for the thrumming art scene of London in the late seventies.

As the thrill of bohemian romance leads inevitably to disappointment, Alison begins to find her own path – through art, friendship and love.

‘This book is a testament to the right to choose your own life’ Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater

‘A delicious portrait of 80s and 90s London and a more universal tale of a working-class young woman making a life in a world that has not been designed for the likes of her. For all its effortlessness […] Alison ends up carrying a great emotional heft. It’s a lovely book, and I cried at the end.’ Guardian

Publisher Review

Subtle and deliciously complicated -- Tessa Hadley This book is a testament to the right to choose your own life. It is a tender, heartbreaking meditation on the bonds between women, the dazzle of the city, the struggle to become a female artist within the bounds of patriarchy, and the desire to make a mark on the world. It made me long for my friends; the dreams we have shared over the years and the ways in which they make the world feel possible. I want to give a copy to everyone I love. -- Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater and Milk Teeth Praise for It's Not What You Thought It Would Be: This brilliant debut collection explores the intensity of teenage ennui and female friendship, with a deft feel for its slights and tensions -- Rachel Cooke * Guardian * A quietly powerful book, and Stewart's well chosen and often witty dialogue goes straight to the heart. Her artwork is filmic and beautiful -- Isabel Greenberg, author of Glass Town Her compassionate depictions of women alone, women together, will undoubtedly find welcoming audiences. * Shelf Awareness * Mournful, lovely ... Stewart's dynamic, warm, flowing art invites the reader in. * The New York Times * Lizzy's work is beautifully executed with an eye for composition, colour and fine detail. * It's Nice That *