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The book “Are You My Mother“ is a graphic novel about a single, lonely woman and her flawed relationship with her mother. So far in the book, the main character has discussed a bit about her past and her current relationship with her mother. She talks about how hard it is for her to talk to her mother about important issues in her life. The imagery and text in this book is very detailed and helps the reader truly understand Alison and her mother.

I'll admit I preferred Eastman's work to Bechdel's, though they're not really comparable.
The picture book is sweet. The 'comic drama' could alternatively be titled: woman goes to therapy.
Repeated through each graphic memoir by this author, there is a separation from what she is confronting in her relationships by intersecting with analysis of other texts, this time psychoanalyst works and Virginia Woolf diary/memoirs. Maybe it helps ? 1/?

After years of this being on my TBR, my husband discovered it and really connected with it. Bechdel is even more analytical with this book than the one about her dad, bringing in psychology scholarship to examine her life and relationship with mom. In one panel her therapist suggests her childhood diary was a way to distance herself from what was going on, and I felt like that summarized her style with this book as well. #LGBTQ #MentalHealth

I don't love Bechdel's writing/drawing styles, and at the risk of sounding like her unsupportive mother, this often felt self-indulgent, pretentious, arbitrarily and confusingly organized, and boring. At one point Bechdel says to her mother, "Can't you be more universal by being specific?" and usually I agree, but Bechdel intellectualizes her experiences to the extent that there is little to no emotional resonance. Not my cup of tea ??‍♀️

Starting my next reread while at work. Always feel blessed I have a job I get to read at

This is one heady graphic novel, but worth a read.

It was a long read for me, which I appreciated.
I could read a chapter, set it down and think of it a while. Almost a therapy of a read.
Made me meditate on motherhood from the perspective of a child who has not experienced it.
I appreciate autobio comics, but they really can be very different in style.
This one is more about the author‘s journey through her psyche than actions.
I look forward to her next book.

I did not love this one quite as much as Fun Home (a high bar). The memoir parts I liked, but this graphic novel was heavy on psychological theory, which I was a lot less interested in.

2020 Read Harder Challenge, book 6 of 24 completed.
Prompt: Read a graphic memoir.
Title: Are You My Mother?
Written and drawn by Alison Bechdel

I didn‘t enjoy this one as much as Fun Home—I feel like it‘s a lot more scholarly in a lot of ways. But still, Bechdel has an incredible way of weaving together the threads of her experiences and her learnings and illustrating them. I‘m glad I read it.

“The moment when a feeling enters the body is political. It was only my lesbianism, and my determination not to hide it, that saved me from being compliant to the core.”

Meh. I saw Fun Home a few years back and decided to check this out. It took me a long time to finish as you can see I started before Christmas. Her story of her relationship with her mom and her writing was interesting. All the psychoanalysis references, not so much. That just wasn‘t my thing.

Story of a mother‘s life!

And here‘s where “Are You My Mother?” went to when I finished it.
#areyoumymother #alisonbechdel #graphicnovel #littlefreelibrary #summersendreadathon @Clwojick

#summersendreadathon @Clwojick

I wanted to like this. But alas. I started skimming towards the end. Part of the issue might be that it reminded me a bit of an ex of mine.

#areyoumymother #alisonbechdel #graphicnovel

Graphic novel read. #summersendreadathon @Clwojick
#graphicnovel #areyoumymother #alisonbechdel

Another gut-punching panel.

So sad. No one is ever too old to be kissed goodnight 💔💔💔

I picked this up again and honestly Alison Bechdel is a genius and rereading her stuff during pride month is a great choice!

It's been a little while since i posted on here since the library i work at has been keeping me super busy but i hope everyone is having a nice weekend! 💙

I couldn‘t get through this one. I wanted to, because I was interested in learning more about Alison Bechdel‘s family after reading Fun Home, but this turned out to be more about Bechdel herself and her therapy journey. Which I may be interested in reading, at another time, but I wasn‘t in the headspace for it currently.

This was not only an analysis of the author‘s relationship with her mother, but an analysis of her therapy. Or, that‘s what it felt like, anyway. There were plenty of references to Virginia Woolf and a psychoanalyist, Donald Winnicott, as well as quotes. Cont in comments...

I wish more books 📚 were written like this. ☺

I have loved Fun Home, and had high hopes for this one - alas, I was disappointed. Where Fun Home was profound and revelatory, this book is whiny, self-absorbed and without a clear narrative. I almost gave up about halfway through; thankfully the second half flows better.

“Are You My Mother?” is about Alison‘s therapy sessions; coming to terms with her codependent relationship with her emotionally distant mother. ⭐️⭐️/5
⬇️

Hmm, wtf? There is a reason Freud is out of style - it is all hokey mumbo-jumbo. Alison, get yourself a modern therapist who teaches you how to calm yourself, not overanalyze.

I loved Fun Home, but this is not working for me. I feel like dnf-ing but it has been on my tbr for so long... what to do, what to do?

I was so busy in September! The start of school and kids‘ activities knocked everything sideways! Returned books on time to the library today -yay me! - and got the next three volumes in the cozy mystery series I‘m reading...plus an Alison Bechdel graphic novel. I‘m eclectic.

Final beach read! This feels very different from Fun Home, and definitely performs Bechdel's own journey to try and put her relationship with her mother into a narrative.

This isn't going to be for everyone and it's not as good as her first but I liked this. There is a lot of psychoanalysis in this and I don't know much about it but it resonated with me. I use novels how she used psychoanalysis, to try to understand myself a bit better. The complicated relationship and what it has done to your own psyche also hit a nerve. It made me think long and hard.It's not what you expect but I'd say give it a try.#read harder

A graphic memoir companion to Fun Home (in which the author explores her relationship with her dad). In this one, she takes on her relationship with her mother.

More intellectual than some other graphic memoirs I‘ve read, there are many literary references and an exploration of psychotherapy that shifts perspective back and forth between both sides of the couch.

Really fancied getting started on another graphic novel ..... Fun house was a really good book so looking forward to this 😊📚

Very insightful, still a bit less interesting than Fun Home (for me, that is).

I loved Alison Bechdel's Fun Home so I thought this book would be an instant love also. However, it was far from it. So much psycho babble and analysis that it really turned me off. The last half of the book was better than the beginning but I can't really recommend this one.

Also bonus background cat!

#AlisonBechdel #AreYouMyMother

Trying to work through this one today. It's nowhere near as good as her first book though :/ I'm about a third of the way through but I'm struggling to finish!

#AreYouMyMother #AlisonBechdel

The Bechdels are for me, of course. I‘ve read Fun Home, but it‘s been a few years, and I don‘t think I appreciated it fully first time around.

#libraryhaul #bookhaul #raisingreaders

After reading Fun Home for an LGBTQ+ Book Group in college, and loving it, I thought this would be a slam dunk. I‘m currently about half way through, and it‘s okay bordering on ugh. It just doesn‘t have the story telling quality that I so loved in Fun Home... and a lot of psychoanalysis and psych terminology that is flying right over my head! I‘m determined to finish it, though.

Two of my favorite #graphic novels I got into in college thanks to one of THE best English teachers including Fun Home in our curriculum. #30daysofreadathon
Still love Alison and her story. ✏️🖍

I loved it ! Other Littens have reviewed and it is heavy into psychological material, yet some parts are darkly funny.Alison is a complicated person with complicated parents .What I love about modern graphic novels is that they may be almost any topic these days,fantasy, autobiography, history... the list is endless . We are lucky to have the brave Ms.Bechdel.Interesting things about Adrienne Rich and Virginia Woolf as Alison searches for meaning.

#graphic #sizzlinsummerreads So weird that after loving "Fun Home "never read "Are you my Mother?"Just realized I had not looked in graphic novel section of my library for a long time,was excited to find the Cass Eliot too!

Alison Bechdel's slightly lesser known memoir, Are You My Mother? I thought it was less interesting than Fun Home, unfortunately. And it contained a lot of psychoanalysis, which just isn't my thing.

#womenwriters #lgbtqia #graphicnovel #diversebooks

So torn on this book. Had great ideas, but I feel like it was too big? The final panel was amazing but it took too long to get there. I think my expectations were too high because Fun Home is one of my favorites of all time.

We are headed to see Beauty and the Beast. @biblio_ginger is far braver than I to be reading in the back seat. I always get car sick 😫😣. I think she's reading 'Are you my Mother?'. #carrides #booksgowithusalways #readersread #sisters

#bookhaul with a #mojiemoje photobomb. Thought you weren't buying anymore books this month Mom! 😂📚🐶 Also I need some work on my sticker placement 🙄

Bechdel analyses & dissects her relationship with her mother by going through journal entries, recounting therapy sessions & researching theories on mother/daughter relationships. She's nothing if not honest and thorough. But I found it tedious at times. Halfway through I found myself skipping over any mention of Freud or Winnicott. Revelations like the above kept me going but I don't know if I would recommend this book the way I did Fun Home.

A large dose of psychoanalysis with Alison Bechdel on this lazy Christmas Eve morning.

I'm staying at a friend's place in Toronto and it's cold outside, but I'm keeping warm inside with these books. These are just some of her books. #lucky

More 'academic' than Fun Home (lots of musings on the nature of the self, psychology etc. ) but still really wonderful.

Had to skim fast to get through this; too much talk about her psychotherapists, a pediatrician-psychologist Winnicott, and many quotes from Virginia Woolf. Yawn.

A little surprised to see this panel. I used to work there! #boalbarn

I went to the library to return "Fun Home" and decided to pick up Alison Bechdel's other graphic novel. Looking forward to reading this!

Bechdel leaves no stone unturned or more like no thought unthought-of? in this part memoir, part diary, part internal examination of her relationship with her Mother. I found myself having to rate this five stars simply for the bravery to look so inwardly and most importantly to share this journey with her readers. Definitely one to remind me that reading makes you feel less lonely and at times understood ❤️📚