Seniors' Discount: A For Better or For Worse Collection

For Better or For Worse #27

by Lynn Johnston

The success of For Better or For Worse "can be attributed to Johnston's uncanny ability to see into the heart of daily life so accurately that readers feel she is speaking directly to them." -- Chicago Tribune

* , syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, appears in more than 2,000 newspapers in over 20 countries, and is translated into eight languages for a devoted readership of more than 220 million.



Lynn Johnston's For Better or For Worse is the world's most popular family strip in which characters evolve through age and experience, rather than remaining frozen in time. Readers appreciate the daily doings of the Patterson family, which often mirror their own.

* Senior's A For Better or For Worse Collection follows John and Elly as retirement looms, Grandpa Jim celebrates his 85th birthday and suffers a stroke, Mike and Deanna adjust to the demands of parenthood, Elizabeth accepts a teaching position that brings her back home, and April strains for more and more independence.

* Simultaneous to the publication of this collection, Johnston makes an unprecedented move within the newspaper cartooning community-developing a new format by using former plot lines as a jumping-off point for new ones.

* For Better or For Worse has been syndicated since 1979 and has been named Best Syndicated Comic Strip. The strip boasts a lively Web presence at

Genres: Comics, Humor, Comedy, Cartoon, Canada, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Lynn Johnston CM OM is a Canadian cartoonist, well known for her comic strip For Better or For Worse, and was the first female cartoonist to win the Reuben Award.

Reviews

[The other John · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good things about this For Better or For Worse collection: April's band adjusts to their new line up, April spends a few weeks at her uncle's farm and the translation of "kaad-gnebig njnaamod". The bad things, well, pretty much everything else. The Patterson clan and friends have become pretty dull or depressing. sigh. The strip used to be so good.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got my hands on the final three For Better or For Worse collections, and I’m delighted to read them. I did read most of the daily cartoons back when they came out, but all together as one cohesive story is even better. The full circle of Michael and Elizabeth growing up is wonderful, and April reaching her teen years and stretching toward independence, while a challenge, is a joy.

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brought back such happy memories of meeting Lynn when she would come to our bookstore to do signings. My daughter is also close in age to Elizabeth in the comic strip and I followed all the family’s ups and downs. I hadn’t read the strip for about 20 years, now I see it through the eyes of a grandma.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic!

[Lisa Macklem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful collection. As the generations age, it seems that there's more for anyone of any age to relate to in this collection. It's a testament to Johnston's writing that she gets better and more astute with age - more full bodied - in the good way that wine gets. If I had to complain, the only thing wrong with these collections of strips is that they often begin and end in the middle of a storyline - but then that's just a good excuse to go and pull another volume off the shelf!

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of comics from the series For Better or for Worse. I have been a fan of For Better or for Worse for several years. This presents several situations that were in the newspapers well before I became a fan. I did like it. I am a diehard comics reader.

[Lynn Calvin]

Comic collections

[Becky Galambos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quality of the strip seems to be declining. It is sad because she is dealing with some very good subject matter, but chooses to focus on April and her teenage angst.

[Child960801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth moves back south, April and her band perform at the school and Elly retires.

Edited 2021: Also, Anthony's marriage breaks up, and Grandpa Jim has a stroke.

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brought smiles to my face. Even though it's a couple of years old, it was nice to catch up a little with the characters and see how much they have grown.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't mean to read this book out of order with the last one (borrowed the last three For Better or For Worse books from my parents), but as it turns out, it actually made me enjoy it a little more. I really enjoy seeing the four generations of the family and all of the story lines- struggles and triumphs-- of the different stages of life all in one book. Though it is a comic strip, Johnston's stories are heartwarming and just realistic enough to occasionally bring a tear to your eye. I'm really enjoying revisiting them and seeing how their story "ends". Four stars.