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Alison: À coups de pinceau
This graphic novel chronicles the fictional life story of Alison Porter, whose talent as a painter blossoms in bohemian 1970s London. Alison tells the story of a young British woman who, in her twenties, seizes upon the opportunity to escape from her quiet life in Dorset to the thrumming art scene of late-1970s London. But the vehicle for her escape is a charismatic older man whose reputation as an artist and philanderer casts a shadow which will follow Alison for years as she pursues her painting career. Combining immaculate prose and stunning artwork, Alison is a complex love and coming-of-age story, as well as a meditation on female friendship and empowerment, class and patriarchy, the creative process and the thorny world of fine art. British illustrator and author Lizzy Stewart crafts a graphic novel that evokes the atmospheric milieu of bohemian London in the late 20th century, while at the same time exploring the more universal struggles of women who must navigate male-dominated spaces. Told through quietly powerful interpersonal moments rich with meaning and mood, this graphic novel will appeal to fans of Sally Rooney and Leanne Shapton, as well as the great empathic writers Alice Munro, Hilary Mantel, and Tessa Hadley. Full-color illustrations throughout
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2022
22 people are currently reading
3221 people want to read
About the author
Lizzy Stewart
29 books64 followersLizzy Stewart is a British illustrator and author currently based in London. She has written and illustrated various books for children and adults. Her debut full-length illustrated novel Alison was published in 2022. She teaches illustration at Goldsmiths University and has also taught courses on behalf of the National Portrait Gallery.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
August 23, 2022
Understated brilliance. I loved the ambiguity of Alison's relationships: 'they left strange-shaped holes in my life, their outlines too specific to ever be filled by anyone else.' So good. Because surely we all love people who don't perfectly fit into the category of friend or lover but occupy spaces of their own. The illustrations in this are beautiful and the story feels so true.
February 8, 2024
El arte es un salvavidas que sirve para conocerse a uno mismo y al mundo que le rodea. Eso es lo que descubre Alison, una posadolescente que lleva una vida de mujer casada, en el momento en el que se cruza en su vida un reputado artista londinense que despierta en ella unos sentimientos arrebatadores que la llevan a dejarlo todo atrás y a empezar una nueva vida, completamente opuesta a la que siempre ha llevado, en la gran ciudad. En este libro conocemos el proceso vital y creativo de una artista, pero también el entorno en el que lo desarrolla: un Londres ochentero en el que parecía que cualquier expresión artística tenía cabida.
Lizzy Stuart demuestra en este libro una maestría fuera de lo común. Y lo hace en un doble sentido: tanto a la hora de narrar una historia tierna, esperanzadora y llena de sombras como en los artefactos que utiliza para narrarla. ALISON es un libro difícil de clasificar, casi diría que híbrido, en el que los formatos se intercalan al servicio de la historia: algunas escenas son de cómic clásico, hay partes en las que la obra se convierte en un álbum ilustrado, hay páginas enteras noveladas con texto corrido...
Además de las cotas de belleza a las que llega Stewart, sobresale el hecho de que la obra conforma un todo reconocible. La voz narradora es la voz pintora y conforme avanza la historia avanzan también las técnicas pictóricas. La traducción de Regina López Muñoz encuentra el tono exacto que la historia necesita, la edición de Errata está a la altura de una obra de este calibre y todo hace que este libro sea, sin duda, una hermosísima joya.
Lizzy Stuart demuestra en este libro una maestría fuera de lo común. Y lo hace en un doble sentido: tanto a la hora de narrar una historia tierna, esperanzadora y llena de sombras como en los artefactos que utiliza para narrarla. ALISON es un libro difícil de clasificar, casi diría que híbrido, en el que los formatos se intercalan al servicio de la historia: algunas escenas son de cómic clásico, hay partes en las que la obra se convierte en un álbum ilustrado, hay páginas enteras noveladas con texto corrido...
Además de las cotas de belleza a las que llega Stewart, sobresale el hecho de que la obra conforma un todo reconocible. La voz narradora es la voz pintora y conforme avanza la historia avanzan también las técnicas pictóricas. La traducción de Regina López Muñoz encuentra el tono exacto que la historia necesita, la edición de Errata está a la altura de una obra de este calibre y todo hace que este libro sea, sin duda, una hermosísima joya.
July 24, 2022
Just wonderful.
October 9, 2024
The dull life of a boring woman who makes bad and oh-so-clichéd relationship decisions. Caught under the sway of first a bland teenage love and then the romantic glamour of much older jackass, Alison Porter ever-so-slowly muddles her way to a somewhat independent life -- but one in which she still excuses the behavior of the groomer because of some residual benefits she has from the dalliance.
I suppose there's value in showing women overcoming such circumstances, but I'm just really tired of books romanticizing creepy age gape relationships. I prefer empowering stories over this kind of grey area meander.
I also prefer graphic novels to actually be in graphic novel format. This one overuses giant blocks of text as shortcuts to zip past events and reflections could have been presented in sequential art. If you want to write a novel, write the bloody novel. This is a visual medium. I wouldn't put up with giant scrolls of text in the middle of a movie, and I don't want them in my comics.
I suppose there's value in showing women overcoming such circumstances, but I'm just really tired of books romanticizing creepy age gape relationships. I prefer empowering stories over this kind of grey area meander.
I also prefer graphic novels to actually be in graphic novel format. This one overuses giant blocks of text as shortcuts to zip past events and reflections could have been presented in sequential art. If you want to write a novel, write the bloody novel. This is a visual medium. I wouldn't put up with giant scrolls of text in the middle of a movie, and I don't want them in my comics.
July 30, 2022
A beautiful graphic novel that evokes the 1980s London Art Scence. I loved every poignant detail in this book. Truly sublime drawings and a story that I did not want to finish. It reads like a memoir and tells the story of Alison who follows her heart to London and becomes a self-taught talented artist. It uses a light touch to examine the way men had been the gatekeepers of art for so long and lovingly brings to life the indefatiguable spirit of Alison and her sculptor best friend Tessa as they hold fast through the decades to their own artistic vision and identity. I felt completely transported by this book, I could feel myself in the dingey attic studio on Gower street and I think this is testament to Stewarts gorgeous ability to conjure time and place so lovingly. This reminded me a lot of Raymond Briggs' Ethel and Ernest in the way it places you as a reader firmly between the pages, inside the lives of others. It reminds us gently of why Art matters and I loved it.
April 8, 2023
I lost myself completely in this story and read it in a single sitting. It is deceptively simple and beautifully told and I found it very moving. The book is also a lovely object in its own right. One to treasure ❤️
March 3, 2023
This attracted some buzz for being the publisher's first graphic novel and a book that promised to attract newcomers to the genre. It's the coming-of-age tale of Alison Porter, a would-be painter who, in the late 1970s, leaves provincial Dorset and an early marriage for a glitzy London life as the mistress to Patrick, an older artist. She's his model and muse but he doesn't value her work. Slowly she comes to the realization that she'll never find herself unless she breaks free of him.
I liked the art style well enough, though I never find pinprick facial features very satisfying. The mostly black-and-white spreads incorporate drawings of photographs, letters, and artistic reproductions and use modest colour washes to make a few pages stand out. My main problem was TOO MANY WORDS. There are half- and whole pages full of type. This might seem like a successful strategy for drawing in readers wary of graphic works, but to me it was overkill. If the pictures (plus dialogue and minimal captions) can't tell the story, there's something wrong. Perhaps comparable to Posy Simmonds' work, but I'd recommend reading Simmonds instead.
I liked the art style well enough, though I never find pinprick facial features very satisfying. The mostly black-and-white spreads incorporate drawings of photographs, letters, and artistic reproductions and use modest colour washes to make a few pages stand out. My main problem was TOO MANY WORDS. There are half- and whole pages full of type. This might seem like a successful strategy for drawing in readers wary of graphic works, but to me it was overkill. If the pictures (plus dialogue and minimal captions) can't tell the story, there's something wrong. Perhaps comparable to Posy Simmonds' work, but I'd recommend reading Simmonds instead.
October 6, 2022
Is this maybe the best graphic novel I have encountered so far??!
First of all: The pictures were stunning and really brought the atmosphere of the story to live and the prose were so delicately beautiful.
And I liked the way the story was told (mix of paragraphs, comics, letters, picture rows), that made it a really diverse an immersive reading experience.
But then also, if one creates a story about fictional artists and their lives, and while reading I’m more than once feel the urge to google if they are really just fictional, because it feels so convincing realistic and just real, one just wins for me, full score, 100/100 :)
This book is about the extraordinary and ordinary lives and personalities of artists of the fine arts. It's about the unpredictable paths life takes. It features a really strong unconditional platonic female friendship at its core. And it depicts feeling lost, lonely and stuck in the rural countryside and in the big city as well as the feeling of freedom, peace and beauty in both, the countryside and in the city too.
🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
First of all: The pictures were stunning and really brought the atmosphere of the story to live and the prose were so delicately beautiful.
And I liked the way the story was told (mix of paragraphs, comics, letters, picture rows), that made it a really diverse an immersive reading experience.
But then also, if one creates a story about fictional artists and their lives, and while reading I’m more than once feel the urge to google if they are really just fictional, because it feels so convincing realistic and just real, one just wins for me, full score, 100/100 :)
This book is about the extraordinary and ordinary lives and personalities of artists of the fine arts. It's about the unpredictable paths life takes. It features a really strong unconditional platonic female friendship at its core. And it depicts feeling lost, lonely and stuck in the rural countryside and in the big city as well as the feeling of freedom, peace and beauty in both, the countryside and in the city too.
🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
October 5, 2022
Subtiel, ingetogen, mooi zowel in woord als in beeld. Heel graag gelezen deze graphic novel.
Voor een inkijkje: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjKw5lsraP0/
'They left strange-shaped holes in my life, their outlines too specific to ever be filled by anyone else. So I suppose I work around them. The holes. The loss.'
Voor een inkijkje: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjKw5lsraP0/
January 14, 2024
“In 100 years I want a young woman to stand in front of my work and think, ‘This is where I belong. This is my home.’”
An Absolutely beautiful book and story.
An Absolutely beautiful book and story.
August 19, 2023
Muito delicado e sensivel.
October 9, 2025
I knew I would love Alison (it’s been on my wishlist for a while), but oh my! I wasn’t prepared for how much I would love it.
The atmosphere of the places—Dorset, the streets of London, the flat, the studio—was all brought to life so beautifully through the illustrations and words. All of the characters were so well-rounded. Alison’s complicated feelings for Patrick, and the way Stewart describes Alison’s reflections on her role as his muse and partner—a delicate (bitter)truth, so real and honest.
The best part, though, was the friendship. Oh, how friendships (especially female ones) fill our lives with colour and gently shape us into the people we become—what a beautiful depiction of that love story between Tessa and Alison.
I loved the coloured spread of her exhibits at the end as a contrast to the monotone illustrations of the past with swatches of colour.
Definitely an all-time favourite. I’ll keep coming back to this.
The atmosphere of the places—Dorset, the streets of London, the flat, the studio—was all brought to life so beautifully through the illustrations and words. All of the characters were so well-rounded. Alison’s complicated feelings for Patrick, and the way Stewart describes Alison’s reflections on her role as his muse and partner—a delicate (bitter)truth, so real and honest.
The best part, though, was the friendship. Oh, how friendships (especially female ones) fill our lives with colour and gently shape us into the people we become—what a beautiful depiction of that love story between Tessa and Alison.
I loved the coloured spread of her exhibits at the end as a contrast to the monotone illustrations of the past with swatches of colour.
Definitely an all-time favourite. I’ll keep coming back to this.
November 22, 2022
Incredible. Gorgeous illustrations and beautifully written, I loved every moment of this graphic novel
January 26, 2023
This is excellent, wonderful, impressive, thought-provoking. How is this not a memoir? This story, which combines text and images in both comic and scrap-book format, is so incredibly well-crafted that I can barely believe it is fictional. From reading the first few pages I was afraid it would be a rather depressing book, but it is just so real, it evokes every emotion because it is, simply, a life. I wish more people talked about this book!
November 30, 2023
A capturing life story of an artist, a woman, a friend. A great book about power, gender and class hierarchy, toxic relationship behaviour and how to break free.
March 24, 2024
probablemente hacía años que no me leía un libro completo de una sentada, qué gusto. el formato novela gráfica pone muy a prueba mis niveles de atención pero en esta ocasión pasé por ella de forma satisfactoria
una de las protagonistas dice una cosa muy bonita sobre su mejor amiga y me hizo pensar que si yo tuviera un único deseo en la vida sería que alguien también hablase así de mi: “su trabajo me hacía sentir lo que sentía cada vez que la veía: que el mundo era un lugar inmenso y cargado de potencial, y que siempre había algo que celebrar”
gracias a bertis por prestármelo 🫂
una de las protagonistas dice una cosa muy bonita sobre su mejor amiga y me hizo pensar que si yo tuviera un único deseo en la vida sería que alguien también hablase así de mi: “su trabajo me hacía sentir lo que sentía cada vez que la veía: que el mundo era un lugar inmenso y cargado de potencial, y que siempre había algo que celebrar”
gracias a bertis por prestármelo 🫂
July 4, 2024
Me encanta que el gran amor de esta novela gráfica sea el de Tessa y Alison ❤️🩹 las amigas nos dan forma.
July 31, 2023
Oh I adored Alison, it was just sublime! The story is a wonderfully powerful tale of a young woman wanting to escape her mundane life and become and artist. We meet her in her early 20s when she’s married and living in a relationship that’s just not going anywhere, in fact she really doesn’t know who she is. She then meets Patrick, the older man, the succesful artist, who she runs off to London with as he promises to help her become an artist. However things don’t necessarily work out…this is in the early 80’s and the world of art is still very much a man’s world. Alison’s relationship with Patrick becomes toxic and we follow her story from there …. She has to find herself and find her own friends.
I really don’t want to give anything else away, but let’s just say that Alison is a heartbreaking, emotionally charged, but ultimately uplifting work of art. Yes, a work of art, I loved the artwork in Alison, Lizzy Stewart’s way of using mixed media in the form of the graphic novel ( some written, some drawn ) works so well. It’s a gloriously gorgeous piece of work, and the first I have read of Lizzy Stewart, but it won’t be the last.
A beautifully produced paperback that sits perfectly on my graphic novel shelf. A 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read, and one every woman should read! ❤️
I really don’t want to give anything else away, but let’s just say that Alison is a heartbreaking, emotionally charged, but ultimately uplifting work of art. Yes, a work of art, I loved the artwork in Alison, Lizzy Stewart’s way of using mixed media in the form of the graphic novel ( some written, some drawn ) works so well. It’s a gloriously gorgeous piece of work, and the first I have read of Lizzy Stewart, but it won’t be the last.
A beautifully produced paperback that sits perfectly on my graphic novel shelf. A 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read, and one every woman should read! ❤️
September 12, 2025
I loved this. At a certain point I was doubting whether this was fiction or not and that just tells me how engaged I was with the story ❤️ I feel like Alison was a real person telling me this and I could go out tomorrow to visit her exhibition. The illustrations are obviously beautiful, and I especially liked the scrapbook/journal type way they were arranged in this book. It is very fitting to the story.
June 3, 2025
Lizzy Stewart’s debut graphic novel, Alison explores the nature of domineering relationships and how it can affect one’s career.
The title character lives a humdrum married life in Dorest until she meets the enigmatic older Patrick, who charms her to break off her marriage and move to London. There she starts immersing herself into the capital’s art world. At the same time she discovers that there’s more to Patrick’s personality than she thought.
On paper/screen this may seem like a typical toxic relationship story but Lizzy Stewart/Alison delves deeper into the complexities and layers of Patrick’s coupled with how it affects her relationship with other artists and her own work. As time passes Alison realizes that Patrick did have a role in her life but one where she understands it was part of the process in her becoming an independent woman.
I loved this book: there’s a strange serenity in the text and artwork despite the constant conflicting emotions that run through Alison. Sometimes the quiet things are the most affective that is true in Alison’s case. HIGHLY recommended.
The title character lives a humdrum married life in Dorest until she meets the enigmatic older Patrick, who charms her to break off her marriage and move to London. There she starts immersing herself into the capital’s art world. At the same time she discovers that there’s more to Patrick’s personality than she thought.
On paper/screen this may seem like a typical toxic relationship story but Lizzy Stewart/Alison delves deeper into the complexities and layers of Patrick’s coupled with how it affects her relationship with other artists and her own work. As time passes Alison realizes that Patrick did have a role in her life but one where she understands it was part of the process in her becoming an independent woman.
I loved this book: there’s a strange serenity in the text and artwork despite the constant conflicting emotions that run through Alison. Sometimes the quiet things are the most affective that is true in Alison’s case. HIGHLY recommended.
August 21, 2022
Fa poques setmanes que vaig afegir aquesta novel·la gràfica a ‘to read’ després d’haver vist un parell d’il·lustradores recomanar-la molt. Aquest matí, l’he vist en una llibreria i ni m’ho he pensat. L’he començat en arribar a casa, i no he fet res més que llegir-la fins que l’he acabat. És preciosa, un tresor.
A través de prosa, il·lustració i còmic, ens relata la vida d’una jove de vint anys al Londres dels anys 70, recent arribada d’un poble petit de Dorset. A partir d’aquí, ens explica en primera persona com al llarg dels anys es troba a ella mateixa i el seu lloc: com a persona, com a dona i com a artista.
M’ha emocionat en diferents moments: a vegades llegint, a vegades amb la sorpresa de passar pàgina i veure una il·lustració plena d’emocions i sinceritat.
Necessito llegir més novel·les gràfiques; qui escriu amb imatges té una força difícil d’explicar!
A través de prosa, il·lustració i còmic, ens relata la vida d’una jove de vint anys al Londres dels anys 70, recent arribada d’un poble petit de Dorset. A partir d’aquí, ens explica en primera persona com al llarg dels anys es troba a ella mateixa i el seu lloc: com a persona, com a dona i com a artista.
M’ha emocionat en diferents moments: a vegades llegint, a vegades amb la sorpresa de passar pàgina i veure una il·lustració plena d’emocions i sinceritat.
Necessito llegir més novel·les gràfiques; qui escriu amb imatges té una força difícil d’explicar!
January 11, 2023
This book felt really close to home for me. A woman living by the seaside who leaves her life and family to pursue a new life in London and see if she can make it. The story was simple but wonderful, and the illustrations were the same. I really loved reading this as my first book for the year.
January 31, 2023
This book was really absorbing and I can't think of any other graphic novels that I could even compare it to. There's a interesting mixture of comics and sections of prose which is unusual and Lizzy Stewart actually pulls that off (Its hard to get that right imo). It felt like a real biography rather than fiction. Gave me lots to think about. Also beautiful artwork of course!
April 28, 2024
"why do you think that you remember everything so clearly?"
"i don't know. i suppose i always felt like it was all about to go away. so i had to bank it all, really store it all up. just in case there was no more."
"i don't know. i suppose i always felt like it was all about to go away. so i had to bank it all, really store it all up. just in case there was no more."
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July 22, 2023i cried
July 3, 2024
"Ambos han dejado en mi existencia sendos vacíos amorfos, con unos contornos demasiado específicos para que otras personas los llenaran. Y supongo que yo trabajo a partir de ellos. De esos vacíos. Los de la pérdida."
February 19, 2025
All I could think of when reading this was my arts uni experience 😭
September 10, 2025
Not normally a fan of graphic novels but I really enjoyed this one. Recommended by Lucy (thanks). Gobbled it up in a few hours. Loved the friendship between Alison and Tessa - something about it reminded me of my friendships I’ve made in London. Also loved the moving to London relatability. Makes me want to paint!
July 28, 2023
Aangenaam voortkabbelende graphic novel over het leven van enkele kunstenaars. De relaties worden goed uitgediept maar daarbuiten is er weinig inhoud, het verhaal voelde voor mij ook niet helemaal geloofwaardig.
December 25, 2023
Just lovely!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews