Fleurs en Suspens

by Wei Yao, Yan Dong (Translator)

Une jeune Chinoise s'installe à Paris et, dans cette ville nouvelle, elle se retrouve confrontée à une culture qui lui est étrangère. Accompagnée de deux amis, l'un Français et l'autre Japonaise, elle va découvrir la ville lumière, la ville des arts et de l'amour, qui deviendra alors le décor paisible d'une réflexion sur les différences, sur la vie et la jeunesse.
Yao Wei nous propose un roman graphique sensible, métissé et contemplatif, inspiré de sa propre expérience de son arrivée en France.

127 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2016

Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if this has been translated in English somewhere (the original work is Chinese), but just in case, I'm gonna write this review in English.

Since, I'm still struggling with my first novel of the year (for those who missed my updates, that's Atonement) and I have quite a few books in hiatus too so no progress either... I figured I'd talk about a couple of manhuas I got to read this past week (and probably more to come in the upcoming week(s)) and that I really enjoyed and that more people should give a chance to.

Side note: Manhua is the Chinese equivalent of manga for Japan and manhwa for Korea, aka. comics/graphic novels.

Why the sudden interest in manhuas you may ask? Well, my second home favorite manga bookstore very recently acquired a good number of them (and by recently I mean on Tuesday). When they told me that, obviously I had to go take a look, and as soon as I reached the shelves, I was struck by how gorgeous they were. The covers I mean. And then the inside of the books too once I started skimming through some of them. I mean... COLORS. (Not all of them, but I'd say about 1/2-2/3 of those they had were in colors?) Long story short, that day, I started read Kylooe, all three of them (of which I'm also gonna write some reviews after I'm done with this one), and browsing through the rest of the shelves, noticed a couple that I wanted to read.


Back to this one: Fleurs en suspens. (Which would translate to something like "dangling flowers"?) I had a real crush on the cover the first time I saw it. I mean, those flower petals flowing around... And well, two days later (yes, two days, that's how long I resisted the urge to read the rest of the shelves), after a veeery long hesitation between this and another manhua in 3 volumes, I ended up buying this one.

So, why this one? (Because the cards said so.)
1. Like I mentioned above... colors! CO-LORS. When you get used to reading mangas, you get used to black and white, so a graphic novel fully in colors has a very strong appeal. Don't think I don't know that if I want colors, I could go for American or French/Belgian comics, but it's definitely not the same. Manhuas are much closer to mangas in terms of graphic style, atmosphere, and cultural aspect.
2. Kind of related to colors... basically, not only the cover, but the whole thing is beautiful! (I know, I already said that above, but it applies to this one in particular.)
3. The story is set in Paris. And I was really curious to see Paris depicted through the eyes of a Chinese artist.
4. It's a one-shot.

Now, what I actually liked about it after reading it?
1. It truly is beautiful. (Yes, I repeat myself a lot, it's for emphasis.) I LOVE the artist's style. There's something really minimalist about the lines, almost childish/unfinished even, but once you add the colors, it turns out so pretty! And you can really feel the different atmosphere through the different seasons (I liked the feeling of the chapter where it rains in particular).
2. Slices of life. It's not like a whole long story of how Mudan (the Chinese girl and protagonist from whom the story is told) ended up settling in Paris, only bits of it, touching experiences... Although there still is some kind of progression in the relations between the characters and Mudan's views of her surroundings.
3. The characters are a-do-ra-ble. Well, not all of them, I wasn't very fond of Adrien the French dude, but the Japanese girl Sakura is so cute! (Like in the first chapter when they meet and she's waving through the fence.) And I love how, after the remark from Adrien that they look to him like a rabbit and a cat, they're sometimes drawn as such. Double the cuteness!
4. Great emphasis on the difference between Chinese and Japanese people.
5. And well, as expected, seeing Paris from a foreigner POV is interesting.

So yeah, seriously, if you get a chance to read this book, do it! It might not change your life, but you'll enjoy the ride. #GreatDiscoveryOf2019

[Marine · Rating 4 out of 5]

une histoire très mignonne, un peu idéaliste mais touchante ! ce que j'ai préféré c'est vraiment le dessin et le style de l'auteur, c'est pour ça que j'ai pris cette bd à la base :)

[Ingrid La lectrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un jeune Chinois s'installe à Paris, la culture et les paysages lui sont totalement inconnus. Elle va faire la rencontre d'une petite voisine et se lier d'amitié avec, jusqu'à l'apparition d'un charmant voisin, qui va faire chavirer leurs cœurs.

J'ai tout de suite été attiré par ces magnifique dessins pastel doux. Mais si le dessin m'a beaucoup plu, je ne peux pas en dire autant de l'histoire, qui ne m'a pas du tout embarquer. Si je l'ai fini, c'était surtout pour le plaisir des yeux.

[Niniane · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai bien aimé, c'était doux et reposant. Les dessins renforcent cette atmosphère. Bon, on est sur un Paris très idéalisé, mais qu'importe ça fait du bien. Et puis, c'est intéressant de voir comment la ville est perçue par d'autres cultures.

D'habitude je n'aime pas les fins ouvertes, mais là, c'était parfait.

[Lilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

ce manga/bd m'a attiré à la bibliothèque par ses belles illustrations. Ce sera la seule chose que j'en retiendrai. de magnifiques illustrations pleines de romantismes et de douceur sur ce coin de Paris qu'on aime tous.
A part ça, je n'ai eu aucune émotion à parcourir ce livre. rien!

[Misa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une si belle histoire d'une jeune fille chinoise qui arrive en France. Ce livre graphique est plein d'illustrations magnifiques.

[Igor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un roman graphique contemplatif, avec des dessins poétiques et une intrigue simple.