Window Horses

by Ann Marie Fleming

Window Horses is the graphic novelization of the award-winning NFB film by Ann Marie Fleming, starring Sandra Oh. The story follows Rosie Ming, a young Chinese/Persian poet as she leaves her home in Vancouver for the first time to visit Shiraz, Iran.

Here she discovers the beauty of poetry, history, and new friendships and learns the true story about her estranged Iranian father.

A touching, beautiful and emotional film, it’s been translated to graphic novel format.

Edited by Hope Nicholson and Nyala Ali

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Contemporary, Poetry, Canada, Sequential Art

272 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2017

Reviews

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just don,t get where this book was going and what it wanted to achieved. Was it just absurd humor? Did the multicultural message was supposed to be significant? Not sure. The illustrations were minimalistic but still were good and I like the humor in it even if it became repetitive really fast.

I also want to say... I really review book mentioning the price of it, but this one (I got it free on NetGalley so it's alright for me) is selling for 25$, that's a lot of money for that kind of book and I just don't see who would want to pay that much for a book that clearly not worth it... it's sad to come to that, but you have to consider it, I'm mean you get great graphic novel by Guy Delisle et Emil Ferris, for 10$, book two time bigger and on a complete other level of graphic novel, but really another universe!!

[Robert Cojocaru · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a Chinese-Iranian girl from Canada that publishes simple poems in a limited run book and gets invited to a literary festival in Iran where she will rediscover herself.
Do not let the art or the beginning of the book fool you, it is a crescendo from a storytelling point of view.
The poets that Ming meets at the festival are an interesting mix, that made the story worthwhile for me, and the ending is very interesting.
I have also appreciated the amount of cultural information gained from this graphic novel, like the Iranian poets Rumi and Saadi, the conflict between Iraq and Iran, the lack of well trained pilots in the war and the inequality between men and women's political voice.
The art is hit or miss, but some characters have an interesting model.. Ming's design reminded me of the pigeon main family from Goodnight Punpun. And the poems are really well illustrated
Overall this book is worth a read, no matter your age.
Thanks Netgalley for the book!
#WindowHorses #NetGalley

[Celise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young French-obsessed Canadian girl, half Persian-half Chinese, travels to Iran to participate in a poetry festival.

Rosie Ming is a charming, if naive girl traveling for the first time to another country. I think the book captures some of the wonderment that comes with that, with both charming and beautiful artwork by several different artists.

The story isn't super engaging until the end, though. The final quarter is meaningful, but the first 3/4 seem to be scratching at the surface of something without actually achieving any depth.

The multicultural elements are really unique and are, for me, what made this good. I wish more of the poems had been translated, too. It's not absolutely necessary, as even Rosie doesn't understand them all, but I am curious. The main text is in English, and I understood the French and English poems, but I don't speak Farsi, German, or Chinese and for most of those there were no translations. Despite not being able to understand them all, it's still kind of cool.

[Rachel C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about poetry, travel and self-discovery. I really liked how Fleming incorporated other artists' work.

[HadiDee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband came rushing into the room and thrust this book at me. "Read this!", he said excitedly. He doesn't often do this. Anyway I read it. I'm not sure I'd thrust it at anyone, but I did email a few friends and tell them about it - not something I've ever done before.

It's charming and beautiful. Rosie is drawn as a few lines with a circle for her head (maybe a reflection of her incompleteness?) but all around her are more representatively drawn, and each poem/story sequence is richly illustrated by a different artist. I loved the kindness and generosity of everyone in the story, as each of them helps Rosie on her journey to understanding poetry and also herself.

The poem that ends the book has me tears (my Mum died a few years ago and I've frequently found myself seeing her face when I look in the mirror).

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great and heartwarming story of a young poet looking to find their place in the world. The story is great but the illustration is pretty simple and even the word bubbles are hard to follow at times. Honestly would have used the touch of someone with a bit more experience but it doesn't detract too much. There are also some nice moments with guest artists providing a few pages here and there which are enjoyable.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the story of this book. it is so layered and multifaceted. There is so much here. The art is unique: I love how it works to show all the characters and their traits. Read this book. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

[BookBlerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the most gorgeous blend of visual art and poetry. Featuring a story about finding yourself, claiming your artistic voice, and rediscovering family, this book is a must read for poetry fans or those who like books similar to the graphic novel Persopolis.

[mad mags · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I have to see the movie!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

https://youtu.be/Viiui3v-ncg

Window Horses is the graphic novelization of a 2016 animated film of the same name, written by Ann Marie Fleming and starring Sandra Oh (with what I can only assume is a brief cameo by Ellen Page, at least judging from the book). The story's protagonist is a young biracial woman named Rosie Ming. Born to a Chinese-Canadian mother and an Iranian refugee father, Rosie was left in the care of her maternal grandparents after her father abandoned his family and her mother died in a tragic accident.



Fast food worker by day, Francophile by - who are we kidding, 24/7 - Rosie keeps her poetry a secret. That is, until she's invited to a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran. Having self-published but one book of poetry, Rosie has no idea how the festival's organizers discovered her. Though she's nervous to travel to her father's homeland - she's never even been outside of Canada, for pete's sake - and is plagued by imposter syndrome, Rosie knows that this is an opportunity she simply can't pass up. Little does she know how truly life-changing the trip will be.

Window Horses is a sweet and heartfelt story: about the bonds of family and community, the stupid and even selfish things we sometimes do for love, and the power of words and poetry, with a little bit of a history/civics lesson thrown in, to boot. The art - primarily done by Kevin Langdale, with poems illustrated by a variety of other artists - is stunning. I especially loved how the breadth of different contributors and styles played off the poetry, adding extra depth and nuance.

The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way? Dietmar, or rather Mehrnaz's insistence that he's only rude to Rosie because "that is the way some young men are...," you know, when they like a girl. Boys will be boys and all that nonsense. Blecht.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2019/02/19/...

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosie Ming is a young Canadian. Her mother was Chinese and her father is Iranian. Rosie's father left when she was young and her mother died, so Rosie was brought up by her grandparents.

Rosie writes poetry and she self-publishes a book of her own poems. These poems are seen by the organisers of a poetry festival in Shiraz Iran, and Rosie is invited to participate in the festival and she does so against her grandparents wishes. Rosie thus embarks upon a journey in which she discovers poetry, Iran and family.

I though this was a beautiful story. At first there is a sense of awkwardness because although Rosie publishes poetry she doesn't see herself as a poet. She has questions about her past and in a way she doesn't seem to fit anywhere. By the end of the story Rosie has discovered that she is indeed a poet and she fits somewhere. It seems her journey of poetry in Iran is a journey of learning and discovering who she really is and finding home.

I watched the trailer for this book https://youtu.be/Viiui3v-ncg and I think I must also watch the film. The book is beautiful in its simplicity and the artwork although quite simple, manages to tell the story in quite a powerful way. There is a strong sense of a young girl who doesn't know her own story but who manages to uncover her own past just by following her heart. Watching the clip on Youtube and listening to the animation really brings the story to life in a way the book can't but the book is still really good.

If you enjoys graphic novels and you want a gentle story about a young girl on a journey of discovery then this is a good one to read.

Copy provided by publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Beck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The graphic novel is taken from an animated film of the same name that I've wanted to see for a while so I was really excited to see a graphic novel version of it and requested it immediately.

I unfortunately didn't like it though. I was really hoping I would because the topics it covers are so interesting, like family, identity and belonging, travelling, and poetry, but the main factor in why this is only a 2 star book for me is the art. The main character- Rosie- is a stick figure for some reason with some kind of buglike antennae (does anyone know why?) and the other characters kind of look like Picasso pieces, but more neat and uniform, and I didn't like any of that. There is one great bit with the art where Rosie (who always wears a pink triangle skirt) is packing to go on a trip to Iran and she's deciding what clothes to take and the floor of her room is just covered in pink triangles. That did make me laugh but the rest of the time the art just didn't work for me.

I just didn't feel connected to the poetry or the characters. Rosie loves Paris and that's always something that puts me off characters, obviously that's just a personal thing but it just irritates me the way people venerate Paris, and it's kind of her "thing"... I guess apart from the fact she likes poetry and pink? But the character just seemed a bit underdeveloped, and the other characters were worse, apart from her dad maybe.

Maybe I'll still watch the film and see if the story works for me better in that medium. Also, Rosie is voiced by Sandra Oh so that seems like something I need to see!

[Afreen Aftab · Rating 4 out of 5]

'I think you have a voice. You just have to find out how to express it fully. This is the journey we are all on. It takes a lifetime - sometimes many lifetimes - to learn our own story.'

When I first started reading this book I wasn't sure if I was really going to like it. But this little coming-of-age story really grew on me.

In this story, Rosie Ming, a half Persian half Chinese Canadian tries to find her identity and fulfill her dreams of going to Paris by publishing her book of poetry. And her life changes when she receives an invitation to a poetry festival in Iran and decides to travel out of her country (and her comfort-zone) for the first time.

I really enjoyed the bits where Rosie traverses the country trying to understand its artistic history and her own cultural background and discovering new relationships. There is a moment where Rosie hears the Azaan for the first time and the art of her just floating up is just so lovely. NOt to mention the various styles of poetry sprinkled throughout the book along with the descriptions of various poets.

The art was abstract. I loved it but I couldn't really understand why only Rosie had to be a stick figure when everyone else was not. Maybe this just made her stand out more and brought out her need to belong culturally.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the book and will probably go ahead and watch the feature-length film for Window Horses because the story is great and animation looks lovely

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Window Horses by Ann Marie Fleming is a beautiful adaptation of the animated film. While the film works better this book is still a simple yet moving tribute to family in all its forms.

In such a short work we see how so many things can both bring us together and drive us apart. No single area, whether it be relationship dynamics or political and religious upheaval, can be viewed and understood in isolation. That is why the worst examples of these are always kept in as much isolation as possible. Religions insisting on domination and isolation from others, despots insisting there be little to no outside communications, abusive partners isolating partners from family and friends.

Explanations here are never straightforward and simple. Governments, religious leaders, and family members all play roles in Rosie's view of the world at large and of her broken family in particular. As she discovers family is a much larger and more inclusive term than often understood, and that people are rarely exactly what they seem, for better and worse, she learns that neither her world nor her dreams have to be limited.

Beautifully told with simple drawings that keep the emphasis on the dynamics of human interactions as well as our overwhelming commonality with one another. I would recommend to any reader who likes poetry and believes that poetry, writ large, can bring us together.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Window Horses' by Ann Marie Fleming is a graphic novel based on her film. It's a story about finding your voice and your family.

Rosie Ming is a young Chinese/Persian poet living in Vancouver. When she publishes a book of poems about Paris, she finds herself invited to a poetry gathering in Shiraz, Iran. It's a chance for her to travel. She meets people along the way who stretch her poetic gift. She learns about famous poets from Iran. She learns about her father, who abandoned her when she was quite young, and she finds out that some stories are more complicated than first imagined.

I really liked this graphic novel. The art style varies from the almost stick figure Rosie Ming, to some of the elaborate drawings illustrating the stories of ancient poets. I initially wasn't sure what to expect, but in the end, I found it to be moving.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Bedside Press, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm coming from the angle of someone who has seen the film. I've been meaning to get my hands on the graphic novel version ever since then. Much like the film, the book doesn't disappoint.

Sure, the pacing of it can be very stop and go with the history lessons about Iran's poets, but it's ultimately meaningful to learn about; especially when my country's impeached president is trying to start a war with Iran currently.

The moments where Rosie learns about her father pack just as much of an emotional punch as it did in the film.

What I like best about consuming the story this way is that I'm able to take my time with really looking as these beautifully illustrated scenes that are otherwise limited to a run time onscreen. Such is the way of the graphic novel.

I'm not sure if there's a certain order to consuming this story; whether that be to watch the film first and then the graphic novel, or the other way around. Regardless, give it a chance. You're in for something truly special.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very difficult book to understand. The themes of being true to yourself (or in the case of Rosie actually knowing oneself) while in a place where everyone speaks another language or is another culture is repeated first by Rosie and then in memory by her father. The story, however, is so multilayered, told in stories of history and intertwined with multicultural (and multi-language) poetry overlapping the surface story of a young Asian-Persian woman at a poetry festival in Iran seeking her father, that it’s a bit convoluted. This really felt like a book that is trying to tell me SOMETHING but the until the final pages I didn’t understand the message. Perhaps I am too literal. I neither loved it nor disliked it. I found this in the Young Adult section of the library and I honestly can’t imagine any contemporary teenager willingly reading this - but maybe I’m wrong.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what I was really reading? I mean I get it. A girl wants to be a poet, she does a thing and self-publishes some poetry, she goes to a poetry slam. Then there's a bunch of random conversations with different people (including real ones like the fact that Taylor Mali was on the slam list for the poetry conference) and how she doesn't think she's a poet but she's a poet.

And she's illustrated as a weird head with antennas and a stick figure.

In addition, there are several sections where the style of artwork changes. There was a lot going on that in it's awkwardness provided some cohesiveness, but not much. It was that as a reader you weren't ever quite sure that you can gain some kind of foothold.

Maybe I need to see the short?

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chance means our Chinese/Persian heroine, living in Canada as she does, has to practically start her experience of being a published poet at a festival in Iran, of all places, when she had her heart set on Paris. But little does she know what she's going to find while there… Some of the artwork almost makes "Persepolis" look sophisticated, but the volume has enough guest illustrators to portray certain scenes or poems, which brings a massive improvement and liveliness to the visuals. I still think the book failed to engage – it certainly did so with me, with the young woman trying to fit in and not take her own path.

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Window Horses è la trasposizione in graphic novel del film omonimo: Rosie Ming, una ragazza canadese di origini cinesi ed iraniane, viene invitata ad un festival di poesia in Iran. Lì scopre molto sulle sue origini, su suo padre, sulla bellezza della poesia, sulla storia.
I disegni di questo graphic sono a colori e variegati: la protagonista è uno stickman, gli altri personaggi sono più dettagliati, e per me i paesaggi sono la cosa più visivamente piacevole da guardare. La storia è interessante, ricca di aneddoti curiosi su persone e culture diverse, e molto coinvolgente. Mi sono sparata le 274 pagine di sera sul treno senza prendere sonno, e questo la dice lunga su quanto mi sia piaciuto.
Non vedo l'ora di guardare anche il film d'animazione da cui è tratto questo graphic novel!

[Sofia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I'm tired but I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. I didn't like the art (the cover really made me think it would be different) and the story felt disconnected. The book tried to tell MC's story and also Iran's, and in doing so failed to do both.

[Madeline S.]

Chinese-Persian MC reconnects with her heritage.

Maybe it was the art style or the slow and arduous start, but nothing about the book was compelling enough to grab me.

Stopped: 5pgs
Discovery: shoreline lib

[Chuck White · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a reward as part of a Kickstarter campaign I supported.

Meh, this just didn't do it for me. Story was not engaging, art was OK, but didn't grab me.

I can't recommend.

[John Woakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really lovely story about poetry and Iran and a young girl's first trip away from home. The story has quite a light touch but is remarkably moving. I really liked the artwork too.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie Ming lives in Canada and works as a fast food clerk, but she dreams of being a poet and living in Paris. An invitation to a poetry festival in Iran gives her the opportunity to connect with her passion for poetry, learn about her Iranian heritage, and face the painful past in which Rosie’s father disappeared from her life. An enchanting story about poetry, mixed cultural identity, reconciliation, new possibilities, and so much more. 🇮🇷🧕🖋 P.S. I highly recommend watching the original film that this graphic novel is adapted from. The film’s animation, created by many different artists with a variety of styles, is gorgeous, and you can listen to poems read in English, Farsi, and Mandarin. These dynamic sights and sounds just can’t be replicated in the book. 🇮🇷🧕🖋

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Lovely Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️
A young Parisian/Chinese Canadian poet who travels to Iran for a poetry festival discovers her family history in an unexpected way.
This book has a few different languages sprinkled in it and a lot of poetry....this made it difficult for me to stay immersed in the world and connect with the story.

[The Reading Frog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Rosie’s story. The multicultural characters were portrayed with great kindness and affection. The snapshots into different types of poetry were a nice addition. Overall a nice heartwarming read. *Book provided by editor through Netgalley, all opinions are my own*

[Ksenia]

I have seen the movie three times already here in NYC (essentially anytime there was a limited showing). I love this movie and it's story about family, about poetry and how it is different for each person, and about finding out one's past/history. It's just beautiful, and inspiring. This graphic novelization is just the perfect thing to have while waiting for the movie to be released on DVD/Digital.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found parts of this interesting and other parts lost me. The illustrations were nice at times, but I am not a fan of the weird nostrils. The main character is drawn different from everyone else and I hoped that would be addressed at some point but it was not. It hints and possible relationship for Rosie but that never happens. Thre is a lot of stuff within this graphic novel that just feels out of place. I expected this to read like Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi so this book fell really flat for me.

[January Gray · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book, and I really tried but it was too disjointed for me, and I really could not get into it. It lacked flow. I did not finish.