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Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis
One of the greatest tennis players the world has ever seen was a woman few even remember. A championship player by the age of fifteen in a Europe overshadowed by impending war, Suzanne Lenglen broke records for ticket sales and match winning streaks, scandalised and entranced the public with her playing outfits, and became a pioneer, making friends and enemies throughout restrictive tennis society in the trailblazing jazz age.
With stunning art and an astute eye, 'Suzanne' explores how a figure both enormously influential and too-often overlooked battled her father’s ambition, bias in sporting journalism, and her own divisive personality, to forge a new path ― and to change sport forever.
With stunning art and an astute eye, 'Suzanne' explores how a figure both enormously influential and too-often overlooked battled her father’s ambition, bias in sporting journalism, and her own divisive personality, to forge a new path ― and to change sport forever.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2022
1 person is currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Tom Humberstone
12 books10 followersIllustrator and comic artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 20, 2022
As a tennis fan and comics reader, I was delighted by the announcement of a biographical Suzanne Lenglen graphic novel. I confess that I know little about her life, other than the fact that she's important enough to have a Roland Garros court named after her. The artwork was lovely (though at times I had difficulty telling apart the female characters). The comic mostly followed Suzanne's life in chronological order (bookended by her 1930s illness that led to her death).
Some scattered thoughts:
- It's sad (but unsurprising) that the trend of female-tennis-players-coached-by-abusive-fathers existed even in the early twentieth century. Hopefully things are changing now, but wow, Suzanne's father was an asshole.
- Really impressed by the tournament final scenes. It's difficult to depict movement in still panels, but the artwork successfully conveyed the stress and tenseness (both within players and the audience). I was freaking out at some of the match points, haha (especially since I didn't know the history of who won!).
- Kinda wild that Suzanne was so famous in the USA even though she hadn't even played there before visiting. All those journalists waiting for her to exit the ship! Just goes to show the power of her notorious celebrity.
- I'm curious about Suzanne's views re: race relations, because one scene indicated that she visited whites-only music clubs in NYC. There's another scene where she discusses how an African-American woman was a better player than anyone in the amateur leagues, but was barred from playing. The comic doesn't discuss race outside these two pages, but I wish that had been more prominent (especially because the plight of white suffragettes and white female tennis players are central).
- The discussion re: federations refusing to allow professional tennis players participate in the amateur tournaments (Wimbledon, French Open, etc). Man, nation federations have always sucked, haven't they? Nice to know that hasn't changed in the last century. Tennis was very much a rich-person sport because only wealthy folks could afford to participate in the prestigious (but amateur/non-paying) tournaments. I still think tennis is a relatively rich-person sport and has a high barrier-to-entry today, but it was a LOT worse a century ago.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Some scattered thoughts:
- It's sad (but unsurprising) that the trend of female-tennis-players-coached-by-abusive-fathers existed even in the early twentieth century. Hopefully things are changing now, but wow, Suzanne's father was an asshole.
- Really impressed by the tournament final scenes. It's difficult to depict movement in still panels, but the artwork successfully conveyed the stress and tenseness (both within players and the audience). I was freaking out at some of the match points, haha (especially since I didn't know the history of who won!).
- Kinda wild that Suzanne was so famous in the USA even though she hadn't even played there before visiting. All those journalists waiting for her to exit the ship! Just goes to show the power of her notorious celebrity.
- I'm curious about Suzanne's views re: race relations, because one scene indicated that she visited whites-only music clubs in NYC. There's another scene where she discusses how an African-American woman was a better player than anyone in the amateur leagues, but was barred from playing. The comic doesn't discuss race outside these two pages, but I wish that had been more prominent (especially because the plight of white suffragettes and white female tennis players are central).
- The discussion re: federations refusing to allow professional tennis players participate in the amateur tournaments (Wimbledon, French Open, etc). Man, nation federations have always sucked, haven't they? Nice to know that hasn't changed in the last century. Tennis was very much a rich-person sport because only wealthy folks could afford to participate in the prestigious (but amateur/non-paying) tournaments. I still think tennis is a relatively rich-person sport and has a high barrier-to-entry today, but it was a LOT worse a century ago.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
April 3, 2023
Suzanne Lenglen was a real trailblazer in the tennis world, not to mention in the female tennis one, and I appreciate how this graphic novel brings the character to life, front and center.
I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere (jazz age!) and the colors, maybe not that much the art. And although I think the author does a good job on depicting her family life and character, I would have appreciated some more depth in the treatment of those, here and there.
Yes, she was fierce. Yes, she was innovative and passionate... but all in all, there's a lot of details that are not so well represented, including the fact that she died (not sure of what) before the age of 40...
Promising. Entertaining. A little bit of a failed opportunity...
I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere (jazz age!) and the colors, maybe not that much the art. And although I think the author does a good job on depicting her family life and character, I would have appreciated some more depth in the treatment of those, here and there.
Yes, she was fierce. Yes, she was innovative and passionate... but all in all, there's a lot of details that are not so well represented, including the fact that she died (not sure of what) before the age of 40...
Promising. Entertaining. A little bit of a failed opportunity...
March 3, 2023
I really liked this a lot. If I had a slight niggle about it, it's that I wish the female characters had more to distinguish between them in drawing style because I could not always tell who was who. But really glad I got to this finally, it was a good reading experience.
May 10, 2023
bummer :/ this historical graphic novel follows suzanne lenglen in the early 20th century as she makes history in france for being the best female tennis player. some of the art while she's playing tennis was pretty cool and it had some interesting movement but other than that, i mostly disliked it lol!
every person looked the exact same which was white with dark hair which might have been how they all looked but it left me very confused and didn't help with the story!! i didn't feel like i got to know any characters, it just felt like a history lesson... and a boring one at that. i don't actually feel like it was very clear about suzanne's feelings or accomplishments and really don't think i know a whole lot more now than i did before.
every person looked the exact same which was white with dark hair which might have been how they all looked but it left me very confused and didn't help with the story!! i didn't feel like i got to know any characters, it just felt like a history lesson... and a boring one at that. i don't actually feel like it was very clear about suzanne's feelings or accomplishments and really don't think i know a whole lot more now than i did before.
August 29, 2023
**Shortlisted for the Lord Aberdare Literary Prize 2023**
Suzanne Lenglen was one of the world’s sports stars of the inter-war years. Although she began to make an impact on French tennis as a young teenager before World War One, that conflict delayed her appearance in the game until the 1920s, in her early adulthood. Her impact was profound – not only was she a dynamic player of considerable skill, but the way she moved on the court and the way she dressed was considered revolutionary.
Tennis was widely seen as a sport suitable for women (if any sport was going to be). It was comparatively genteel, it fitted the expected rules of dress of the early 20th century (women we expected to play in long skirts and corsets (often with whalebone stays), and events such as mixed doubles to very much be the junior partner. That’s not to say many of the players weren’t aggressive, hard hitting players, with powerful stokes and baseline play, for instance. In many cases, it was more a question of appearing restrained and genteel – even as the whalebone cut into the body, including to the extent of leaving the corsets bloodstained.
Lenglen, however, was very much a young woman of her time – physically active, she was presented as running and leaping around the court; dressing the part, she wore lose clothing, shorter skirts and no corset giving her greater mobility and made her play appear even more dynamic in comparison to older more established players. Although she didn’t have it all her own way, she was the leading women’s player through the 1920s, ranked as #1 for 8 successive years, recording a winning streak of 181 successive matches, and losing only 7 matches while winning 341 in her elite career. But, like so many women athletes – then and now – her story is comparatively unknown (although she remains one of the best known women athletes of the era).
Tom Humberstone’s illustrated narrative biography of Lenglen does three things extremely. First, he selects key moments in her life as ways to tell the bigger story; he can’t build a narrative in the way a written text does, so has to work with visual evocation and allusion, blending some circumstances and skipping over events while integrating them into the narrative. To his credit here he also notes both his sources and the instances where he has taken liberties, merging events or characters, for instance, for narrative power.
Second, he evokes the era extremely well: his grasp of the fashion and style of the era – the characters in this story look the part, as does their world. Third, he has built a visually arresting narrative: for much of it he relies on nine to twelve frame pages, but every few pages he breaks with that to full and ¾ page images, frames that sit on a bias to drive the narrative along, and other forms of page configuration that make the design of the book both interesting and supporting the developments in the life story begin told.
On top of that he does what visual artists often struggle to do – he effectively depicts both the movement and experience of sport. Here his willingness to use dynamic page layouts helps, as does what seems to be his grasp of the narrative flow of a tennis match and player experience and expectations. Few graphic artists get it in the way he seems to.
These four things, together with the power of Lenglen’s story, mean that this is a rare graphic biography of an athlete that is artistically impressive, that tells a compelling story, that engages well with its wider context to tell a story bigger than Lenglen’s, and should reach out to a new audience to introduce one of the great athletes to those who would otherwise be highly unlikely to encounter her.
This is a superb, beautiful and elegant illustrated narrative that not only tells a compelling story of an elite athlete and celebrity who died tragically young, but also gives us considerable insight into the interwar era, into the gender dynamics of the era, and governance of sport. Very highly recommended.
Suzanne Lenglen was one of the world’s sports stars of the inter-war years. Although she began to make an impact on French tennis as a young teenager before World War One, that conflict delayed her appearance in the game until the 1920s, in her early adulthood. Her impact was profound – not only was she a dynamic player of considerable skill, but the way she moved on the court and the way she dressed was considered revolutionary.
Tennis was widely seen as a sport suitable for women (if any sport was going to be). It was comparatively genteel, it fitted the expected rules of dress of the early 20th century (women we expected to play in long skirts and corsets (often with whalebone stays), and events such as mixed doubles to very much be the junior partner. That’s not to say many of the players weren’t aggressive, hard hitting players, with powerful stokes and baseline play, for instance. In many cases, it was more a question of appearing restrained and genteel – even as the whalebone cut into the body, including to the extent of leaving the corsets bloodstained.
Lenglen, however, was very much a young woman of her time – physically active, she was presented as running and leaping around the court; dressing the part, she wore lose clothing, shorter skirts and no corset giving her greater mobility and made her play appear even more dynamic in comparison to older more established players. Although she didn’t have it all her own way, she was the leading women’s player through the 1920s, ranked as #1 for 8 successive years, recording a winning streak of 181 successive matches, and losing only 7 matches while winning 341 in her elite career. But, like so many women athletes – then and now – her story is comparatively unknown (although she remains one of the best known women athletes of the era).
Tom Humberstone’s illustrated narrative biography of Lenglen does three things extremely. First, he selects key moments in her life as ways to tell the bigger story; he can’t build a narrative in the way a written text does, so has to work with visual evocation and allusion, blending some circumstances and skipping over events while integrating them into the narrative. To his credit here he also notes both his sources and the instances where he has taken liberties, merging events or characters, for instance, for narrative power.
Second, he evokes the era extremely well: his grasp of the fashion and style of the era – the characters in this story look the part, as does their world. Third, he has built a visually arresting narrative: for much of it he relies on nine to twelve frame pages, but every few pages he breaks with that to full and ¾ page images, frames that sit on a bias to drive the narrative along, and other forms of page configuration that make the design of the book both interesting and supporting the developments in the life story begin told.
On top of that he does what visual artists often struggle to do – he effectively depicts both the movement and experience of sport. Here his willingness to use dynamic page layouts helps, as does what seems to be his grasp of the narrative flow of a tennis match and player experience and expectations. Few graphic artists get it in the way he seems to.
These four things, together with the power of Lenglen’s story, mean that this is a rare graphic biography of an athlete that is artistically impressive, that tells a compelling story, that engages well with its wider context to tell a story bigger than Lenglen’s, and should reach out to a new audience to introduce one of the great athletes to those who would otherwise be highly unlikely to encounter her.
This is a superb, beautiful and elegant illustrated narrative that not only tells a compelling story of an elite athlete and celebrity who died tragically young, but also gives us considerable insight into the interwar era, into the gender dynamics of the era, and governance of sport. Very highly recommended.
June 9, 2024
Celebrating Rolly-G finals weekend by reading this like the très chic lady that I am. 💅
Suzanne Lenglen was *the* first superstar of tennis and, really, the first superstar of sport. I can only presume that her relatively-unknown status and the fact that her name is relegated to the second show court at Roland-Garros is the inescapable fact that she was a woman. Sigh.
This book, with the most glorious colour palette and illustrations, captured all the facets of being that very first superstar. It's a story that we still see repeating itself now, the sportsperson honed from an early age for one purpose only and, as a consequence, consumed by and repelled by that very purpose in equal measure. It was made all the more complex for Suzanne by the international uncertainty of the early 20th Century, Western perception of women (down to outrage that she should not want to be constrained by a corset when playing tennis) and of the stuffiness of tennis itself, the belief that to compete in sports you had to be an amateur and, therefore, either from an incredibly wealthy background or forced to step away from the events that still remain the pinnacle of the sport now to compete as a professional.
In this book, Humberstone conveyed not only the complexity of the world that Suzanne was trying to carve out a career in but so wholly captured Suzanne as a person. Driven, wilful, arrogant and incredibly talented, she felt fully realised and you could see exactly what the draw of this brilliant tennis player with her sparky and volatile personality was for so many people around the world who flocked to watch her play.
Suzanne Lenglen was *the* first superstar of tennis and, really, the first superstar of sport. I can only presume that her relatively-unknown status and the fact that her name is relegated to the second show court at Roland-Garros is the inescapable fact that she was a woman. Sigh.
This book, with the most glorious colour palette and illustrations, captured all the facets of being that very first superstar. It's a story that we still see repeating itself now, the sportsperson honed from an early age for one purpose only and, as a consequence, consumed by and repelled by that very purpose in equal measure. It was made all the more complex for Suzanne by the international uncertainty of the early 20th Century, Western perception of women (down to outrage that she should not want to be constrained by a corset when playing tennis) and of the stuffiness of tennis itself, the belief that to compete in sports you had to be an amateur and, therefore, either from an incredibly wealthy background or forced to step away from the events that still remain the pinnacle of the sport now to compete as a professional.
In this book, Humberstone conveyed not only the complexity of the world that Suzanne was trying to carve out a career in but so wholly captured Suzanne as a person. Driven, wilful, arrogant and incredibly talented, she felt fully realised and you could see exactly what the draw of this brilliant tennis player with her sparky and volatile personality was for so many people around the world who flocked to watch her play.
November 4, 2023
This graphic novel published by Avery Hill is the story of famed French tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen. Cartoonist Tom Humberstone brings grace to the story of the pioneer who won 241 titles, including a 181 match winning streak and was the world’s number one player for eight years. His style of cartooning is very minimal and graphic, but also very pleasing. Lenglen only lived to be 39 years old, and Humberstone doesn’t really dwell on her early demise, instead opting to end the book on a positive note, showing his subject doing what she loved most, playing tennis. This is also a very nicely designed hardback book … I think Avery Hill is right up there with D&Q and Fantagraphics when it comes to thoughtful, beautiful graphic novel book design.
July 23, 2023
Profiling a woman that is little known to the tennis world, Suzanne Lenglen, a French woman who took tennis by storm and pushed boundaries especially as war began.
It looks in all of the nooks and crannies to provide a researched biography that doesn't dive super deep but it's breadth is commendable from relationships on and off the court, travel, sport rivalry, training, and hiking her skirt to make it easier for her to actually play.
The color palette provides the mood for the story in a way that makes it a perfect match as a graphic novel biography about women in sports.
It looks in all of the nooks and crannies to provide a researched biography that doesn't dive super deep but it's breadth is commendable from relationships on and off the court, travel, sport rivalry, training, and hiking her skirt to make it easier for her to actually play.
The color palette provides the mood for the story in a way that makes it a perfect match as a graphic novel biography about women in sports.
September 25, 2024
I read this graphic biographical novel in pretty much one sitting and it’s always fun to do that. I didn’t know Suzanne’s story so all of this information was new to me. She was a dominant player that needs to more recognition!!! I liked the art style and the story moved along at a good pace. The book was missing some magic to push it to 5 stars for me but I would definitely read more books by this author (this was his debut).
September 26, 2023
I thought it was nice because the character Suzanne didn't like tennis until her father taught her how to play, And I can relate to it , because when I first started getting into basketball I thought I never would like soccer but then I tried it and I liked it. This story talks about pushing through the toughest times and giving it your best (win or lose).
February 10, 2023
I'm no tennis player, or even a sports fan, but I'm a history buff, and this had a lot of history. For instance, I had no idea that the women players who brought paying crowds into the stands received nothing for their efforts. And we think women's pay is bad sports today.
April 3, 2023
An interesting memoir/biography of a little-known tennis player, that paved the way for not just women in tennis, but fashion and standing up for the equality she deserved. While I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the personal life of this player, overall it is presented in an interesting and creative way.
February 11, 2024
A beautifully illustrated, concise history of a tennis legend you’ve probably never heard of before. Humberstone succeeds in giving the reader a sense of what it meant to be an incredible athlete whose success was often hampered by gender and finances.
November 20, 2022
Did I ever tell you I had a younger brother?
No…
He died when I was five. I wonder, sometimes, if he would be standing here instead of me. Had he lived.
No…
He died when I was five. I wonder, sometimes, if he would be standing here instead of me. Had he lived.
April 2, 2023
52 Book Club Challenge # 10 - Takes place during the roaring twenties.
April 8, 2023
(3.5 stars)
April 29, 2024
Super intéressant ! Une figure sportive que je ne connaissais et dont la vie se révèle marquante même si certains aspects ne sont pas abordés. Une bonne lecture !
February 6, 2025
Gorgeous illustrations, hoping more on the tennis play though
August 15, 2023
🎾 The sport is rigged. I have earned millions of francs for the men of tennis, and have paid thousands in entrance fees for the privilege 🎾
It’s important to remember the people that came before our current generation, how they shaped the game and their stories. @tomhumberstone Suzanne has sent me down a spiral to learn more about the highs and lows of the history of this great sport 🎾
Suzanne Lenglen is someone I knew very little about apart from her name being put to one of our major courts. Her story is one of sacrifice, exhaustion and fight to be the greatest in the world. In a world where men want to control your story, your image and your worth, Suzanne fought to do things her own way and pave her own path.
What makes me so sad is the fact that players were not paid at all for playing the sport as a “career”, making an elite patriarchy richer as she made her own health worse. Her story is inspirational, moving and I understand how she is a tennis superhero for many.
@tomhumberstone graphic novel is such an accessible way into seeing how the sport was 100 years ago, what they wore, the people who were around and even how Suzanne liked a wee drink between sets 😂😯
I would absolutely love one on more of our players and if you’re a fan of the sport, women’s history or the time then this is definitely one you should get!
We will remember Suzanne Lenglen. One of tennis’ GOATS
It’s important to remember the people that came before our current generation, how they shaped the game and their stories. @tomhumberstone Suzanne has sent me down a spiral to learn more about the highs and lows of the history of this great sport 🎾
Suzanne Lenglen is someone I knew very little about apart from her name being put to one of our major courts. Her story is one of sacrifice, exhaustion and fight to be the greatest in the world. In a world where men want to control your story, your image and your worth, Suzanne fought to do things her own way and pave her own path.
What makes me so sad is the fact that players were not paid at all for playing the sport as a “career”, making an elite patriarchy richer as she made her own health worse. Her story is inspirational, moving and I understand how she is a tennis superhero for many.
@tomhumberstone graphic novel is such an accessible way into seeing how the sport was 100 years ago, what they wore, the people who were around and even how Suzanne liked a wee drink between sets 😂😯
I would absolutely love one on more of our players and if you’re a fan of the sport, women’s history or the time then this is definitely one you should get!
We will remember Suzanne Lenglen. One of tennis’ GOATS
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews