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Elegy for Amelia Johnson
In her 30 years on earth, Amelia Johnson has touched many lives with her compassion, intelligence, and spirit. Now, at the end of a year-long battle with cancer, she asks her two closest friends to take her final messages to the people who have touched her life the most. Henry Barrons is a cocky, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker whose demeanor hides deep insecurities. Jillian Webb is an acclaimed magazine writer with an inability to make long-term commitments. They set out across the country to fulfill Amelia's dying wish...and end up learning more about her - and themselves - than they ever imagined.
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 16, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 22, 2011
This book was about a deathbed request: two friends of Amelia Johnson (the dying girl) are asked to go around the country and carry Amelia's messages to her favorite people. In the meantime, they are to prepare her eulogy.
The two friends, Henry (a filmmaker) and Jillian (a writer), seem like the perfect pair to carry out the task... except they're so different (yawn). How can Amelia expect them to get along? (yawn). Espeically on a cross-country roadtrip (yawn).
What does she have up her sleeve, that dying Amelia Johnson?
Why did I bracket that spoiler? I bet you saw it coming...
Some cliches:
Deathbed girl: so wise and so holy
Henry: so confident and charming, in that non-commital way
Jillian: so prickly and standoffish, in that "just-gotta-break-through-her-wall" way
I feel like this is a 1990's movie starring Julia Roberts (Amelia), Sandra Bullock (Jillian), and some random guy who was like a poor man's Brad Pitt... (Who was the poor man's Brad Pitt in the 90's? Help a girl out...Maybe Brad Pitt was the poor man's Brad Pitt in the 1990's...)
Even worse, this novel was like a Lifetime Movie. Maybe it would've starred Alyssa Milano and Jason Priestly - I dunno. It had good intentions, but nothing to offer of any signficance, in my opinion.
The artwork was pretty good, though. Except, I felt like Henry looked so much like Jack from Jack of Fables that I found his character a bit distracting at times: I pegged him to be a misogynistic asshole and then wondered if I was just character-projecting due to the similarity. Meh.
I gave this book more than one star because I found out that the author, Andrew Rostan, funded this debut novel by winning on Jeopardy! - which I think is pretty awesome. Win @ Jeopardy! and now you can write the graphic-novel-of-your-dreams - even if it was a pretty weak debut. Also, wanted to give some props to the artist, Kate Kasenow.
July 25, 2021
I am honestly surprised I finished this at all! It took me two weeks and a mind numbing ceremony but I did it.
This was not good, at all. Amelia was a disgusting human being. In my opinion. the worse kind, where they're selfish and get away with it, everyone loves them and they themselves believe are humanity's gift. Julian and whatshisname didn't make any sense to me because the characters had no meat in them and the romance was just poorly delivered (no buildup).
The conflict of the story, where Julian questions Amelia's "goodness" and how everyone treats her like some goddess come to earth, had so much potential, but the resolution flew over my head because it was as if Julian was being force fed the doubt.
This was not good, at all. Amelia was a disgusting human being. In my opinion. the worse kind, where they're selfish and get away with it, everyone loves them and they themselves believe are humanity's gift. Julian and whatshisname didn't make any sense to me because the characters had no meat in them and the romance was just poorly delivered (no buildup).
The conflict of the story, where Julian questions Amelia's "goodness" and how everyone treats her like some goddess come to earth, had so much potential, but the resolution flew over my head because it was as if Julian was being force fed the doubt.
August 11, 2021
The idea of this, two friends trying to make a film about their dying friends and learning about her life before she's gone, is good. But it's boring. There's no grand revelation that doesn't come off as a cliche. It's like a bland direct-to-DVD Lifetime or Hallmark movie. Sure it's sad, because watching your loved ones die is sad, but the characters are boring and only have personalities insofar as the plot needs to operate.
September 2, 2024
Physical Copy of the book.
I think this one was ok. It felt a bit quick to tell it's story and sometimes struggled with the visual representation as the mode in which to tell this story. As others mention the characters seemed overlly argumentative and then connected pretty quickly. Not bad for a booked picked up on a whim.
I think this one was ok. It felt a bit quick to tell it's story and sometimes struggled with the visual representation as the mode in which to tell this story. As others mention the characters seemed overlly argumentative and then connected pretty quickly. Not bad for a booked picked up on a whim.
February 1, 2018
Moving, sad, but with a lilt of hope. Will probably appeal to YA readers ofThe Fault in Our Stars.
February 26, 2018
Finally got around to reading this graphic novel that a publisher gave me many ALA conferences ago. I was a bit disappointed by this one - the romance felt very forced and false and the story hiccuped in places. Wanted to like it more than I did.
February 5, 2020
This book was soooooo boring. Characters acted however they needed to for the poor excuse of a plot. I had to force my way through; I was expecting so much more from this premise, but it fell down on almost all counts. Glad it was a library book!
November 16, 2017
A little weak in some parts near the end but overall well done.
July 10, 2019
Not as poignant as it sets out to be.
July 11, 2019
A powerful graphic novel about love and death and how one person's death brings love between two people. This is a very beautiful book, emotionally moving.
September 8, 2019
Beautiful art. Characters seemed simplistically and unnecessarily argumentative, which felt a little superficial.
October 6, 2019
I cherished reading this book (written by a friend) about friendship, love, forgiveness, and time. A heart-felt expression of life and death with the whimsy needed to get you through them both.
February 16, 2020
I really wanted to enjoy this book but, it was so dry I could barely sit through it.
There were so many words and so many plot holes that hardly anything they said actually mattered
There were so many words and so many plot holes that hardly anything they said actually mattered
January 24, 2025
I found it kind of boring at first. It got better, but there lots and lots of fights and arguments to the extent where it kind of pissed me off. It’s not bad, but I probably won’t be rereading it.
August 23, 2011
ARC ebook provided by netGalley
Amelia Johnson is dying of cancer. But before she dies she asks her two best friends, Henry and Jillian, to undertake a journey together to deliver messages to six friends and family members spread out across the country. Henry is a filmmaker. Jillian is a writer. Both are opposites and have never met each other till now. Can they complete this one last wish for their best friend? Or will the journey fail?
The story at first really reminds me of the last episode of the TV show "Dawson's Creek" just in how it opens and the type of vibe that you get from the characters. And even though they use some trite ideas--a dying friend, two opposites put together on a journey alone--its told in a unique enough way to create an entirely different story. The writing does struggle at bit at times where it jumps from scene to scene without much of a transition, so that you don't really know how much time has passed or where the heck they are at the moment. It doesn't happen often, but it is a bit disconcerting when it does. Although the two main characters and most of the supporting characters are developed enough, I do wish they had left off the two guys that accompany Henry around. Because it really felt like overkill and we never really got to know them like some of the other characters, which is a shame because they seemed like they would have a good story to tell. It's a mostly well told story that keeps the reader going and the reader will weep at the end, even though they know whats coming. The story, even though a bit trite, is still something that anyone can relate to.
I really like the simplicity of the artwork in this book. It reminds me a lot of the classic Archie comic strip style...and no it isn't an insult. What the artist does well is use simple line and shading to illustrate the story. They never go overboard with detail or try to depict too much of the background where it would overwhelm the central figures to the story. Instead, by using just a basic approach they are able to put the focus on the central characters, which is what really matters to the story. They accurately capture human emotions so that even without reading the accompanying text we can tell what's going on. It works really well with the story.
I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars and I'd recommend it. I look forward to seeing what comes of the writers and artists next.
Amelia Johnson is dying of cancer. But before she dies she asks her two best friends, Henry and Jillian, to undertake a journey together to deliver messages to six friends and family members spread out across the country. Henry is a filmmaker. Jillian is a writer. Both are opposites and have never met each other till now. Can they complete this one last wish for their best friend? Or will the journey fail?
The story at first really reminds me of the last episode of the TV show "Dawson's Creek" just in how it opens and the type of vibe that you get from the characters. And even though they use some trite ideas--a dying friend, two opposites put together on a journey alone--its told in a unique enough way to create an entirely different story. The writing does struggle at bit at times where it jumps from scene to scene without much of a transition, so that you don't really know how much time has passed or where the heck they are at the moment. It doesn't happen often, but it is a bit disconcerting when it does. Although the two main characters and most of the supporting characters are developed enough, I do wish they had left off the two guys that accompany Henry around. Because it really felt like overkill and we never really got to know them like some of the other characters, which is a shame because they seemed like they would have a good story to tell. It's a mostly well told story that keeps the reader going and the reader will weep at the end, even though they know whats coming. The story, even though a bit trite, is still something that anyone can relate to.
I really like the simplicity of the artwork in this book. It reminds me a lot of the classic Archie comic strip style...and no it isn't an insult. What the artist does well is use simple line and shading to illustrate the story. They never go overboard with detail or try to depict too much of the background where it would overwhelm the central figures to the story. Instead, by using just a basic approach they are able to put the focus on the central characters, which is what really matters to the story. They accurately capture human emotions so that even without reading the accompanying text we can tell what's going on. It works really well with the story.
I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars and I'd recommend it. I look forward to seeing what comes of the writers and artists next.
May 12, 2012
It is no surprise to anyone here that I love graphic novels. Whenever a new one comes out, I can’t wait to devour it. Of course I try to be discerning about what I read, but when it comes to graphic novels...I gobble them all up! I picked up An Elegy for Amelia Johnson, basically, because it was on the shelf. I typically don’t like road trip stories but I thought I would take a chance on it because the illustrations looked interesting and it looked like it covered a lot of ground in under 125 pages. This novel met my expectations but, sadly, did not succeed them.
Amelia Johnson is ding of cancer when she contacts her two best friends, Henry and Jillian. Henry and Jillian have never met before but they’re about to get to know each other really well as Amelia sends them on a cross-country journey together. Henry has known Amelia almost all of his life but fell out of touch with her when she moved to New York City to go to college. This is when she befriended Jillian who was her roommate at Columbia University. The two women forged a bond that took them through some tumultuous times. However, they both emerged relatively unscathed. It is Amelia’s deathbed request that these two friends travel together across the country delivering DVDs on which Amelia has recorded her last words. Once on the road, Henry and Jillian realize that Amelia may have had ulterior motives when she chose them both to do this task. They also start to question if either of them ever knew Amelia.
This graphic novel has lofty goals. Any plot that involves deathbed requests AND a cross-country journey is striving a bit too hard to be sentimental and philosophical. I felt that the storyline was highly unrealistic and all of the characters were unlikeable. The emotional scavenger hunt to deliver Amelia’s last words did move the characters around but it didn’t help their development. It was clear from the synopsis on the back of the book what would happen in the end but even I was surprised by the amount of melodrama and cliches that were used. Overall, I think the illustrations were nice even if the story was weak. I think the author has room to grow and I look forward to reading his future works...but I may borrow them from the library instead of buying them.
www.iamliteraryaddicted.blogspot.com
Amelia Johnson is ding of cancer when she contacts her two best friends, Henry and Jillian. Henry and Jillian have never met before but they’re about to get to know each other really well as Amelia sends them on a cross-country journey together. Henry has known Amelia almost all of his life but fell out of touch with her when she moved to New York City to go to college. This is when she befriended Jillian who was her roommate at Columbia University. The two women forged a bond that took them through some tumultuous times. However, they both emerged relatively unscathed. It is Amelia’s deathbed request that these two friends travel together across the country delivering DVDs on which Amelia has recorded her last words. Once on the road, Henry and Jillian realize that Amelia may have had ulterior motives when she chose them both to do this task. They also start to question if either of them ever knew Amelia.
This graphic novel has lofty goals. Any plot that involves deathbed requests AND a cross-country journey is striving a bit too hard to be sentimental and philosophical. I felt that the storyline was highly unrealistic and all of the characters were unlikeable. The emotional scavenger hunt to deliver Amelia’s last words did move the characters around but it didn’t help their development. It was clear from the synopsis on the back of the book what would happen in the end but even I was surprised by the amount of melodrama and cliches that were used. Overall, I think the illustrations were nice even if the story was weak. I think the author has room to grow and I look forward to reading his future works...but I may borrow them from the library instead of buying them.
www.iamliteraryaddicted.blogspot.com
October 20, 2012
This was my first foray into the land of graphic novels (okay, other than The Watchmen). I picked it up for a trifold of reasons:
1)for my cousin's Loren's love of graphic novels,
2)the suggestion of the facilitator of a new mom's group to read shorter works
3)the graphic novel section is right by the elevator at library.
It was blah. The storyline was uninspiring (despite the "inspiring" plot of two friends carrying out the final messages of a friend's deathbed wish). It was predictable. As was the art.
The artist really enjoyed bolding certain words for emphasis. It was really distracting and I felt like the characters were yelling a lot. It made them seem more like caricatures of themselves and very one dimensional rather than providing adding meaning or complexity to their roles in the storyline. Ironic, I know, considering they are one dimensional drawings. But really, any artistic addition is suppose to to add to the narrative, rather than distract, is it not?
I really like the idea of graphic novels. It's an interesting way to present a narrative. As McLuhan would say, the medium is the message. Not to mention I was able to finish it in one of E's naps :) I'll be back into the graphic novel genre, but it was a disappointing self-start.
1)for my cousin's Loren's love of graphic novels,
2)the suggestion of the facilitator of a new mom's group to read shorter works
3)the graphic novel section is right by the elevator at library.
It was blah. The storyline was uninspiring (despite the "inspiring" plot of two friends carrying out the final messages of a friend's deathbed wish). It was predictable. As was the art.
The artist really enjoyed bolding certain words for emphasis. It was really distracting and I felt like the characters were yelling a lot. It made them seem more like caricatures of themselves and very one dimensional rather than providing adding meaning or complexity to their roles in the storyline. Ironic, I know, considering they are one dimensional drawings. But really, any artistic addition is suppose to to add to the narrative, rather than distract, is it not?
I really like the idea of graphic novels. It's an interesting way to present a narrative. As McLuhan would say, the medium is the message. Not to mention I was able to finish it in one of E's naps :) I'll be back into the graphic novel genre, but it was a disappointing self-start.
July 25, 2013
Man, this is the second graphic novel in two days that's earned one star from me...which makes me feel guilty.
I mean, nothing against the author--he's following his dream, and you know what--I don't think I would take back reading this book. Like, I'm happy I read it, the ending had some things to think about, but I'm not going to read it again. A one-day stand, but I just expected more till the very end.
The illustrations weren't bad--consistent, cute, and the cover is my favorite part actually, but not my kind of style. I can live with them though.
The story...would be better as a movie. I agree with a few other people here--a movie version of this would probably be much more impactful than a book this jam packed with information. It needed to be a little slower and well paced out to really get all the emotions and a woman's life story across...felt like it was missing a few things.
Not a BAD book...like...1.5 stars here, but just...mm...mmmm....MMMM. >.> Don't start out with much expectation, and just read it. Let it come to you.
I mean, nothing against the author--he's following his dream, and you know what--I don't think I would take back reading this book. Like, I'm happy I read it, the ending had some things to think about, but I'm not going to read it again. A one-day stand, but I just expected more till the very end.
The illustrations weren't bad--consistent, cute, and the cover is my favorite part actually, but not my kind of style. I can live with them though.
The story...would be better as a movie. I agree with a few other people here--a movie version of this would probably be much more impactful than a book this jam packed with information. It needed to be a little slower and well paced out to really get all the emotions and a woman's life story across...felt like it was missing a few things.
Not a BAD book...like...1.5 stars here, but just...mm...mmmm....MMMM. >.> Don't start out with much expectation, and just read it. Let it come to you.
August 8, 2011
An Elegy for Amelia Johnson is Andrew Rostan's first graphic novel, and it's a good debut. The story itself is sweet - 2 friends travel across the country at the request of their dying friend (Amelia), in order to deliver her last words to people from her past. Rostan's writing is at times heavy handed and it is clear early into the story that Amelia's request is more a journey for her friends than for her. Much of the story is predictable but even so, it is worth the time.
I loved the art in this book. Two illustrators were involved in its production: Dave Valeza and Kate Kasenow. Dave did most of the original art but then had to pull out of the project due to other obligations and Kasenow stepped in to finish. I didn't realize this until reading the notes at the end of the book that the art was done by different people. They obviously did a great job sharing the vision for this story, because the graphics are seamless, beautiful, and absolutely fitting to the story itself.
I loved the art in this book. Two illustrators were involved in its production: Dave Valeza and Kate Kasenow. Dave did most of the original art but then had to pull out of the project due to other obligations and Kasenow stepped in to finish. I didn't realize this until reading the notes at the end of the book that the art was done by different people. They obviously did a great job sharing the vision for this story, because the graphics are seamless, beautiful, and absolutely fitting to the story itself.
August 27, 2016
Didn't hate the story but I wasn't amazed by it either.
I'll start by saying the premise was good. I mean, the idea has been done before but it still sounded interesting--especially in a graphic novel format. I also liked the illustration and--to be even more vain--loved the cover. Very pretty.
However, like I mentioned in my updates, the story was unfortunately riddled with walking-talking unlikable cliches. There are no suprises in An Elegy for Amelia Johnson. We've seen this story a thousand times: road trip, revelations, fight, sad resolution etc. I didn't care for Amelia, Henry, or Jillian. They all seemed unrelatable--young, well-off adults living their dreams as a big time film director and writer? Not to say that can never happen but all together it was a bit much. I doubt it was the author's intention but I didn't click with any of them.
It was a fast and okay read. I think it was great for a first time author but as an avid reader, this book fell short.
I'll start by saying the premise was good. I mean, the idea has been done before but it still sounded interesting--especially in a graphic novel format. I also liked the illustration and--to be even more vain--loved the cover. Very pretty.
However, like I mentioned in my updates, the story was unfortunately riddled with walking-talking unlikable cliches. There are no suprises in An Elegy for Amelia Johnson. We've seen this story a thousand times: road trip, revelations, fight, sad resolution etc. I didn't care for Amelia, Henry, or Jillian. They all seemed unrelatable--young, well-off adults living their dreams as a big time film director and writer? Not to say that can never happen but all together it was a bit much. I doubt it was the author's intention but I didn't click with any of them.
It was a fast and okay read. I think it was great for a first time author but as an avid reader, this book fell short.
Read
June 21, 2011It always annoys me when people review a book they haven't been able to finish and yet here I am doing that very same thing. Having drawn comparisons with Craig Thompson's 'Blankets' I believed 'An Elegy for Amelia Johnson' would be an instant winner, but 37 pages in and I simply can't read any further. I'm sure it's a lovely story but the plot is severely disjointed, jumping around so often that I felt dizzy--a problem which would easily have been avoided had the author spent more time introducing the characters. The author also fails by trying to cram in too much information way too fast with no setup whatsoever and more than once I wondered if my copy was missing pages because the section I read was mostly a nonsensical mess. Disappointing.
March 10, 2017
Andrew Rostanin ja parin muun amerikkalaisen sarjakuvataiteilijan "An Elegy for Amelia Johnson"(Archaia Entertainment, 2011) on sarjakuva kuolemansairaasta nuoresta naisesta, joka pyytää kahta ystäväänsä - journalistinaista ja dokumentteja ohjaavaa miestä - välittämään videoterveisensä elämänsä tärkeille ihmisille. Kiinnostavasta alkuasetelmasta huolimatta sarjakuva jää vähän laimeaksi, ehkä osin sen takia etteivät tekijät saa puhallettua henkilöhahmoihinsa eloa, vaan nämä jäävät melko yksiulotteisiksi ja mitäänsanomattomiksi tyypeiksi. Nätistä piirrosjäljestä plussaa, mutta aineksia parempaankin olisi ollut.
June 14, 2012
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit I read this one. The cover artwork and the blurbs on the back of the book should have been enough to warn me, but for some reason it didn’t register. I thought I was picking up a contemplative story on death and dying; what I read was the comic book equivalent of a Lifetime movie. Clunky plot, strained dialogue, overemotional outbursts, nauseating confessions of love... ugh. Those who like cheesy, saccharine stories will probably fall in love with An Elegy for Amelia Johnson; anyone else will likely pull a muscle from constantly rolling their eyes.
July 23, 2012
Eh, I found the story to be jumbled and a little hard to follow. Some stories I don't think are suited to the graphic format and this is one of them. It is very much about relationships and how they change over time and I don't think the art really captured that sense of time moving, changing. I also didn't feel the characters were fleshed out enough. It was hard to see why these characters would be so closely tied together with how little information we got about each of them together or separately.
May 7, 2011
Really quite a nice little story about two people on a quest/roadtrip to help their dying friend say goodbye to her family and friends across the US. While the basic plot is a bit predictable I really enjoyed a lot of the character moments, especially when we get some powerful flashbacks about Amelia's past and how those events shaped the way people think and feel about her. If you like character-driven stories and don't mind a few plot holes it's worth a read.
December 8, 2011
I haven't read very many graphic novels, but I have read enough to know that this one is mediocre. The premise was interesting to me--a group of strangers who have a mutual friend dying of cancer go around the country, delivering messages to other friends of their dying friend (got that?)--and the art was nice, but it really wasn't much of a page-turner. It was also very predictable. That said, I definitely did not hate it; I just didn't love it.
January 16, 2012
Overall a dull and disappointing graphic novel. What could have been a moving look at life and death is instead a muddle of feelings that seem one-note and muddled. In the end I don't feel like I know Amelia Johnson any better and I walk away with the impression that he friends are kinda terrible for each other because they bring out the worst in each other, making the happy sappy ending feel false and tacked on. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2012
I had hoped for a bit more plot than just a road trip of two people carrying out a friend's deathbed wish. The premise had interested me enough to pick up this book but the characters were just not developed as much as they could've been, and the plot was fairly flat and predictable. I liked the drawings though. Maybe if it had been longer the author could've thrown in a few plot twists or developed the characters more fully.
June 24, 2013
After reading some of the reviews , I decided it was still worth a shot (considering the fact that I borrowed this book from the public library). I have never written a review before .... but this time it was necessary. This book was my one regret of 2013 thus far. No offence was meant to befall the writer or those who liked it ; However I strongly caution those from buying it (if you you are persistent on buying it, perhaps try reading a bit first).
September 4, 2014
An Elegy for Amelia Johnson ***
Pretty typical art style for the genre of indie biographical (esque) graphic novels. The themes the story deals with are really interesting and there are certainly a lot of interesting moments. Unfortunately the story feels a bit choppy at times and the story overall is kind of clunky. The characters are not extremely likable. I can see how the creators were trying to make the characters well rounded and developed, but they unfortunately miss the mark.
Pretty typical art style for the genre of indie biographical (esque) graphic novels. The themes the story deals with are really interesting and there are certainly a lot of interesting moments. Unfortunately the story feels a bit choppy at times and the story overall is kind of clunky. The characters are not extremely likable. I can see how the creators were trying to make the characters well rounded and developed, but they unfortunately miss the mark.
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