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Ethel and Ernest
Poignant, funny, and utterly original, Ethel & Ernest is Raymond Briggs's loving depiction of his parents' lives from their first chance encounter in the 1920s until their deaths in the 1970s.Ethel and Ernest are solid members of the working class, part of the generation (Brokaw's "Greatest Generation") that lived through the tumultuous era of the twentieth century. They meet during the Depression -- she working as a chambermaid, he as a milkman -- and we follow them as they encounter, and cope with, World War II, the advent of radio and t.v., telephones and cars, the atomic bomb, the moon landing. Briggs's portrayal of his parents as they succeed, or fail, in coming to terms with their rapidly shifting world is irresistably engaging -- full of sympathy and affection, yet clear-eyed and unsentimental.
The book's strip-cartoon format is deceptively simple; it possesses a wealth of detail and an emotional depth that are remarkable in such a short volume. Briggs's marvelous illustrations and succinct, true-to-life dialogue create a real sense of time and place, of what it was like to experience such enormous changes. Almost as much a social history as it is a personal account, Ethel & Ernest is a moving tribute to ordinary people living in an extraordinary time.
The book's strip-cartoon format is deceptively simple; it possesses a wealth of detail and an emotional depth that are remarkable in such a short volume. Briggs's marvelous illustrations and succinct, true-to-life dialogue create a real sense of time and place, of what it was like to experience such enormous changes. Almost as much a social history as it is a personal account, Ethel & Ernest is a moving tribute to ordinary people living in an extraordinary time.
104 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 1998
About the author
Raymond Briggs
158 books223 followersRaymond Redvers Briggs was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist, and author who had achieved critical and popular success among adults and children. He was best known for his story "The Snowman", which is shown every Christmas on British television in cartoon form and on the stage as a musical.
His first three major works, Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (both featuring a curmudgeonly Father Christmas who complains incessantly about the "blooming snow"), and Fungus the Bogeyman, were in the form of comics rather than the typical children's-book format of separate text and illustrations. The Snowman (1978) was entirely wordless, and illustrated with only pencil crayons. The Snowman became Briggs' best-known work when in 1982 it was made into an Oscar nominated animated cartoon, that has been shown every year since on British television.
Briggs continued to work in a similar format, but with more adult content, in Gentleman Jim (1980), a sombre look at the working class trials of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, closely based on his parents. When the Wind Blows (1982) confronted the trusting, optimistic Bloggs couple with the horror of nuclear war, and was praised in the British House of Commons for its timeliness and originality. The topic was inspired after Briggs watched a Panorama documentary on nuclear contingency planning, and the dense format of the page was inspired by a Swiss publisher's miniature version of Father Christmas. This book was turned into a two-handed radio play with Peter Sallis in the male lead role, and subsequently an animated film, featuring John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft. The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984) was a scathing denunciation of the Falklands War. However, Briggs continued to produce humour for children, in works such as the Unlucky Wally series and The Bear.
He was recognized as The Children's Author of the Year in 1993 by the British Book Awards. His graphic novel Ethel and Ernest, which portrayed his parents' 41-year marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in the 1999 British Book Awards.
His first three major works, Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (both featuring a curmudgeonly Father Christmas who complains incessantly about the "blooming snow"), and Fungus the Bogeyman, were in the form of comics rather than the typical children's-book format of separate text and illustrations. The Snowman (1978) was entirely wordless, and illustrated with only pencil crayons. The Snowman became Briggs' best-known work when in 1982 it was made into an Oscar nominated animated cartoon, that has been shown every year since on British television.
Briggs continued to work in a similar format, but with more adult content, in Gentleman Jim (1980), a sombre look at the working class trials of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, closely based on his parents. When the Wind Blows (1982) confronted the trusting, optimistic Bloggs couple with the horror of nuclear war, and was praised in the British House of Commons for its timeliness and originality. The topic was inspired after Briggs watched a Panorama documentary on nuclear contingency planning, and the dense format of the page was inspired by a Swiss publisher's miniature version of Father Christmas. This book was turned into a two-handed radio play with Peter Sallis in the male lead role, and subsequently an animated film, featuring John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft. The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984) was a scathing denunciation of the Falklands War. However, Briggs continued to produce humour for children, in works such as the Unlucky Wally series and The Bear.
He was recognized as The Children's Author of the Year in 1993 by the British Book Awards. His graphic novel Ethel and Ernest, which portrayed his parents' 41-year marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in the 1999 British Book Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 504 reviews
July 14, 2017
1950-1960.... "says we've got to be HIP.
What?
Just talk sense, Ernest.
We've got to HANG LOOSE with the CATS.
Ernest! Go to bed.
You're overtired.
I'll make the Cocoa.
You're a SQUARE. baby.
Oh Ernest...
When will you grow up?"
From 1920 to deaths in the 70's...Ethel & Ernest steal your heat!!!! The illustrations are deeply moving of love - War - parenthood - and old age.
Simply Beautiful & Precious!!!!
What?
Just talk sense, Ernest.
We've got to HANG LOOSE with the CATS.
Ernest! Go to bed.
You're overtired.
I'll make the Cocoa.
You're a SQUARE. baby.
Oh Ernest...
When will you grow up?"
From 1920 to deaths in the 70's...Ethel & Ernest steal your heat!!!! The illustrations are deeply moving of love - War - parenthood - and old age.
Simply Beautiful & Precious!!!!
November 15, 2019
This graphic novel for adults covers the lives of Raymond Briggs parents from when they first met to their deaths. Beginning with Ethel working as a lady's maid and Ernest passing her house as a milkman we see the couple fall in love, marry and begin their lives together. It is a sad book, I hope their lives had more happiness, I think they probably did, a book covering the whole of someone's life often seems sad just because it has flashed past but these lives did seem portrayed in a sad way. I think Raymond's relationship with his parents was perhaps not an easy one although he clearly loves them.
This was a wonderful look into the era, so much changed in this period of history. I would like to see Raymond Briggs do the same for his life too.
This was a wonderful look into the era, so much changed in this period of history. I would like to see Raymond Briggs do the same for his life too.
September 18, 2017
A short and charming story, written by the British author/cartoonist Raymond Briggs in memory of his parents Ethel and Ernest, who both died in 1971.
It's a very personal, heartfelt story of the lives of an ordinary British couple during the years 1920-1970.
Although they have differing political views and many marital squabbles, they obviously deeply care for each other.
This is a great, whimsical character study of a common married couple as well as an excellent social study of British working-class morals and beliefs in the twentieth century.
This endearing graphic novel is made into an animated movie in 2016.
It's a very personal, heartfelt story of the lives of an ordinary British couple during the years 1920-1970.
Although they have differing political views and many marital squabbles, they obviously deeply care for each other.
This is a great, whimsical character study of a common married couple as well as an excellent social study of British working-class morals and beliefs in the twentieth century.
This endearing graphic novel is made into an animated movie in 2016.
June 13, 2021
Creo que no me equivoco si digo que casi nadie sería capaz de recordar demasiado del argumento de la película ‘Up!’, pero que quienes la vimos recordamos muy nítidamente los primeros minutos en los que, a modo casi de cortometraje paralelo al film, se narra la vida de un matrimonio en unas pocas escenas y se condensa en algunos minutos una preciosa e inolvidable historia de amor. Pues, ahora que he leído esta novela gráfica, me resulta difícil creer que quienes escribieran aquella escena no se inspirasen en este librito: como mínimo coincide que ambas historias son las postales que resumen una vida a lo largo de las décadas y están contadas desde una nostalgia dulcísima y un humor lleno de ternura.
El ilustrador Raymond Briggs hace un homenaje gráfico a la relación de sus padres y cuenta la historia del matrimonio desde que se conocen hasta el fallecimiento de ambos. Y, mientras tanto, sucede el siglo XX. Ethel y Ernest es un retrato personal, sí, pero también lo es de una clase social: la de los ingleses de clase trabajadora que experimentaron las penurias de dos guerras mundiales y sus consecuencias. Entre tazas de té nos narran los avances de la sociedad y, con un humor muy británico, ironizan sobre la modernidad, las revoluciones sociales y los inventos que fueron llegando a los hogares para hacer las vidas más fáciles. En esta historia también se habla mucho sobre la paternidad: sobre volcar las ilusiones en los hijos y que después sus sueños sean distintos a lo que se proyectó para ellos, sobre crecer posicionándose en contra de todo lo que se mamó.
Si algún pero le puedo poner a esta belleza es que me ha dejado con ganas de más. Alabo la capacidad del autor para condensar casi un siglo en poco más de cien páginas, pero ojalá nos hubiera dado más detalles, más anécdotas, más de ese precioso amor. También me hubiese encantado que las páginas fuesen más grandes para poderme sumergir aún más en los dibujos: para notar mejor el tacto de la moqueta, la rugosidad del papel de pared, el calor de la chimenea de ladrillo, el silbido de la tetera.
El ilustrador Raymond Briggs hace un homenaje gráfico a la relación de sus padres y cuenta la historia del matrimonio desde que se conocen hasta el fallecimiento de ambos. Y, mientras tanto, sucede el siglo XX. Ethel y Ernest es un retrato personal, sí, pero también lo es de una clase social: la de los ingleses de clase trabajadora que experimentaron las penurias de dos guerras mundiales y sus consecuencias. Entre tazas de té nos narran los avances de la sociedad y, con un humor muy británico, ironizan sobre la modernidad, las revoluciones sociales y los inventos que fueron llegando a los hogares para hacer las vidas más fáciles. En esta historia también se habla mucho sobre la paternidad: sobre volcar las ilusiones en los hijos y que después sus sueños sean distintos a lo que se proyectó para ellos, sobre crecer posicionándose en contra de todo lo que se mamó.
Si algún pero le puedo poner a esta belleza es que me ha dejado con ganas de más. Alabo la capacidad del autor para condensar casi un siglo en poco más de cien páginas, pero ojalá nos hubiera dado más detalles, más anécdotas, más de ese precioso amor. También me hubiese encantado que las páginas fuesen más grandes para poderme sumergir aún más en los dibujos: para notar mejor el tacto de la moqueta, la rugosidad del papel de pared, el calor de la chimenea de ladrillo, el silbido de la tetera.
June 26, 2017
I have read Briggs's silent picture book masterpiece, The Snowman, and seen an animated film based on it many times. So I am glad to have read this rather different story about how Briggs imagines his parents's 43 years together. It's a British working class marriage between a maid and a milkman, that became a Tory/Labour house, though not ever very strained, politically or otherwise. This is a loving tribute to his parents and also a cultural and social history of sorts, from roughly 1930 through 1970. So we get to view things like WWII in brief snapshots through the lens of one household. Beautiful illustrations, lovely story that may make you think of your own parents or grandparents (I did of mine, at least).
June 26, 2017
This story is a memoir of Raymond Briggs' parents living their lives in an extraordinary time. What I enjoyed about this was that it was VERY British (which of course connected with me) and that they felt so 'normal'. This couple isn't famous or wealthy or anything too out of the ordinary, they just have to keep on getting by whilst the wars happen and technology changes and politics shifts all around them. They kind of represent most British people's grandparents I would imagine, or maybe even great-grandparents. They just got on with it, and made it work - they didn't have a choice...
I did really love the story and how matter of fact it was, it was down-to-earth, and I did get a little emotional too - 4*s
I did really love the story and how matter of fact it was, it was down-to-earth, and I did get a little emotional too - 4*s
March 1, 2022
review to come...
September 6, 2016
Short story about the author's parents. We see a little bit of how they court, buy a home and build their dreams in it, how they form a family. Apparently, the author's parents were already up in age when they met and married and his mom was only able to have one child or run the risk of dying if she were to attempt to have more children.
There were some funny moments but I also didn't get a lot of the jokes, language, or historical references when they referred to England.
There were a lot of sweet moments but the book felt a little rushed. The artwork and coloring however are really beautiful.
There were some funny moments but I also didn't get a lot of the jokes, language, or historical references when they referred to England.
There were a lot of sweet moments but the book felt a little rushed. The artwork and coloring however are really beautiful.
October 29, 2016
This is the first book I've read by Briggs and I'm so glad I picked it up. It's based on the story of Briggs's parents, their life in London from the 1930s until the the early 1970s. When the book begins Ethel is a lady's maid cleaning a window and Ernest a milkman riding by on his bike. They get to waiving to each other when he rides by and soon enough he's asked her to the movies. As economic and political climates change and war comes and goes it becomes clear that they each have their own peculiar wisdom and short-sightedness, and to see the world through their eyes and their bickering is a delight.
There is so much humor and tenderness in this book. The love Ethel and Ernest have for each other is epic and perhaps even more so given that Briggs is focusing on the mundane, every-day stuff of life (even during wartime).
Both Ethel and Ernest are on the old side for married couples in those days, I think, but certainly Ethel who is, I believe, in her mid to late thirties. They want children and it takes them some time to have their first and the doctor tells them they will have to stop there. And in this way the artist is born and a few years later sent to relatives in the country in order to stay safe from the bombing of London. The absence of the author from the pages is intriguing to me, the way he keeps himself very peripheral to his own story and really focused in on his parents, their particular way of moving through time, working, delighting, worrying, arguing and making up.
Or, to quote LG in their gr review:
I adore this fictionalized true story. Briggs shows us scenes from his imagination of his parents’ lives: how they met, raised a family during a destructive world war, and lived through the cultural roller-coaster ride of the 20th century. Briggs’s illustrations are full of humor, marvelous detail, and obvious love for the people who inspired the title characters.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
p.s. an animated film based on the book has been made.
https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online...
There is so much humor and tenderness in this book. The love Ethel and Ernest have for each other is epic and perhaps even more so given that Briggs is focusing on the mundane, every-day stuff of life (even during wartime).
Both Ethel and Ernest are on the old side for married couples in those days, I think, but certainly Ethel who is, I believe, in her mid to late thirties. They want children and it takes them some time to have their first and the doctor tells them they will have to stop there. And in this way the artist is born and a few years later sent to relatives in the country in order to stay safe from the bombing of London. The absence of the author from the pages is intriguing to me, the way he keeps himself very peripheral to his own story and really focused in on his parents, their particular way of moving through time, working, delighting, worrying, arguing and making up.
Or, to quote LG in their gr review:
I adore this fictionalized true story. Briggs shows us scenes from his imagination of his parents’ lives: how they met, raised a family during a destructive world war, and lived through the cultural roller-coaster ride of the 20th century. Briggs’s illustrations are full of humor, marvelous detail, and obvious love for the people who inspired the title characters.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
p.s. an animated film based on the book has been made.
https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online...
November 3, 2020
One of the best classic graphic novels!
Life gets pretty basic. Based during the Nazi times of ww2, this graphic novel is pretty impressive! Reminds me of the movie Up at times.
*Detailed review will be up soon.
Life gets pretty basic. Based during the Nazi times of ww2, this graphic novel is pretty impressive! Reminds me of the movie Up at times.
*Detailed review will be up soon.
June 1, 2010
I've always thought that the difference between British and American children's literature is that the British never sentimentalize childhood. Dickens was rough on children, but they always came out fine in the end. Roald Dahl was absolutely brutal. Dahl's books are populated with unfortunate children who become wounded but wiser by their adventures, such as James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, and so on. Lewis Carroll was certain rough on children, and the tradition carries on in such books as Neil Gaiman's Coraline on in the film Nanny McPhee, where children visiting their undertaker father at work never seem to mind the corpse on the table.
Which brings us to Ethel & Ernest, a different kind of book. It's the true story of Raymond Briggs' parents, and his journalistic, colorful account of their life before he was born. It's hard to imagine writing dispassionately, much less drawing objectively, about your own birth, your parent's view of your chosen profession, and especially, about their deaths. Joan Didion did it well in The Year of Magical Thinking, but she didn't have to draw a picture of her father on his deathbed. Even in C.S. Lewis' A Grief Observed, you can sense the tears falling on the page as he wrote.
Perhaps dispassionate is the wrong word. Let's just say it's honest. That's what makes the greatest impact.
Raymond Briggs has created some of the most enduring stories in modern pictorial literature. His book The Snowman is a marvelous, touching fable about the wonders of Christmas. But he also drew a harrowing view of the life of ordinary people following an atomic bomb blast in When The Wind Blows. Ethel & Ernest is a wonderful piece of work that falls somewhere in between.
Which brings us to Ethel & Ernest, a different kind of book. It's the true story of Raymond Briggs' parents, and his journalistic, colorful account of their life before he was born. It's hard to imagine writing dispassionately, much less drawing objectively, about your own birth, your parent's view of your chosen profession, and especially, about their deaths. Joan Didion did it well in The Year of Magical Thinking, but she didn't have to draw a picture of her father on his deathbed. Even in C.S. Lewis' A Grief Observed, you can sense the tears falling on the page as he wrote.
Perhaps dispassionate is the wrong word. Let's just say it's honest. That's what makes the greatest impact.
Raymond Briggs has created some of the most enduring stories in modern pictorial literature. His book The Snowman is a marvelous, touching fable about the wonders of Christmas. But he also drew a harrowing view of the life of ordinary people following an atomic bomb blast in When The Wind Blows. Ethel & Ernest is a wonderful piece of work that falls somewhere in between.
November 21, 2021
Ya está Raymond Briggs haciéndome llorar. Este hombre es, para mi corazoncito, el equivalente del niño cabroncete que siempre venía a tirarme de las coletas en el colegio. Solo que con Briggs luego me quedo con la sensación de que me han hecho un favor enorme, un regalo de una delicadeza inmensa. Ethel y Ernest es sutilmente vertiginoso, como la vida, que pasa con tanta rapidez y sin que te des cuenta. Es como esos álbumes de fotos antiguas en que ves a tu padre y a tu madre tan jóvenes y guapos, y se te pone un nudo en la garganta.
Raymond Briggs nos enseña a su padre sorprendiéndose al leer en el periódico que el sueldo medio de un obrero manual es más de lo que a él le pagan, a su madre maravillándose con uno de los primeros modelos de lavadoras por el trabajo que le ahorra, a ambos excitados ante las primeras emisiones televisivas, ¡una hora por la noche! Y la guerra, y los bombardeos... Un padre que apoya a los laboristas confusa pero tenazmente, y una madre cuyos ideales de decoro le hacen aborrecer la conciencia de clase que su marido no logra defender en esas disputas, porque le sale más del corazón que de la cabeza. Ahora que hay quienes quieren sacar un partido ideológicamente turbio de lo entrañables que pueden llegar a ser las historias del pasado, que idealizan ese pasado a costa de esconder lo que tenía más de problemático, hace bien leer libros como este, que no embellece nada de forma interesada ni quiere venderle la moto a nadie. Que es tan solo un homenaje y un acto de amor de un hijo hacia sus padres. Hay gente que a base de historias emotivas busca hacerte más mezquino, y luego hay gente como Raymond Briggs, que sin pretenderlo te limpian un poco el alma.
Raymond Briggs nos enseña a su padre sorprendiéndose al leer en el periódico que el sueldo medio de un obrero manual es más de lo que a él le pagan, a su madre maravillándose con uno de los primeros modelos de lavadoras por el trabajo que le ahorra, a ambos excitados ante las primeras emisiones televisivas, ¡una hora por la noche! Y la guerra, y los bombardeos... Un padre que apoya a los laboristas confusa pero tenazmente, y una madre cuyos ideales de decoro le hacen aborrecer la conciencia de clase que su marido no logra defender en esas disputas, porque le sale más del corazón que de la cabeza. Ahora que hay quienes quieren sacar un partido ideológicamente turbio de lo entrañables que pueden llegar a ser las historias del pasado, que idealizan ese pasado a costa de esconder lo que tenía más de problemático, hace bien leer libros como este, que no embellece nada de forma interesada ni quiere venderle la moto a nadie. Que es tan solo un homenaje y un acto de amor de un hijo hacia sus padres. Hay gente que a base de historias emotivas busca hacerte más mezquino, y luego hay gente como Raymond Briggs, que sin pretenderlo te limpian un poco el alma.
March 14, 2023
Herlezen 14 maart 2023 -
In Ethel & Ernest vertelt Raymond Briggs het verhaal van het huwelijk van zijn ouders. Vanaf hun eerste toevallige ontmoeting in 1928, toen Ethel nog een dienstmeisje en Ernest melkboer was. Ze trouwden, kregen hun zoon Raymond in 1934, tot hun dood, binnen enkele maanden na elkaar, in 1971.
Bij het einde pinkte ik (opnieuw) een traan. Zo'n leven lang samen en alles wat daarbij aan liefde, leed en geschiedenis passeert maakt het verhaal ook wat melancholisch, maar op een fijne manier. Met subtiele humor en oh zo liefdevol getekend.
Met deze strip sloot ik de cyclus van de vier graphic novels/strips, die autobiografisch of sterk autobiografische elementen bevatten, af: The Snowman, Gentleman Jim, When the Wind Blows en deze.
8 januari 2020 -
Such a loving, touching and honest story. It did make me feel a bit melancholy, maybe because it is not glamorous at all and shows the life of many ordinary working class people in the 20th century. Seeing the world change in oh so many ways, making the best of everything, sticking together for better and for worse.
Voor een inkijkje in deze graphic novel: https://www.instagram.com/p/B7JG0iyACZ9/
In Ethel & Ernest vertelt Raymond Briggs het verhaal van het huwelijk van zijn ouders. Vanaf hun eerste toevallige ontmoeting in 1928, toen Ethel nog een dienstmeisje en Ernest melkboer was. Ze trouwden, kregen hun zoon Raymond in 1934, tot hun dood, binnen enkele maanden na elkaar, in 1971.
Bij het einde pinkte ik (opnieuw) een traan. Zo'n leven lang samen en alles wat daarbij aan liefde, leed en geschiedenis passeert maakt het verhaal ook wat melancholisch, maar op een fijne manier. Met subtiele humor en oh zo liefdevol getekend.
Met deze strip sloot ik de cyclus van de vier graphic novels/strips, die autobiografisch of sterk autobiografische elementen bevatten, af: The Snowman, Gentleman Jim, When the Wind Blows en deze.
8 januari 2020 -
Such a loving, touching and honest story. It did make me feel a bit melancholy, maybe because it is not glamorous at all and shows the life of many ordinary working class people in the 20th century. Seeing the world change in oh so many ways, making the best of everything, sticking together for better and for worse.
Voor een inkijkje in deze graphic novel: https://www.instagram.com/p/B7JG0iyACZ9/
May 18, 2014
Briggs is a very famous British children's author, which I didn't realize until after I finished reading this graphic novel. It didn't surprise me though, because the rich illustrations reminded me of books I'd read as a child. They were fabulous! A tribute to his parents, this is their love story.
When they first meet in 1920s London, Ethel is in her mid 30s, and working as a lady's maid for a respectable upper class family. Ernest is a spry milkman, who loses no time in asking Ethel out on a date. As the decades go by, the two weather the social and technological changes that come their way. They survive the depression of the 30s, World War II and the havoc it wreaks on Londoners, the economic downturn and rationing that follows, and the "love generation" of the 60s. Ernest's commentary on world events is always related through the tidbits he reads out loud to Ethel from the newspaper. Also discernible is Ethel's sensitivity to class distinctions, which was significant of a bygone era. A lovely read, you'll want to hug your parents and grandparents after reading this.
When they first meet in 1920s London, Ethel is in her mid 30s, and working as a lady's maid for a respectable upper class family. Ernest is a spry milkman, who loses no time in asking Ethel out on a date. As the decades go by, the two weather the social and technological changes that come their way. They survive the depression of the 30s, World War II and the havoc it wreaks on Londoners, the economic downturn and rationing that follows, and the "love generation" of the 60s. Ernest's commentary on world events is always related through the tidbits he reads out loud to Ethel from the newspaper. Also discernible is Ethel's sensitivity to class distinctions, which was significant of a bygone era. A lovely read, you'll want to hug your parents and grandparents after reading this.
June 6, 2017
This book is written by Raymond Briggs and it follows the true story of his parents. It follows their lives throughout WWII and the very politically active world during that time and the changes they make, the sacrifices they make etc. It has various artistic elements to it which are commendable: in other words, I really liked the art style! :-)
This was nice enough! There is a very emotionally poignant side to it...according to other people's reviews. As far as I'm concerned, this is a comic strip of a couple discussing their son, politics and what they're doing to their house. I didn't connect any further than that, partly because I'm not that fussed about politics (I am quite young after all!)
It was a quick read - it took me about half an hour - so I would recommend it if you like comic strips that are well drawn and are rather amusing. But I didn't find it anything emotionally or politically powerful.
This was nice enough! There is a very emotionally poignant side to it...according to other people's reviews. As far as I'm concerned, this is a comic strip of a couple discussing their son, politics and what they're doing to their house. I didn't connect any further than that, partly because I'm not that fussed about politics (I am quite young after all!)
It was a quick read - it took me about half an hour - so I would recommend it if you like comic strips that are well drawn and are rather amusing. But I didn't find it anything emotionally or politically powerful.
June 29, 2020
'Ethel and Ernest' (1998) is an affecting, effectively told and brilliantly illustrated graphic novel, telling the story of Briggs' parents from the 1930's to the 1970's. It is a very lovely, very human story and obviously one very personal to Raymond Briggs.
As well as working on a very personal and biographical level, 'Ethel and Ernest' provides a fascinating version of British history through the lens of Briggs' parents lives.
Recommended.
As well as working on a very personal and biographical level, 'Ethel and Ernest' provides a fascinating version of British history through the lens of Briggs' parents lives.
Recommended.
May 26, 2021
Una preciosidad, en el fondo y en la forma.
November 7, 2016
Well that was poignant!
Ethel and Ernest follows the lives of Raymond Briggs' parents throughout the decades, with each section divided into 10 year chunks. The story opens when they first meet, Ethel is a ladies maid and spots Ernest on his bike; he looks up and notices her at the window, and the rest, they say, is history. Ethel leaves her job and they set up home together.
Whilst the story was heart-warming and quite tender in places, I couldn't help but notice the political discrepancies between them. Ethel was a Tory and Ernest was Labour. My problem with this was how Ethel came across: she came from a working class family (she had about 8 other siblings) and yet she looked down on what she referred to as 'commoners'. I understand that she wanted what was best for her son but too many people in this world try and forget their roots, and they're ashamed of them, when they really shouldn't be. I am working-class and I always will be. I just feel that Ethel sometimes came across as someone who thought she was better than others which diminished the affinity I had with her.
On the other hand, I loved Ernest - he was a passionate man who liked to rub his wife up the wrong way at times, just to see her reaction. He always knew where he came from and in this respect, he was a completely grounded character who warmed my heart.
The illustrations were beautiful and reminiscent of Briggs' other masterpiece, The Snowman, and the ending was very, very poignant.
A great little read which will undoubtedly move you to tears.
Ethel and Ernest follows the lives of Raymond Briggs' parents throughout the decades, with each section divided into 10 year chunks. The story opens when they first meet, Ethel is a ladies maid and spots Ernest on his bike; he looks up and notices her at the window, and the rest, they say, is history. Ethel leaves her job and they set up home together.
Whilst the story was heart-warming and quite tender in places, I couldn't help but notice the political discrepancies between them. Ethel was a Tory and Ernest was Labour. My problem with this was how Ethel came across: she came from a working class family (she had about 8 other siblings) and yet she looked down on what she referred to as 'commoners'. I understand that she wanted what was best for her son but too many people in this world try and forget their roots, and they're ashamed of them, when they really shouldn't be. I am working-class and I always will be. I just feel that Ethel sometimes came across as someone who thought she was better than others which diminished the affinity I had with her.
On the other hand, I loved Ernest - he was a passionate man who liked to rub his wife up the wrong way at times, just to see her reaction. He always knew where he came from and in this respect, he was a completely grounded character who warmed my heart.
The illustrations were beautiful and reminiscent of Briggs' other masterpiece, The Snowman, and the ending was very, very poignant.
A great little read which will undoubtedly move you to tears.
July 1, 2017
This graphic memoir/ biography is about the author's parents from the time they met in the 1920s until their deaths in the 1970s. Ethel worked as a chambermaid, Ernest a milkman, and this is the story of their life together during the large and small political and social changes of their day in Britain.
I loved the art and colors in this one, and was delighted by the clear affection the author has for his parents. It was fun to read about the couple's dynamics, and this is a wonderful tribute to them.
The reason this does not get a higher rating is that this is a very specific story about a certain, albeit lovely, couple, and I'm not sure why anyone not family would really care about them. I gather that the author is a much loved children's author, so maybe if this would work better for fans of his work. I know that this is a perpetual issue I have with these types of books, and I didn't know the premise when I picked it up. Still, it's a fast read, and the art is lovely.
I loved the art and colors in this one, and was delighted by the clear affection the author has for his parents. It was fun to read about the couple's dynamics, and this is a wonderful tribute to them.
The reason this does not get a higher rating is that this is a very specific story about a certain, albeit lovely, couple, and I'm not sure why anyone not family would really care about them. I gather that the author is a much loved children's author, so maybe if this would work better for fans of his work. I know that this is a perpetual issue I have with these types of books, and I didn't know the premise when I picked it up. Still, it's a fast read, and the art is lovely.
February 17, 2017
I really like this. It's a lovely graphic biography and combines a very personal moving story with the wider history of the mid-20th century. A very enjoyable read.
December 20, 2018
Βαθμολογία: 9/10
Αν και εδώ και χρόνια έχω στη συλλογή μου το "Όταν φυσάει ο άνεμος" (αγορασμένο από κάποιο παζάρι βιβλίου), η πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του Raymond Briggs έμελλε να είναι αυτή η σύντομη και πολύ συμπαθητική παρουσίαση των γονιών του, από τη δεκαετία του ’20 οπότε και γνωρίστηκαν, μέχρι και το 1971, τη χρονιά που πέθαναν και οι δυο. Είναι ένα κόμικ γεμάτο χιούμορ, συναισθήματα και εικόνες, με έντονη νοσταλγική διάθεση και με διάχυτη την αγάπη του δημιουργού για τους δυο ανθρώπους που τον έφεραν στη ζωή και τον μεγάλωσαν όσο καλύτερα μπορούσαν. Όσον αφορά το σχέδιο, είναι πάρα πολύ ωραίο και ευχάριστο, με φοβερά χρώματα και ένα στιλ που ξεχωρίζει.
Αν και εδώ και χρόνια έχω στη συλλογή μου το "Όταν φυσάει ο άνεμος" (αγορασμένο από κάποιο παζάρι βιβλίου), η πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του Raymond Briggs έμελλε να είναι αυτή η σύντομη και πολύ συμπαθητική παρουσίαση των γονιών του, από τη δεκαετία του ’20 οπότε και γνωρίστηκαν, μέχρι και το 1971, τη χρονιά που πέθαναν και οι δυο. Είναι ένα κόμικ γεμάτο χιούμορ, συναισθήματα και εικόνες, με έντονη νοσταλγική διάθεση και με διάχυτη την αγάπη του δημιουργού για τους δυο ανθρώπους που τον έφεραν στη ζωή και τον μεγάλωσαν όσο καλύτερα μπορούσαν. Όσον αφορά το σχέδιο, είναι πάρα πολύ ωραίο και ευχάριστο, με φοβερά χρώματα και ένα στιλ που ξεχωρίζει.
January 18, 2024
Quite An Emotional Tale.
May 25, 2021
Ethel e Ernest si conoscono per caso. Lei è una governante, lui un lattaio. Si innamorano e si sposano. Costruiscono la loro famiglia in una casa in cui hanno vissuto insieme per tutta una vita.
La loro storia è scandita da piccoli e grandi lavori di manutenzione in quella casa che è stata loro per quarant’anni. Immaginatevi una vita con piccole e grandi soddisfazioni (una vasca da bagno tutta per loro, un giardino, un figlio che si diploma) e con piccole e grandi paure (il figlio che si iscrive alla scuola d’arte - che futuro potrà mai avere? Ha pure i capelli lunghi - chiaramente propendé per la sinistra; il sentore della guerra prima, il nazismo e i bombardamenti poi).
Ogni capitolo è scandito da decenni (‘30-‘40; ‘40-‘50; ‘50-‘60; ‘60-‘70) per poi giungere al capitolo finale, che comprende solo il 1970-1971.
Ethel e Ernest è un fumetto che sa di casa in ogni pagina; si possono sentire le risate, le discussioni, i rumori dei lavori, il profumo del cibo, l’acqua che scorre, le risate di un bambino.
Lo stile di Raymond Briggs non rientra nei miei preferiti, ma devo dire che più andavo avanti con la storia, più questi disegni tondi e pieni con questi colori pacati mi sembravano adatti, anzi, perfetti, per la storia autobiografica raccontata dall’autore.
È stato un fumetto che ho amato fin dall’inizio. Sono stata catapultata in un’altra vita, un’altra epoca, e percepivo il cambiamento a ogni decennio. Ho provato molte emozioni diverse: mi sono divertita, mi sono affezionata a questa dolce e simpatica coppia, ho avuto paura con loro e per loro, e mi sono sentita terribilmente triste, quasi svuotata, quando tutto è finito.
Decisamente uno dei migliori fumetti letti quest’anno.
La loro storia è scandita da piccoli e grandi lavori di manutenzione in quella casa che è stata loro per quarant’anni. Immaginatevi una vita con piccole e grandi soddisfazioni (una vasca da bagno tutta per loro, un giardino, un figlio che si diploma) e con piccole e grandi paure (il figlio che si iscrive alla scuola d’arte - che futuro potrà mai avere? Ha pure i capelli lunghi - chiaramente propendé per la sinistra; il sentore della guerra prima, il nazismo e i bombardamenti poi).
Ogni capitolo è scandito da decenni (‘30-‘40; ‘40-‘50; ‘50-‘60; ‘60-‘70) per poi giungere al capitolo finale, che comprende solo il 1970-1971.
Ethel e Ernest è un fumetto che sa di casa in ogni pagina; si possono sentire le risate, le discussioni, i rumori dei lavori, il profumo del cibo, l’acqua che scorre, le risate di un bambino.
Lo stile di Raymond Briggs non rientra nei miei preferiti, ma devo dire che più andavo avanti con la storia, più questi disegni tondi e pieni con questi colori pacati mi sembravano adatti, anzi, perfetti, per la storia autobiografica raccontata dall’autore.
È stato un fumetto che ho amato fin dall’inizio. Sono stata catapultata in un’altra vita, un’altra epoca, e percepivo il cambiamento a ogni decennio. Ho provato molte emozioni diverse: mi sono divertita, mi sono affezionata a questa dolce e simpatica coppia, ho avuto paura con loro e per loro, e mi sono sentita terribilmente triste, quasi svuotata, quando tutto è finito.
Decisamente uno dei migliori fumetti letti quest’anno.
January 26, 2016
Saw this recommended on the First Second blog over Christmas and instantly put in my library request for it. Such a lovely little thing, but you really should *not* finish reading it right before your break is over, because it will make you cry and then you'll have to go back to work and be all, like, "Hey man, what's up? What do you mean my eyes are red? I'm fine. Shut up." Or something. If you are at all like me anyway. So, yeah. It's pretty great. And I am a sap.
January 16, 2022
Entrañable, tierno.
Un homenaje del autor a sus padres.
Un homenaje del autor a sus padres.
August 26, 2022
oi 🥹cariños
April 20, 2016
If you loved this review or would like to check out other iconic graphic novels here is the link of where I am discovering these books. AbeBooks: 50 Essential Graphic Novels
I got an email months ago from AbeBooks giving me this list of what they believe is the 50 essential graphic novels to read (I tend to disagree with some its choices) and I have been lazy to check them out from the library until now. I thought it would be very interesting to read this book because why would an author make a graphic novel about his ordinary parents? While reading it I discovered that this book is really about life, love, and how quick times are changing when it comes to history and technology.
The story takes place in London, England from the 1920s through 1971. We meet Ethel who is a maid who one day she sees a man from the window who is riding a bike. He waves at her and she blushes that a man is paying attention to her. He tells her that his name is Ernest and then asks her out to go watch a movie. After that encounter they become a couple and soon enough they get married. She quits her job and becomes a house wife while Ernest works as a milkman. We enter the 1930s and the times are rough during these period because of high unemployment, recuperating from WWI, and economic depression.
Ethel by now is already 37 years old and wants a baby and luckily she gets pregnant and has Raymond but the doctors warned Ernest that she can never have another child because she will die while giving birth. While we see Raymond growing up as a boy, we get the back drop of WWII and how they had to send Raymond to live in the country side while London is being destroyed by German bombs.
As Raymond grows up, he gets admitted into Grammar school which is exciting for his parents because they didn't have a proper education and then get disappointed when he wants to attend art school. They don't believe he will be making any money and they don't understand the difference between pursuing what you love versus getting a typical 9-5 job and be bored and resenting every moment of that. I believe since they didn't have the luxury to attend University they never experience the option of having a choice in your career. And as the times are changing, you get to see Ethel and Ernest not liking a different political party in government, men growing long hair, women wearing shorter skirts, and how quickly the world they grew up is changing especially having a women in Parliament.
I cannot give a proper review for this book and I will leave the plot empty because if I write anymore I will spoiled this short book for you. I find it interesting how different each decade appears in this book and how easily our opinions changes during our life. For Example, when Hitler first came into power, Raymond parents didn't find him horrible and liked him. But immediately when he started invading Europe and sending Jews to death camps, they realize that he needs to be stopped or he can conquer and destroy England. We also get to see Ethel and Ernest's reaction to the invention of the television and how it feels like being inside a movie theater in your own home.
This was such a short and sweet book and I enjoyed every aspect of it from the storyline, the illustrations and how grateful we are as human beings when parents try and make the life of their children better than what they went through. Their son became a famous illustrator and author and never had to live below poverty level or be a working class. It was sad how they both died and I am glad that Raymond chose to honor them in his book.
While reading this book it brought nostalgic feelings for me and my family and I appreciate how much my grandparents had to go through so much being immigrants in a foreign country, getting a job and trying to provide food and clothes from my mother and her siblings. If they didn't sacrifice all that they did I would be living in a country where basic human rights are nonexistent and starving. I highly recommend everyone to read this book especially if you love Raymond Briggs children books.
I got an email months ago from AbeBooks giving me this list of what they believe is the 50 essential graphic novels to read (I tend to disagree with some its choices) and I have been lazy to check them out from the library until now. I thought it would be very interesting to read this book because why would an author make a graphic novel about his ordinary parents? While reading it I discovered that this book is really about life, love, and how quick times are changing when it comes to history and technology.
The story takes place in London, England from the 1920s through 1971. We meet Ethel who is a maid who one day she sees a man from the window who is riding a bike. He waves at her and she blushes that a man is paying attention to her. He tells her that his name is Ernest and then asks her out to go watch a movie. After that encounter they become a couple and soon enough they get married. She quits her job and becomes a house wife while Ernest works as a milkman. We enter the 1930s and the times are rough during these period because of high unemployment, recuperating from WWI, and economic depression.
Ethel by now is already 37 years old and wants a baby and luckily she gets pregnant and has Raymond but the doctors warned Ernest that she can never have another child because she will die while giving birth. While we see Raymond growing up as a boy, we get the back drop of WWII and how they had to send Raymond to live in the country side while London is being destroyed by German bombs.
As Raymond grows up, he gets admitted into Grammar school which is exciting for his parents because they didn't have a proper education and then get disappointed when he wants to attend art school. They don't believe he will be making any money and they don't understand the difference between pursuing what you love versus getting a typical 9-5 job and be bored and resenting every moment of that. I believe since they didn't have the luxury to attend University they never experience the option of having a choice in your career. And as the times are changing, you get to see Ethel and Ernest not liking a different political party in government, men growing long hair, women wearing shorter skirts, and how quickly the world they grew up is changing especially having a women in Parliament.
I cannot give a proper review for this book and I will leave the plot empty because if I write anymore I will spoiled this short book for you. I find it interesting how different each decade appears in this book and how easily our opinions changes during our life. For Example, when Hitler first came into power, Raymond parents didn't find him horrible and liked him. But immediately when he started invading Europe and sending Jews to death camps, they realize that he needs to be stopped or he can conquer and destroy England. We also get to see Ethel and Ernest's reaction to the invention of the television and how it feels like being inside a movie theater in your own home.
This was such a short and sweet book and I enjoyed every aspect of it from the storyline, the illustrations and how grateful we are as human beings when parents try and make the life of their children better than what they went through. Their son became a famous illustrator and author and never had to live below poverty level or be a working class. It was sad how they both died and I am glad that Raymond chose to honor them in his book.
While reading this book it brought nostalgic feelings for me and my family and I appreciate how much my grandparents had to go through so much being immigrants in a foreign country, getting a job and trying to provide food and clothes from my mother and her siblings. If they didn't sacrifice all that they did I would be living in a country where basic human rights are nonexistent and starving. I highly recommend everyone to read this book especially if you love Raymond Briggs children books.
June 11, 2011
I adore this fictionalized true story. Briggs shows us scenes from his imagination of his parents’ lives: how they met, raised a family during a destructive world war, and lived through the cultural roller-coaster ride of the 20th century. Briggs’s illustrations are full of humor, marvelous detail, and obvious love for the people who inspired the title characters.
April 26, 2015
A graphic memoir? Heartfelt and funny. Best of all this was a present from my friend Edel in Ireland. Thanks.
March 12, 2021
Nos encontramos ante una especie de biografía en forma de homenaje del autor hacia sus padres. En ella nos relata su vida familiar desde que se conocen hasta que fallecen, donde iremos viendo el paso del tiempo, los progresos, las diferencias entre ambos, etc.
En apenas 120 páginas, el autor nos hace cogerle un cariño especial a esta peculiar pareja. Al principio me estaba pareciendo una historia corriente, pero gana muchísimo en su segunda mitad; con la II Guerra Mundial terminada, ha logrado hacerme reír mucho, a carcajadas en algunos momentos, y eso en un libro y en mi caso es poco corriente.
Muy recomendable para pasar un rato agradable conociendo a esta gran pareja que seguro que os llega al corazón.
7/10
En apenas 120 páginas, el autor nos hace cogerle un cariño especial a esta peculiar pareja. Al principio me estaba pareciendo una historia corriente, pero gana muchísimo en su segunda mitad; con la II Guerra Mundial terminada, ha logrado hacerme reír mucho, a carcajadas en algunos momentos, y eso en un libro y en mi caso es poco corriente.
Muy recomendable para pasar un rato agradable conociendo a esta gran pareja que seguro que os llega al corazón.
7/10
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