This is one of those books where I'm mad at myself for letting it set on my shelf for so long before reading it. It's about two older people who find each other later in life. One has just lost her mother and is dealing with never having married but runs her own business. The other has recently been laid off from his job as a mover. The first half of the book can be pretty dour as these two struggle to deal with their bodies getting older and being alone. Then when they meet the book turns to joy. I really like both characters and their outlook on life. (I love the reason why the mover hates books.) The book does take an odd turn towards the end but I rolled with it. It's fiction after all. The art is wonderful and adds to the story.

Surprisingly hopeful, sweet and not sad like I had expected it to be from its description. A lovely little story that reminds us that live and living it to the fullest are not over until they are really over.

A sweet story about two elder people and how love can be found at any age.

It was a book full of different stories and fills you with hope as a reader and for me that is a great mood booster.

My description of Blossoms in Autumn by Zidrou, in three words is beautiful, comforting and bittersweet.

Book synopsis:
Ulysses, a middle-aged widower, is forced into early retirement from his moving job. At a loss for what to do next, the course of his life is changed by a chance encounter with a fellow lonely soul at, of all places, his son's OB/GYN office. Mediterranea, who recently lost her mother, runs a cheese shop that she took over when her beloved Corsican father died years earlier. A romance blossoms between these two people who are supposedly in the "autumn" of their lives and they soon find themselves embarking on a most unexpected odyssey.

My musings:
I found this romantic and amusing, though it did contain some bleak elements. Essentially a tale of growing older and discovering love in the golden years, it's very well-written. The author delivers a lot of story - history, backstory, shared memories of songs and events, music and fun. It’s more than a cursory nod to loneliness... it’s a heartfelt pat on the back to anyone who’s been brave enough to risk connecting with someone new at any age.

In a graphic novel, the messages conveyed by the illustrations are immeasurable. Aimée de Jongh’s art work is detailed and evocative, expressing a kaleidoscope of emotions and feelings. The depiction of Ulysses and Mediterranea doesn’t mask the characteristics of their ages, but showcases them as part of their attraction to each other. The tale is plucky and spirited, but I struggled a little with the unexpected situation that is revealed towards the end of the story. I think Blossoms in Autumn is as deep as the reader wants it to be.

Verdict:
You may find Blossoms in Autumn an infinite stream of insight and illumination, or a lightweight, fluffy, and joyous read. For me, it was enjoyable enough and struck a chord, though it wasn't particularly memorable. Recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of Blossoms in Autumn from Europe Comics via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Beautiful love story of two older adults. I wish I could get non-graphic novel readers to try it! I think they would enjoy the literary quality.

I found this a really interesting read that deals with facing the realities of old age, not the most popular topic I'd say. The protagonists in this story finds new love towards the end of their lives, and they find comfort in one another. The art is absolutely lovely, and I enjoyed this more than I'd expected to!

Actual rating: 3.5

This is a bittersweet little story. As I was reading, first I felt sad, then hopeful, then kind of sad again.

I think this might be one of those ones that is just as deep as you want it to be. You could find an endless pool of insight here, or it could be a fluffy fun read.

For me it was enjoyable enough, and it's stuck in my mind for a while since I finished reading it, so it must have struck some chord, though it didn't feel overly memorable as I was reading it.

3 stars for this one.

Graphic novel Blossoms in Autumn is a sweet and charming story about two lonely people who find love and romance in the autumn of their lives. The book is a gentle reminder that life and love don't have to end just because we enter our Golden Years. The book is published by Europe Comics and is written by Zidrou who is a master of stories about the human condition, especially about those who have been marginalized by race, disability, or in this case, age. The art by Aimee de Jong is understated and done mainly in soft greys, browns and white; it is lovely and complements the story beautifully.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Europe Comics for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The illustrations were fantastic and complemented the story so well. I have not read books like this before and I was very impressed.

The story itself was full of emotions. Ultimately life doesn’t end in your 50s and 60s. Our society puts an expiration date on our social life and value is severely diminished. However, this story teaches that while in the Golden Years there is still much love and life to be experienced.

A retired moving man in his late 50s and a cheese shop owner in her early 60s embark on a relationship. When the woman, against all odds and apparently having never been told that even older folks should practice safe sex, becomes pregnant, they flee the judgement of the man's family and go to Corsica, where the book ends before the woman has given birth. The book is meh--not particularly interesting or deep or thoughtful, but not unpleasant to read.

Hmmm… This was a quite classy affair, as it takes the rare thing of elderly romance and makes a graphic novel out of it, but I didn't think it was as great as it might have been. For one thing, the bloke is a bit of an awkward soul, and when he finds his newly-retired self is sparking back into life because he meets an ex-model, the fact he thinks it romantic to rustle up a copy of the nudie mag she featured in does not really endear him. The shtick of him being Ulysses, and of never having read the book he was named after, and her past career, don't make the characters exactly universal, and they end up a little too specific for us to empathise fully.

I certainly could have done with fewer bodily functions, as well.

The biggest decision I would have to query, however, was the artwork for the first love scene. When they get together it is presented in pastel sketch form, and not the fully finished artwork, which made me wonder if it was in fact happening, and made me think the creators didn't expect the warts and all acceptance from their readers that had been asked of the characters. Yes, the pastel is the equivalent of gossamer veils and Vaseline on the lens, but it's not showing the veracity of the piece. But then, by the end we're really into the realm of the implausible, so by the finish I couldn't really pretend the book had stuck to the reality of mature relationships. The fairy tale element to her narration, and this fantasy, acted as too great a distraction from what the makers should have concentrated on showing us. Nice try, however.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.

I am very taken by this story. Distilled down, this is a story of boy meets girl. However, it is so much more than that. The premise follows two characters who are in the autumn of their lives. The first is Ulysses. He is in his sixties and has just recently been forcibly retired. The once very active Ulysses is now at a loss about how to move on with his life. Mediterranea recently lost her mother after being her sole caretaker for the last nine months. Mediterranea runs a cheese store inherited from her father, again she is at a bit of a loss in knowing what to do at this point in her life. At a chance encounter at Ulysses sons OB/GYN office, the two of them spark a romance. The writing about romance is so on point. It isn’t forced and hackneyed. It is sweet with heat. Chemistry bubbles between them. It feels like a fresh and real love affair. Love that can blossom in the Autumn of their lives.

Graphically this is fantastic. The panels have a misty quality to them, and the characters are drawn well. The art is enough to make me want to read more of this authors work.

It is a life-affirming and wonderful love story that has a great twist of an ending and should be read. You don’t come by comics like this often.

This is such a delightful read! It has just the right amount of humor and sadness. It also has one of the cutest meet cute and courtship I’ve ever read in a graphic novel. The artwork is gorgeous and the skillful paneling lifts up the narration to whole new levels of emotion.

It is at its center a wonderful and inspiring love story, but more than that it is also a meditation on old age, death, and second chances. The novel forces you to look at the harsh reality of life and strips off the glamour of youth to reveal not an ugliness exactly—but rather the cruel truth about your mortality.

It explores loneliness and how it makes you look back at your life and evaluate its value so far. It bravely makes the readers realize that our pursuit of happiness is also the pursuit of passion and purpose. And that without both, we may just be better off dead.

This book provided an unusual exploration of life, loneliness and love late in life.

The strength of the story lies in the beautiful art and the heartbreaking portrait it paints of the loneliness which surrounds us, oftentimes unseen. The weakness lies in the fantastic and improbable ending, which for me was all sorts of problematic. I could have done without the scenes depicting prostitution.

Overall, I found the story disappointing. It left me unsure, and lacked a clear purpose. SPOILER:

If you're going to write in a late in life miraculous conception, a return of fertility and menstruation, a older woman embarking on a life threatening dangerous journey of geriatric pregnancy, the writing should be robust enough to support that exploration. This script simply wasn't: the story collapsed under the weight of it. It felt like the writer had no clue how...depressing, threatening, frightening the idea of menstruation and unexpected pregnancy returning in late life would be to actual women.

SPOILER OVER



If you get the chance to pick this up and read through it, the first part exploring loneliness makes it worth it, but at the end of it all, I was left disappointed.

Prior of reading this book, I had no expectations at all as I’m not familiar with the writer or the artist.. Finished this in one sitting and now I’m out of emotions, it’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The illustrations and colours are so on point with the characters’ moods. Especially love the panels with nothing said at all.

Truly a one of a kind book that deals with older relationships in such a healthy and beautiful way. The artwork was magnificent and greatly complemented the story.

Art - 3.5 / 5
Story - 1 / 5

There are many things in the story that rubs me the wrong way, so... it's not of my liking. And since this is just my personal taste, well, that.

Blossoms in Autumn, -which in French is called "The programmed obsolescence of our sentiments"- is about two aging people who know each other and get together. Ullyses with 59 years is lay off from a moving company, the loneliness and emptiness of his days is well told. While Mediterranea, with 62 years, still works in a cheese factory, she is going through her own crisis of loneliness after the death of her mother whom she cared for.

Newsflash - Life does not end at 50, or at 60. And I must say (coming from a family that mostly lives after the 90s and a hundred years) not even after that. And yes, they still have sex in some cases. I mean, my maternal grandfather was a hardworking , mean, and lecherous man until the day he died at 96 years old.

But it is Ulysses wich bother me. He repeats again and again that 'he hate reading'. STRIKE ONE. I don't know if that hints at problems like dyslexia? but srly? not good.

I guess that with the fairy tales, the SnowWhite bit and the apple, hints to lost opportunities or something like that. Or waiting too much for something to happen and grasp the Now. The 'they live happily forever'?. But it was weird , specially that ending (view spoiler)
That point , add with the frankly masculine point of view of the thing... with the female friend ... the woman he pays for sex when the photograph of the family beside the bed (really?), and she feels sad because Ulysses leaves her (really?) . Just not believable. Also the behaviour of the guy, with the magazine and crass opennings, and the thing with cheese in her hair? Nope , nope, nope.

Not of my liking indeed.

'Blossoms in Autumn' by Zidrou with art by Aimée de Jongh is a graphic novel about love at any age.

The two main characters are Ulysses, 59, who has been a widower for a while. He's just been laid off from his longtime job as a mover. He's trying to figure out what to do with his life now. He meets Mediterranea, 62, who has just lost her mother. The two hit it off and the two find out things about each other, like that Mediterranea was a nude model when she was younger, or Ulysses not liking to read because of all the heavy books he's had to read along the way.

I really liked this story of love at an older age. There are a couple weird plot turns, but I'm willing to go with that because the characters are so charming and human. The art is good. There is nudity and adult themes in this one, plus the subect of old people in love may turn away younger readers.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Very sweet book about love in later years. Though the ending seemed a bit implausible. Loved the artwork too.

This book was not what I expected. The graphics were too explicit for me. I should have read more of the book details before I downloaded the book.