Allie Brosch's books are hilarious, and Lynda Barry is extraordinarily thought-provoking. This book was a profoundly average memoir of an uninteresting person.

I enjoyed this graphic novel by Merrrill Markoe. It took me back to the days of "seeing scenery" in my own youth. I am glad to see that graphic novels like this and Roz Chast's are being published. It is a really accessible way to read a humorous book.

This story has some appeal, but the art seems amateurish and static. Also the text and dialogue have little originality or life in them.

We Saw Scenery reminds me of the stacks of various notebooks I have at home, from elementary school up until a few months ago. It makes me think about the several past "me"s who exist on those pages. Reading Markoe's discoveries about herself makes me want to revisit those notebooks, to start writing more in the present, and start examining my life up until now. It can seem that time flies by so fast it is hard to see what happened in the past. Some people are constantly haunted by a few memories here and there. Like the reoccurring Hippo-campus character in the book, looking back at notebooks can help bring up things we forgot or tell us about who we were for what we found worth writing about.

I also feel this provides a great conversation starter for a multi-generational library program discussing current events. Markoe talks about Vietnam, civil rights protests, and her increasing interest in her place in the world.

I would have liked a few more glimpses at photocopied pages at the end or throughout as dividers between sections. Overall, a lovely graphic memoir.

A quirky look back at the authors tween and teen diaries, brought to life in a graphic novel format.

I liked this book. I liked the set of her present self talking to her past self. It was engaging but my issues was it was kind of hard to follow sometimes, it just seemed all over the place. The parts I wish she would have elaborate she just glanced at. And other things she spent forever on were not what I was interested in. But over all a good book. She has a nice style and her wit shows through.

So glad to have received a copy of this ARC from Netgalley! In this excellent graphic memoir, comedy writer Merrill Markoe gives us a look at her girlhood journals, providing wry and self-deprecating commentary alongside lively and humorous illustrations, all of which made me laugh aloud. Markoe grew up in Miami and California, in the 50s and 60s, and, for some reason, I was expecting for her adolescence to feel more removed from my own 90s girlhood. But, wow - I could so easily relate her diaries to my own! My only complaint is in the abrupt ending;
I would have liked more of a wrap-up and a reflection on the diaries themselves. I understand that this book only covers young Merrill, and she gives her a clear send-off, but there is no lead up to to the goodbye, or explanation for why the book ends where it does.

Relatable, smart, and funny, I recommend this quick read to fans of graphic memoir, coming-of-age comedy, and the diary form.

I feel there is an appeal for this book for anyone who has an inclination to revisit their youth but would enjoy having a friend who you may laugh with along for the trip. We Saw Scenery creates a lively space to revisit familiar moments in a inventive way. I enjoyed the see-saw format of moving between diary pages and current situations. The graphics were well done and the style well defined. We Saw Scenery as a very unique offering for those looking to escape into a world that is fun, absurd and always relatable.