Beautiful story, beautifully rendered. This is a graphic novel that is very much my thing. Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

the art style was so stunning! i loved this story so much, and although it didn't stick with me, the art style certainly did! :)

Many thanks to Netgalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful art and gripping tale. I honestly don't know how to summarize this plot without giving anything away. An investigative story of murders revolving around Giverny and the month of May.... that's the best I can do!

The ending however was a bit too underwhelming for my taste. However, I am glad that I read this book in graphic novel format and not the full novel.

I was pleasantly surprised with this one! The impressionist art style was super appropriate and the ending absolutely took me by surprise. I am pleased to have been so fooled!

I regretted asking to review this book, but thanks to Netgalley and Magnetic Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This comic book is based on the eponymous novel by Michel Bussi. Personally, I haven't read it. Michel Bussi explains at the beginning that he had always been told that his story would not be adapted into a comic book because of its complexity but Duval and Cassegrain have proved that nothing is impossible.
We find ourselves in the village where Claude Monet painted some of his most beautiful canvases. But all is not so peaceful in this village, especially when a murder is committed. So we follow three women and their versions of events. It was a gripping story. I can't compare it with the novel but I found the story well told. Indeed, once finished, I understand better the complexity to adapt this work, it was really well done. Moreover, the drawings are very nice, colourful and quite lively. It was nicely detailed.
I recommend it to all those who like mysteries and investigations
3.5/5

It is difficult to fully express my opinions without spoiling this graphic novel.. The art was stunning and perfectly reminiscent of the impressionist paintings that featured heavily in the story. In terms of translation, there were a few instances of awkward phrasing, but nothing that caused confusion or distraction. I was able to pick up on the plot twist of the story somewhat early on, but it was still thrilling to see it all come together at the end.

I chose this graphic novel from Netgalley by its cover. A murder. A rivulet/pond. And the gorgeous watercolor.

Michel Bussi is a prolific French Crime fiction author. Black Water Lilies is a graphic novel adaptation of the same. It's the story of three women- a talented schoolgirl who wants to leave her home to study art, a seductive schoolteacher, and an old woman. A man is murdered in the picturesque Norman village of Giverny, the home to Claude Monet and the gardens and studios that encompass the Impressionist movement. The horrible crime brings Inspector Laurenç and his associate. Slowly the mystery unfolds and the ingredients are jealousy, lust, ambition, and art industry and its shady business. The ending or resolution, dear reader, I did not see it coming. This happens to me very rarely usually in Scandinavian or Irish crime fiction. The resolution was thrilling. Specially when the medium is watercolor paint. Didier Cassegrain is the artist here. Old school watercolor washes with stunning pencil work. Kinda creeped me out as the mystery unfolded.

These violent delights have violent ends.

It's almost like the Stendhal syndrome where beautiful art makes people dizzy and faint. Not quite but a psychosomatic reaction towards sublime beauty and the underlying horror of trying to capture beauty in a static form. You learn about Theodore Robinson, the American artist who lived with Monet in Giverny for eight years. Also, the over zealous legacy of Monet in the modern world.

Check out the pages on Europe Comics webpage.

a mystery fashioned in the impressionist style of delicate watercolors, 'black water lilies' tells the story of 'three women' in giverny, monet's hometown, who are caught in the middle of a murder. the descriptions of the three women are intense and immediately interesting. the story is compelling, accompanied with lavish illustrations, but somewhere in the middle it becomes tedious because it doesn't go straight to the point still, i liked the clever banter between the detectives during the journey they take to get to the middle of the case, the shroud of mystery surrounding the idyllic giverny, and the slow reveal of the plot twist. *thank you, netgalley, for the ARC!*

Beautifully written and illustrated. A story of three woman, all trapped in one way or another in the beutiful gardens once used as the inspiration for Monet's Water Lilies.
You get so much more than expected in this graphic novel. A history and art lesson about the little town, that was once so peaceful it helped create history's greatest impressionist paintings, now a tourist destination for people from all over the world. The town in proud but also trapped, there are actually laws that prohibit any changes to the buildings, the landscape, the ponds themselves just to keep the illusion that it is frozen in the era of Monet.
But there are three woman who want to escape and only one can do so, the other two must die.
There is hope, hopelessness, jealousy, envy, lies, infidelity, death, and murder all wrapped in a beautifully painted gift.
Highly recommended
Thanks to @netgalley, Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press, Frederic Duval, Michel Bussi, and Didier Cassegrain for the opportunity to read this graphic novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

First up, thank you! I was really hyped to read this book, Diamond Book publisher is fantastic and brings out some really interesting books.
However, I had to DNF. At normal size the book is barely readable and my ADE is just struggling if I try to zoom in. Lagging, slow, I have to scroll like mad to get anywhere. If this book was a normal PDF (and so not one with DRMs and all that stuff so you need ADE to read it) then I would DEFINITELY want to read it. Because I did read some pages and what I read? I NEED MORE. I want to know more about these three people and what they have to do with the murder. I love that the three women are of different ages. One is old, one is 30-ish, one is a child. I absolutely LOVE the art and LOVE how pretty everything is. I love that there is a hint to impressionism. I WANT TO READ THIS BOOK. I hope to get the book in PDF (aka for a normal reader that DOES work, because ADE is crap) when it comes out.

Since I liked what I read I will give it 3 stars. For a higher rating I will have to read more.

Artistically rather beautiful, and the story is complex and interesting, but it does overstay its welcome. I had the impression it got rather pleased with itself as a piece of "art" (which it is), and it forgot that it actually also needed to entertain.

The end reveal is pretty obvious, and I kind of knew it before I even read the book, I suspected when I read the synopsis itself. This isn't a "deal breaker" to enjoying the story, I don't think, but it did add some issues with the story once its established.

Ultimately, it isn't as clever as it wants to be, and its a little too pleased with it's own own merits. It's like that clever kid who knows all the answers but seems unaware he has food stuck to the corner of his mouth all day.

The art is lovely, though occasionally it comes across as a little "samey", and the children are presented as older than their years at times which spoils the idea of them being very young.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
I’m finding writing this review without spoilers to be very difficult. I will try to keep them as vague as I can.
The plot of Black Water Lilies is a murder that occurs in the town of Givenry. While the victim is a man, the focus of the story is on three women – crone, mother, and maiden. The crone is the “witch” of the village, the mother is a teacher (the stereotype of a sexy teacher is used) , and the maiden is a young girl of almost elven who aspires to be an art student.
To be honest, it is at this point that I almost put down the book. That young girl of almost eleven is described as a woman. The graphic novel starts with the phrase “Three woman lived in Givenry”. The almost eleven year old is at various point in the opening panels drawn as an adult, in adult stylized, slightly sexualized poses. We are told that all boys wanted her to be their girlfriend.
Look, I get France is different and we Americans are supposedly prudish, but there are French women pushing back on the sexualization of young girls -read Consent by Vanessa Springora. And to be fair, the revel of graphic novel – which is clever but doesn’t quite work – makes the comment a little less icky. It also excuses some of the very sexist comments and behavior by the detectives which is very off putting.
[Spoiler below – The reveal is that all three women are in fact one woman at the different stages of her life. She is now the crone and is telling the majority of the story. Clever, and it does work because you don’t see the three “women” together. There is a problem however, because if we are seeing the story though her and one detective that still doesn’t explain everything that we see. Additionally, while we might say all the boys wanted to date use back in high school, would we really sexualize ourselves that much? The boys are drawn as around ten, the girls not so much. And the positioning of the boys and girls when together is that of teens not that of most pre-teens. Honesty in one panel if the boy hadn’t been wearing clothes that are normally only wore by pre-teen boys, it would have looked like two teens hanging out. Also the detective’s conclusion, though correct, seems to come about simply because of the romantic rival aspect, and I am tired of that trope]
The use of the young girl is also execrated because there is little interaction between any women at all in the book - wouldn’t there be female friends? There is a woman associated with the police but she disappears shortly afterwards and is only there for the men to talk about each other.
But the reveal was clever, and the mystery is interesting. The artwork is wonderful. This graphic novel is based on a best selling French novel.

Black Water Lillies is a demonstration of literary quality in comics form — an enjoyable interwoven story with an appeal for older readers.

I really liked this intimate thriller in such a bucolic location. I love that they surprise me leaving the ends tied and being aware of all the details, and in this case the authors have achieved it. Highly recommended.

Beautifully illustrated - an intriguing tale that mixes impressionist landscapes with grisly murders. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, and the artwork carries the story very well.

The story is quite interesting and the setting is delightful. My favourite part has to be the artwork, which is fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-copy of "Black Water Lilies," script by Fred Duval and Michel Bussi, and art by Didier Cassegrain.

Rating: 3.5/5

One thing about me: I love a good murder mystery! Even more so, if gorgeous illustrations are involved. "Black Water Lillies" follows the mystery behind the investigation of a man murdered in the Norman village of Giverny, home to Impressionist painter Claude Money's gardens and studio. It features three women who are connected to the victim in mysterious ways which all unravel as you go through the story. I would describe this as a literary graphic novel, as impressionism, art, and life are discussed thoughtfully throughout the book. The illustrations are dreamy and elegant, like Monet's work itself. This was a quick read and the ending had a great twist! Looking forward to more works by Didier Cassegrain.

Black Water Lilies is a run of the mill mystery entangled with the art world.

The art style and the concept drew me into this graphic novel. I never read the original book, but really adore watercolor and art history. The art of this book really elevates it, each page and spread are beautifully illustrated and the watercolor technique lends itself well to a graphic novel. I also really enjoy the classic noir style to the plot, though set against a brighter atmosphere.

I felt like this plot was so flat and could tell it was written over a decade ago. The tropes were trite, the characters were flat, and the tangled plotlines and threads were just used as a way to confuse the reader for the "big reveal" at the end. I also felt like the killer was such a silly choice and the plot just continued to drag on and on. There was a point in the middle I considered giving up on the read but I powered through and was ultimately disappointed by the end result.

This graphic novel is beautiful, but the art doesn't save it from a lackluster plot. I do, however, think this would do well as a movie adaption. Overall, Black Water Lilies gets two stars for me, briefly saved by beautiful art, but overall a puff-piece of a mystery.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Magnetic Press for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

A very well-crafted murder mystery told with narrative genius. If you love movies like Memento, Shutter Island, or anything that plays with the way of telling tales, then you are in for a treat.
I'm afraid of giving spoilers so I won't say anything about the story itself, but I really liked the setting - Money's chosen town of predilection, where he did some of his best and most famous work. The drawings really do it justice, playing with shadows and light in lavish landscapes. Everyone is painting obsessed here, and full of light and shadows.
Really enjoyed it!

My thoughts when this came out from Europe Comics in 2020 were:-

What starts out as an intriguing crime novel, apparently based on a successful French prose book, is scuppered, ultimately. For the ending is bodged, and in result the entire piece going back is therefore bodged too. One and a half stars – it might well have been more.

I doubt they'll have changed.