In many ways, this is the kind of comic I would like to create one day: it's a family portrait in a historical European setting, it's drawn in a clean but expressive style, it's deeply leftist and feminist, it's melancholy, and each of its pages abound with visual storytelling devices. Return to Eden came to me during my current comic storyboarding journey, and I had to set it aside to take notes constantly. Wish this was my work.

Feeling that my knowledge of Spain’s recent history is scanty, I was excited to see this book coming out soon. I’ve grown to appreciate graphic novels, and getting to know an unfamiliar piece of history in a compelling manner is right down my alley. This book turned out to be a fascinating read; a tribute to the author’s mother and her hardscrabble life growing up.

From a historical perspective, this is a masterpiece. It only briefly touches on the war (the main character was too young to have seen or experienced much of the war), but the main historical element dealt with the political climate of the late 1940s through the 1960s. Frankly, some of it was difficult to read; especially the parts about the deep societal divides in the country, and the propaganda that kept it all in place.

The main part of this book is telling a family story. That, too, was difficult, but I’ve come away with deep admiration, both for the author’s willingness to share both the good and bad of his family history, as well as for the people who clung to faith and hope amidst deplorable circumstances.

This is a complicated story, but not hard to read or follow. There were parts I struggled with—I did not like the illustrations of Adam and Eve in the garden; I felt they were too revealing. I also struggled with some of the character’s choices and opinions (such as justifying an affair), even though I know these things happen all the time. It was also hard to read about some of the physical abuse that went on in the home.

Overall, I’m glad I had a chance to read this book, although I doubt I’d read it again. It has brought a part of history to life for me that I’ve never encountered before, and for that, it was a worthwhile read. If I was to give the book a star rating based on illustration and storytelling styles, I’d easily give it five stars, but I feel like I can’t because of some of the content. If I ever have a chance to read another Roca book, however, I would be eager to see what else he does—this one was fascinating!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

Beautifully structured, deeply melancholy, and a very humane look by the artist at his mother's life and they a single photograph can connect so many strands of misery. Frames, through the lens of her life and 20th century Spain, just how many ways humans can make each other's lives a grinding sadness. Made me want to hug my kids forever.

Paco Roca’s new book is out in a few weeks and I was on my knees for an advance copy. This should not come as a surprise, seeing as I have read 4 of his books and have rated 3 of them five stars. Yet it is a bit of a surprise. The truth is that I find it difficult to pick up a Roca book. He employs the same techniques to perfection time after time. I know what it is that makes me cry and feel cracks along my soul, and Roca has it. It’s a desired pain.

He had previously written a book to commemorate his father, and he followed it up with this one, an ode to his mother. In it, he uses a technique which has fascinated me this past year, and fascinated many others for much longer: the Sebaldian technique of squeezing as much as possible out of a single photograph. Squeezing so hard that from the particular, you get to the general. The family gathers for a photo, and it’s a photo of them on the beach. But zoom in on each face, take a look around, scrutinize hard enough, and you will see everything under the umbrella of human experience, right until you reach the gates of Eden again.

Thank you to Fantagraphics Books for the ARC – in no time at all, they have become my go to publisher for anything graphic novel related. I highly recommend checking them out.

There may have been something lost in translation here. It never really came together. It's about an old woman looking back on her life in post-war Spain. They are very poor and we take a look at all of her family members but not much at herself or how she got to where she is in life. It's all very depressing and the family members aren't very kind to one another. I felt very disconnected to the whole thing instead of being brought into the story.

This was sentimental and sad.
Antonia’s story clearly capture from someone close to her is wonderfully executed in this story.
From the design style to the progression of how the story unfolded.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fantagraphics Books for an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy graphic novels and memoirs, so was really looking forward to this. Ultimately, this story missed the mark for me. I had trouble getting into the story, maybe due to the format on the NetGalley app.

A beautiful portrait of the emotional weight of a single photograph. This is an emotional tale of the memories and emotions that can be conjured up from a family photo. Antonia grew up poor in a post-war Spain and this photo is all that is left of her family. In this book, we explore her life as it intersects with the people in the photograph.

It is told in an experimental way - it breaks the fourth wall a bit and plays with the imagination of our protagonist. It was somewhat confusing, but not in a way that distracted from the impact. And it was very impactful. I cried at the end and throughout. I love stores that explore themes around memory and family.

Highly recommend.

A quietly devastating graphic novel. Roca tells the story of a few years in his mother’s life, centered around the only 3 photos she was featured in during that time. The structure, the art, the pacing is all so very well done. Even though Antonia lived a life full of struggle, her story is told with such love and care that you can’t help but see the little bits of humanity always shining through.

Gut wrenching - the challenges faced by Antonia stopped me in my tracks. This graphic novel does such an excellent job incorporating historical images and weaving it into the the artwork of this story. It breaks my heart the challenges she faced, specifically as a woman. This serves as a much needed reminder of the context that surrounds the beliefs and behaviors of our elders.

This is a beautiful but haunting memoir which the author has written about his mother and her childhood and life.

His mother had a photo of herself with some family members on a beach in Valencia in 1947. The author then goes back to post-war Spain and the difficult era in which his mother grew up and tells the story about the impact of these years on the rest of the family.

The artwork is perfect for the book and it is a moving but painful tribute to his mother and the challenges of her life. Despite poverty, struggles within the family and without, and the trauma of war, his mother emerges as someone who has been able to live through these difficulties and still live and love those around her who are captured in the photograph.

This is a moving memoir and a privilege to read it.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Paco Roca's latest story lets the reader see the past through the eyes and memories of his mother, Antonia. This bittersweet tale, comprised of different moments in her life (or what her memories tell her it was her life) feel like in-motion photographs, due to both Roca’s characteristic art, perfect colour scheme, and what I feel is his best script yet. The readers not only get to meet Antonia, to feel her hunger, her curiosity, what life offers her, but also to understand how important family was to her, describing intimate stories regarding her brothers Paco and Pepito and her sister Amparín.
Another masterpiece by Paco Roca, certainly.

This graphic novel tells the story of a family in Spain over many generations. While I found the artwork to be beautiful and some parts of the story to be compelling, there was too much information in a short book. Because of that, some characters didn't have as much depth as they could have.

Roca delivers a touching and rare book. A deeply personal look at both his family and Franco's Spain.

Mixed feelings about this. The artwork is wonderful, no argument there. However, it seems like the author tries to cram as much information as is physically possible into the pages, making it slow the story considerably. I would rather read a novel and enjoy far fewer pictures, than try to understand everything that is going on here.

History retains only the exceptional destinies, only the extraordinary individuals that changed the world. Ordinary people are just sand in the hourglass, forgotten as soon as their grandchildren and great-grandchildren die in turn. "Return to Eden" is the ordinary story of an ordinary woman, but so representative of her time - a simple story told in an unusual way, in a truly extraordinary book, an intelligent melodrama that begins with a meditation on the meaning of life, continues as a detective mystery (why does Antonia never part with that photograph from the summer of 1946? ) and builds, from carefully chosen details, a social tapestry that takes us, along with Antonia, through the turbulent history of twentieth-century Spain. Paco Roca's drawing is at times meticulous and clear, at others experimental and poetic, transforming images into symbols and constructing visual metaphors by unusual means (fluid metamorphoses, shifts from microscopic details to dizzying overall images, playful framing, recourse to secondary meanings, etc.). An exceptional graphic novel, an author worthy of placement on the same shelf as Carlos Gimenez, Antonio Altarriba, David Sala or Miguel Francisco Moreno.

Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.