Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy.

Alison Bechdel has written a semi-biographical book filled with humors, politics, and friendship. As always, I loved the artwork and the characters, but this time the story felt quite disjointed. Still, I do look forward to buying it for my library.

Oh gosh. Okay, backstory: Bechdel's comic strip "Dykes to Watch Out For" was syndicated in my sister's college newspaper, which was how my sister found out about it. She brought one of the collections home with her one holiday and left it on the kitchen table. I read it—my mother read it—my father read it—my father went upstairs to the computer and ordered every other volume that was out at the time. When "Fun Home" came out, my mother ordered about six copies to send to various relatives (and the reason I own a copy of "The Secret to Superhuman Strength" is that my mother shipped that to me); now she has multiple copies of "Spent" on order, too, for the same reason. (My family, we are fans. Also, my husband and I talked Bechdel on our first date, which is maybe less specific than it might be when you consider that he's a comic artist and I...well, I just read a lot.)

Anyway, all of this is to say: This is a book unlike any of Bechdel's previous books. To be perfectly honest, if you've read both "DTWOF" and Bechdel's memoirs, I'd recommend skipping all of the reviews—and skipping the book description—and diving right in so that you can be gloriously confused and delighted. I read the description* when I first saw this book, but I have a habit of reading a description, shelving a book for future reference, and then forgetting everything but general theme until I pick the book up again; in this case, that meant that I spent a while going "wait, what?" and checking Wikipedia to make sure I hadn't missed something major before figuring it out and settling in to enjoy. And folks, that is a reading experience that I highly recommend.

This is fully enjoyable for readers who have read some but not all of Bechdel's work; certainly it helps if you've read "Fun Home" (or should I say "Death & Taxidermy"?), but you don't need to have read it, and you don't need to have read "DTWOF". (I'd have to do some rereading to say whether there are specific callbacks to Bechdel's other books.) But—I do think the ideal audience here are those who have read and loved both. This is a catch up with old friends (if the sort of catch-up where you maybe learn a little too much about them), and it was both so nostalgic and so current.

Plus, that picture of Bechdel near the beginning, where she's wearing gardening boots and scrolling on her phone? That inexplicably looks both 1) exactly as Bechdel generally draws herself and 2) exactly like my mother, who looks 2a) really nothing like Bechdel. And that may be weird and specific and not useful in terms of a book review, but for me it was just an excellent start to the book.

*Maybe. Or maybe I just saw the author and cover and winged the book onto my Goodreads shelf without needing to know more. Who can say?

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Alison Bechdel's new book uses economic concepts and details from production on a farm, a TV show based on her work, and her partner Holly's projects in a critical, colorful, moving, and heartwarming criticism of capitalism. As a book organized by chapters related to economic theory, it's more fun than that might sound.

Wonderful art, timely humor, social commentary, rural life, all kinds of relationships, creativity and commercialism–plus cats and pygmy goats, make this a stimulating and cathartic read. I laughed, pondered, and cheered. When I reached the acknowledgements, I choked up.

Due to devouring Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For books back when, reading Spent felt like coming home. A few of the chuckles came from experiencing these beloved characters grappling with middle-age. It’s funny and poignant to reflect on how lives turn out and to measure the distance between youthful ideals and where we find ourselves. The world has changed, and Bechdel remains on-point and relevant.

Although I couldn't relate much to her financial situation, I valued her exploration of her career journey and the challenges that come with success.I was grateful for the wonderfully drawn and characterized animals. The cats! They're a delightful counterpoint to heartbreaking world headlines and the ongoing events affecting the lives of LGBTQIA+ and all marginalized people in the US.

Highly recommended to mature readers of graphic novels, humor, LGBTQIA+, and general readers due for some chuckles. I’m going to read more books by Alison Bechdel.

My thanks to Mariner Books |Harper Collins for the e-ARC via NetGalley for consideration. These are solely my own opinions. I'll add the TikTok link when I post.

Thanks to Mariner books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Spent, and I finished it in a single day if that is an indicator. However, Spent doesn't feel as weighty or important as Fun Home--the one other book I've read from Bechdel. I also am not sure it will stick with me in the same powerful way. It has eschewed the Joycean references and literary illusions of fun home, and instead the graphic novel simply tries to capture the feelings of helplessness and guilt one can feel in our current political and social climate while showing her cozy and often heartwarming relationships with her family and friends. Bechdel's autofiction asks a lot of interesting questions; many of the same questions I deal with in my own life such as: how do you prevent lifestyle creep? How do you disconnect from clearly evil corporations which are ubiquitous? How do you deal with loved ones who have seemingly gone of the political deep end? How do you deal with finical success in the face of less successful friends? Some of the solutions in the book feel a little too trite <spoiler>like the sister who rethinks her Trumpism and anti-abortion stances in the face of a bit of familial acceptance. Other solutions like the Kropotkin quote about mutual aid feel like a far more reasoned and long term answer.</spoiler>

All of my review so far gives the impression that Spent is serious, but it is a relatively light hearted and a genuinely funny graphic novel. Bechdel uses many of these pages to show the irony and humor at the heart of our modern existence, and she is often the butt of the jokes she tells. Whether she is making fun of her own pretentiousness in the naming of their new male pygmy goat or her inability to stop spending on amazon, her comedic touch is deft. Sometimes I'm not sure if she is making light of her other characters or trying to illustrate something genuine. Is the asexual polyamory podcast a joke? It seems to be presented as such... The fact that it is the rich yuppies from next door's favorite podcast seems to being trying to say something, but I'm not really sure what... perhaps I'm not smart enough to understand some of these things... The absurdities the book points too, like the polite Trump fan complimenting her partner's chainsaw sharpening video are funny, but they are also sad. Much like the book itself.

Ultimately, I would recommend this to anyone who as enjoyed Bechdel's previous works, enjoys satire in general, or has dreamed of owning a pygmy goat farm in Vermont. This is an adult graphic novel and not meant for a younger audience.

Though it was initially tricky to enjoy reading this comic on a screen, I persevered and was the gladder for it. Though I still think reading comics in print is much more preferable! Pro tip: maximize the view on the biggest screen you can find and put yourself on Do Not Disturb. Not being a fan of exercising, I had skipped Bechdel's last fitness-focused memoir. I am neither terribly fond of money marketing, but the discussion about capitalism couched in the zany story of life on a Vermont goat farm during the mid-pandemic was highly entertaining. I cannot wait to recommend this one to other comic memoir fans. And I may just go back to her previous book and see what I missed!

I really enjoyed this funny new graphic novel from icon Alison bechdel. This was essentially autofiction surrounding our character Alison, partner Holly and a familiar gang of friends. Those who are familiar with DTWOF will recognize these characters and enjoy a new installment of them dealing with the challenges of the past few years. I think many of us can relate to Alison’s ennui and sense of existential dread, but the story pokes fun at the extreme ways her and her friends try to make an impact and survive during trying times.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mariner Books, and Alison Bechdel for the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Mariner Books/Harper Collin’s for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really lovely graphic novel. I enjoyed the way it used fictional characters to mirror real life events, and that the characters were all living in community together (some literally living in a communal house and starting polyamorous relationships). The juxtaposition of the college kids radical ideas with the maturity and experience of the older characters was really fun. I enjoyed all the farm stuff-the many goats and cats especially. I liked that the book ended on a hopeful note.

I picked this book out of random curiosity with the book cover and I am so glad I did. I haven't read the author's work before so it took a drag pace to appreciate the beauty of the book. The book is cleverly witty and humorous in a knife-edge way. It is a great pickup book for a fun reading on a Saturday night

Set amidst the backdrop of COVID protocols and the US generally descending into madness with recent elections. <i>Spent</i> feels like everyone's internal thoughts often, and at the same time is such a weird but purposeful time capsule of 2020-2025 while still being a personal story. It has the meta-ness I kind of love while playing with autobiography. I just always love spending time with Alison Bechdel, and now with pygmy goats!

<i>thanks for the ARC</i>

“Is spiraling a practical skill?”
This memoir starts mid Covid pandemic. Alison has made it. She lives in her own house, on her own property, with her partner, Holly, 5 cats, and their goat pygmy sanctuary. Her last memoir was made into a TV show, but that is the least of her worries. She has been having difficulty envisioning her future or any future lately. Should she write a new book? Should she write her own TV show? Should she be giving more of her income to charity?
Nobody’s life has been easy since 2019 it seems like. Alison is no different.
One of my only hangups about this book was I wasn’t sure what to think about the whole sideline story about her friends and their proclivities. Otherwise, I’d like to read more of this author.

#ThxNetGalley #AlisonBechdel #Spent

I requested this solely based on the author, without knowing what it's about. This can work, with the author's other works, as a memoir series, or alone as a snapshot of the 2020-2022 period.

If read alone, this joins a not-insubstantial list of GN memoirs of artists making content about needing to make content-- see Uncomfortably Happily and related titles.

I do really enjoy this artist's illustration style-- I appreciated all the little details that are always included.

Readers will do best to have previously read Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic and/or any other of the author's previous memoirs. eARC from NetGalley

I love Alison Bechdel and this she is great, but this really was too meh for me.
The story felt like it did not flow as I kept reading. A fiction memoir/graphic novel brings a lot of thoughts to mind.

I have been reading Alison Bechdel, as they say, long before she was famous, back in her “Dykes to Watch Out For”(DTWOF) days. I always used to look forward to each new strip, and her take on what was going on in the world.

This graphic novel is a sort of combo of that, with characters from her DTWOF, as well as versions of her and her partner, dropped into that world, interacting with her creations. It is a bit of a trip, at first, to get used to it, but once you do, you just sort of go with the flow.

The story takes place just from mid-pandemic to just before the Orange Mango is reelected. Through this all, the Alison of the story comments on society, as we follow her trying to write another graphic novel. In this world, she has written her story of her father, who instead of a funeral home, ran a taxidermy service, which has been made into a strange tv series. And her version of DTWOF is called “Lesbian Peta Members to Watch Out For”.

If you love her stuff, you will love this book. If you have never read her before, you will miss a lot of the meta jokes, but will probably laugh at her observations.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 20th of May.

I thought the autofiction concept was interesting, especially the author placing herself in the real world with some of the characters she created in DTWOF. The drawing was funny. I wish the narrative arc was more concrete. I thought the author did a good job conveying the headlines of recent times, and the times at which she highlighted the differences between the generations was where the book shined the strongest. It seems like the author was trying to tackle many themes at once, but there wasn’t enough room to delve into many of them exhaustively. I look forward to more from this author!

You probably think you know Alison but just wait, she literally 'bares' it all in Spent Too funny situations with sex, lack of sex and different ways to do it. Even the goats are doing it so we get a little goat midwifery too. I love seeing the change of seasons in Vermont in her illustrations. She navigates difficult family situations with a generosity of spirit that I find inspiring. Plus it is laugh-out-loud funny! Also cat lovers will love all the feline antics that sprawl across the pages. Bravo!!

While I'm quite familiar with who Alison Bechdel is, this is my first time reading her work; and I must say, I quite enjoyed it! It was oftentimes hilarious while also a scathing commentary on today's political climate. I really liked the colorful and expressive artwork, and all characters were easily distinguishable.

4.5 out of 5

Great graphic novel covering very timely subjects. It reads like a memoir, shining a light on Bechdel’s home and career life, friends, and family relationships, as well as political and economic beliefs. Bechdel struggles with selling out and making lots of money, which could be used to pay for good and ethical things and activities, and remaining true to the person she once was. Her sister, Shelia, is a pretty scary depiction of a “regular” American. Shelia is writing her own memoir to set the record straight against Bechdel’s graphic novels. The show based on Bechdel’s work takes a drastic turn from the reality Bechdel showed us. And I didn’t even get to the friends living in the experimental coop and their shenanigans!

This is a fast paced, laugh out loud roller coaster of a ride. The reader is along to see everything, with illustrations charmingly “colored” by Bechdel’s partner, Holly. I got this graphic novel electronically, my least favorite format for graphic novels, and I still loved it. Although my screen was very small, making each frame of the novel also very small, graphic novel in general was a top notch choice for being a vehicle for this project. I loved that it was set mainly on a goat farm, and showed many different ways that people live with, interact with, and support each other.

Spent has a very authentic feel, and I love getting that slice of life from characters with a different story than mine. It left a lot of food for thought. This graphic novel would make for a really good book club pick, with lots to unpack and discuss. Some people may have a problem with some of the illustrations being very relevant to the scene at hand in an explicit way. But it’s not gratuitous at all. Really shouldn’t matter and I hope I’m right on that but in the current are of censorship and book banning, who knows?

Thanks Mariner Books and NetGalley for an ARC!

This is the third graphic novel have read by Alison Bechdel. There is something on her written style that I can’t fully connect but always make me curious. I loved the fun and vibrant art she used on this book. The cover called my attention immediately. It was good to know a little bit about her current life journey and I sympathize with most of her perspectives on social issues. Unfortunately, I did not feel much about it. It’s very forgettable.

Loved it. Not surprised but happy to have loved it. Will be sharing the good news with all my readers and friends.

4 stars.

The wonderful Bechdel (of the famous Bechdel test…in a particular work of art do two females have a conversation about something other than a man? So simple, yet perfection.) brings us a new chapter in her overall graphic autobiography with this book (at least I think, but what do I know? I don’t know her. I would love to, though.). Here we see Bechdel, life at present as a semi-famous person living in Vermont on their goat rescue(!) with her partner and their friends and neighbors. It also covers some of her struggles with writing and Hollywood (one of her earlier graphic novels was turned into a TV show.).

It’s sweet and fun, about issues large and small, and a gentle reminder we’re all struggling through on this planet together. I would love to read more about this motley crew.