Suddenly Silver: Celebrating 25 Years of for Better or for Worse

by Lynn Johnston

(Characters) move into your home and into your head," Lynn Johnston writes about her "For Better or For Worse" creations. "They talk and can be heard in conversation-with you, with each other............ This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0740747398
• ISBN13: 9780740747397
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.7" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Celebrating Friendship

Celebrate 25 years of friendship as you reminisce with Elly and John Patterson. We already feel that we know them personally, having watched them and their children grow and mature along with the rest of us. And we find that we have the same relationship with Lynn Johnston, who has faced life's challenges and changes, as have we.

Gathering a quarter century of the comics under one cover

Fans of Lynn Johnston's syndicated husband/wife comic strip "For Better or For Worse" will want to consider Suddenly Silver: Celebrating 25 Years Of For Better Or For Worse (the opus of her creations), gathering a quarter century of the comics under one cover in a celebration marking its silver anniversary of publication. Three sections feature cartoons from the strip's early, middle and recent years, following story lines and character development. A keepsake edition: most strips are in black and white, but some color resides.

HAS IT REALLY BEEN 25 YEARS?

I'll admit that I've probably only been reading this strip for maybe 10 years or so, so I was stunned to learn it's actually been around since I was still in high school. I think as a married, family man myself now for the past 15 years is what drew me (no pun intended) to Lynn Johnston's wonderful strip about life, love, and family. This book is a 25 year retrospective of the fantastic characters Lynn has created as we see them grow and mature over that time. Suddenly Silver is divided into three sections that reflect the strip's early, middle, and recent years. Throughout the book, Lynn Johnston offers readers anecdotal musings and comments on her real life, and how it is reflected in her character's growth and family evolution. Blended with Johnston's family's own response to what it was like growing up in a cartoon strip, this makes for a truly sweet journey. Lynn is one BIG reason why I am such a fan of comic strips. Thank you Lynn!

Not Silver - Gold!

I don't remember when I started reading FBoFW, but I've been reading it so long it's been a part of every day for (sigh) a quarter of a century. The family has been so real I often wondered how many of the stories were about the Patterson family and how many were fiction, and this book answers some of those questions. I remember a strip, which is part of this collection, of Elly and John lying in bed wondering whether they were dealing with young Michael in the best way, agonizing over the decisions they were making. Then in the last frame, cut to Michael lying in his bed thinking it must be wonderful to be a grownup because you always know everything! The strips are nice memories, though some of the cuts between topics may leave new readers wondering about the gaps. The new essays about family members add interesting facets to some of the stories in the strip and how it evolved from a nice (though insightful) strip about a young family into commentaries about life, death, society and every family's wishes. Johnston lost some fans when she embraced some of these issues, but she gained millions more. I know I'll miss FBoFW when Lynn Johnston retires, but the decades we've shared have been wonderful, and I look forward to the stories she'll tell between now and then.

Excellent Retrospective

"Suddenly Silver" is a wonderful retrospective of the 25 year run of the "For Better of For Worse" comic strip. In it are thoughts and memories from not only Lynn but her whole family, as they all reflect on the effect the strip's fame has had on their lives and what it has meant to them. Included is a selection of strips ranging from the beginning of the strip up through Elizabeth's college graduation. One note: for anyone who is an avid collector of Lynn's works, this book does not contain but a couple of pages of strips past the birth of Meredith, where the last collection "Reality Check" ended - this is just a retrospective, not a new collection. Guess we'll have to wait until March for that! But as a retrospective, it is excellent and will not disappoint the real fans - highly recommended!