Go with Grace: Volume 1

by George Alexopolous

Grace, a bedridden girl with no reason to live, is visited one night by a mysterious boy who invites her to leave her room. As they journey together to strange and wondrous cities, it slowly becomes clear that the boy is dead In this simple yet poignant story that deals with the universal themes of life, death and dreams, will Grace finally find the courage to let go of this life and join him?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159816709X
• ISBN13: 9781598167092
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Tokyopop Classics
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 1 year and under

Customer Reviews

Unique read...

Grace is ill with a mysterious disease that also claimed the life of her mother. As a result, she must stay in bed all day. Grace's father treats her badly, while Ashley, Grace's sister, tries to comfort her and buys her journals. Still, Ashley can not give Grace the desire to live. Then, one day, a strange boy shows up in her room. He wants Grace to let visit the outside world... Go With Grace is not a manga title because it is not Japanese, and the illustrations do not have the typical manga style either (you know, big eyes). The author, George Alexopoulos resides in New Jersey. It was also read right-to-left which makes it a good start for beginners to manga or graphic novels. The illustrations are decent. They are not bad, but they don't really stand out either. My favorite part of Go With Grace is the setting. The world it takes place in is not a modern world, but it is close. There are televisions, but there are no cars. Instead, the characters travel by carriage. It seems odd, but it works. I can't really imagine Grace living in the modern world, and this world was much more interesting than say the early 1900s. I would love to see more stories set in this world.

Great Art, Polarizing Plot

(SPOILERS!!) Since George's art is one of my all-time favorite styles in Manga, I was surprised to discover his flair for writing. His characters are very interesting, and the fact that his answer to suicide is a paranormal romance is nothing less than fantastic. But then it leaves me questioning his motives as well. Could a boy realistically be drawn into such depths because of one person?Is Grace all that redeemable? Is Ashley left behind for selfish reasons in the end? Did we get the happy ending after all? It gives you a lot to think about, which - maybe unintentional - is good.

Beautifully drawn & great story to go with it!

I am a huge manga reader. I've read alot of manga books. For those of you who don't know what a manga is. It is a japanese comic book or graphic novel translated into English. Go With Grace's artwork is excellent! The best I've seen in many mangas I've read. The artwork is crisp & realistic. Expressions of the people were well drawn. Easy on the eyes. I can't give it enough praise on the artwork. The story itself is pretty good. I read it in one day. The ending is great. I wanted to read more after that!! If he writes any more books, I'm buying it! Hard to believe the author is 20 years old! Excellent work! Keep it up George!