How To Be Happy [Hardcover]

The success of this collection suggests that short pieces are likely Davis' m?tier, but what's here is so accomplished that it's natural to hope for a book-length work next time out....Though Davis' tales can be wildly different in look and narrative, they are united by themes of yearning, of characters searching for the thing that will make their lives better. ...Remarkable ... exquisite ...Lies! Deceit and rank mendacity! Eleanor Davis promises what current pop music insists is perfectly possible  that you can be happy  and then she doesn't deliver. Instead she draws comics full of hilarious surrealism, gut-tugging tropes and eloquent despair. How dare she? ... In her roundabout way, she dramatizes not the prospect of happiness, but the promise of it. Her natural territory is found in all the funny and tragic effects of that promise.[Starred Review] The excellence and variety of the art in this short comics story collection is matched only by the painful incisiveness of the stories, most circling around attempts both foolish and sincere to find happiness. Some of Davis's art styles are reminiscent of her children's books (Secret Science Alliance, Stinky)simple supple black and white line drawingsothers resemble Little Golden Books, bright blocks of colors and button nosed characters, but only as if written by Raymond Carver. ... A powerful collection that resonates with all the ills, real and imagined, of our modern life.This collection... is impressively varied and emotionally resonant. With images ranging from scratchy black-and-white line drawings to robust images saturated with color, Davis is comfortable in a variety of styles, carefully choosing each one to best fit her tone and mood....[Eleanor Davis breakthrough short story collectionEleanor Davis breakthrough short story collectionSad or happy, Davis is one of the greats. So is this book.Daviss brightly coloured, melancholic short stories catalogue different approaches to the form l£z