Synopsis
Chronicles the struggle for power and privilege of the Arnheim, Ober, and Kayn families as each tries to ensure its family's future with marriage and children.
Reviews
Eisner, a comics creator since the 1930s (he is best known for the masked crimefighter the Spirit), has turned in recent years to depicting Jewish life in America in the first half of the twentieth century. This multigenerational saga follows the socially prominent Arnheim family for nearly a century as they parlay a corset-manufacturing firm into a lucrative stock brokerage. Boorish son Conrad marries the daughter of a wealthy Midwest banker, giving the Arnheims access to capital; in trade, the bride's family gets prestige. The characters are all one-dimensional, and there isn't much nuance in the story, which relies on such staples of melodrama as sudden heart attacks and a no-good, alcoholic younger son. This is pretty old-fashioned stuff, reflecting a sensibility somehow appropriate to the period and subject. Eisner's current drawing style is less illustrative than before but more expressive; he now achieves his greatest effects through eloquent facial expressions and dramatic body language. In addition to libraries' graphic novel collections, Eisner's recent work should be considered for Jewish-studies collections. Gordon Flagg
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The legendary Eisner (b. 1917) created one of the most celebrated and enduring series of comics' Golden Age, The Spirit (1940-52); wrote an important analysis of the medium, Comics and Sequential Art; and is credited with coining the term graphic novel to describe his 1977 book A Contract with God (actually a book of four short stories). The Eisner Awards are named after him, and this book won him one-the 2002 Eisner for best new graphic album. It tells the story of the Arnheim family, German Jews who immigrated to America in the mid-1800s, through four generations of wealth, death, disaster, and marital strife. Eisner's vividly expressive characters show the reader the lives of immigrant families who suffer from "the uncertain feeling of being Jewish in a Christian world," as Eisner puts it. Mature situations and themes make this most suitable for adults, for whom it is highly recommended.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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