Notes on Lucky:

I had to push myself to get through Lucky #1. I found the first Lucky to be dry and dull. I was uninterested in the narrator and finished #1 feeling that I had learned absolutely nothing about the narrator (what she is about, where she comes from etc.) The one thing that I did enjoy about the Memoir over all is that there was drastic improvement in Lucky #2 and #3. It was as if the narrator put all three stories in order from least engaging to most engaging. What I enjoyed in particular was that I felt I could see growth in Gabrielle Bell’s story telling between #1, #2 and finally #3.

When I read stories, I want to become invested in the characters. I yearn to know their deepest, most dark secrets. I want to know about their intentions, why they do the things they do, whether I am interested in their actions or not. Lucky #1’s line drawings were so small that it was hard for me to read any expression on the characters faces. I found myself reading the dialogue/narration and looking at the characters faces, but unable to tell how they were feeling. I realized that in Lucky 1, Bell rarely put any eyebrows on her characters which made it particularly difficult to decipher tone with such small characters. I finished Lucky #1 feeling like the narrator was an artist who spent more time stressing about creating art than actually living her life and finding inspiration. It was frustrating to read about her struggles and her strange relationship with her partner (who I couldn’t understand if she was really emotionally invested in, or not. For example, some scenes like on page 25 where she tells him “You think this is easy for me? I have to put up with you!” after trying to comfort him make me unable to fully invest in her relationship or her character as a reader. And, again, the scene on page 28 where she fights with her boyfriend just confuses me because the narrator gives us absolutely no insight into her inner emotions. I was unable to understand her or empathize with her. The only part of Lucky #1 that made me think was the part about her nude modeling. Its interesting that both female memoires we have read so far include nude scenes. I found it interesting that she was forced to rely on her body as a resource for income.

I was immediately happy when I saw that there are 4 panels to a page (instead of 6) in both Lucky 2 and 3. I immediately also noticed a change in her narrating voice. All of a sudden, Bell lets us more into her inner world and thoughts. For example, on p53 we are able to sit with Bell in by the pond as she reflects. That type of reflection near the pond started to bring me a little closer to the narrator. Suddenly I felt like she was changing and that maybe my relationship with her was starting to change as well. On pg 65, I finally started feeling invested in the book. I love the advice that her friend gives her about art and finding inspiration.

In Lucky #3, I noticed a lot more facial expressions in Bell’s drawings. I loved the scenes where Bell is imagining/day dreaming and lets the reader in on her imaginative world (ex – pg 82 and p 85). I thought the empty thought bubble illustration was brilliant. This is the type of intimacy with the narrator that I was looking for in Lucky #1, but did not find. I also found the kissing panels at the end of Lucky #3 to be particularly charming. It wasn’t until Lucky #3 that I found myself flipping pages eagerly or smiling and laughing with the panels. While I did not enjoy Lucky #1, by the end of Lucky I found myself feeling connected to the narrator and interested in the illustrations. If nothing else, seeing Bell’s improvements through the series did provide me with some comfort.

- Shaina Patel