I was floored by the beautiful artwork and body language. The love story I wasn't so taken by. Can you say placeholder? Emotional cheating? *Dora Explorer voice* basically, Ana married the safe choice, but her heart always pined after Zeno, who was a one-night stand back in her college days.

I'm all for second chances at love, but Giuseppe seemed like a placeholder. I still think it was a good choice for Ana. She wanted marriage and family (and a good reputation for politics), and Zeno wasn't going to give her any of those things. If they had an actual relationship before I'd understand, but she probably knew him a day tops.

Also, I felt a way about the portrayal of Bogdan - the only black character featured here. At worst, it feels like a racist caricature. At best, a portrayal of a mentally disabled character who misses the mark miserably. ( )

C'est simplement la meilleure BD que j'ai jamais lu. ( )

Tale told in reverse and it’s beautiful for having done so.

Clean simple line work that tells its story elegantly and romantically

I’m amazed at how quickly I was drawn in by the characters and each chapter added more layers to the characters by adding in backstory

( )

Always Never is the story of two old friends who spent one night together 40 years ago. The story is told in reverse order with the first pages devoted to their reunion. Each chapter a prequel until the final chapter which shows them meeting for the first time. The book consists of one volume. It was originally published in France in 2020 but was published in English in May 2021.

The story begins with Ana and Zeno finally retiring and giving their romance a chance to bloom while they both still have time left. Each chapter steps further back and shows the two lovers touch and go courting through phone calls and letters. Ana didn't wait long after Zeno left to find herself a husband. Zeno was a drifter who spent time on boats while he worked on his dissertation. He left behind a family owned bookshop that Ana wanted to destroy for a public works project. It took Zeno 40 years to complete the dissertation and as soon as he finished it he looked up Ana. Ana had just retired as the mayor of an Italian city that is remarkably similar to Venice.

The artwork consists of line drawings with bright color schemes. The drawings have a French flair even though the story takes place in Italy. The color scheme changed according the location that scenes were happening in. Pages depicting sunny days are colored in orange, a greenhouse location is colored in green and night time and rainy scenes are done in blues and purples.

Always Never is a fun senior romance. Highly recommended. ( )

Ana and Zeno have loved each other for a very long time. For decades, their paths have crossed each other’s lives. But Ana had her family and mayor’s responsibilities, and Zeno traveled the world’s oceans. But today, Ana is retired and Zeno is selling his bookstore. Maybe today is the right moment to begin their story ?

Always Never is an unconventional love story : the story begins chapter 20, where Ana and Zeno find each other again. Then the graphic novel goes backward up to chapter 1, where they meet for the very first time. Jordi Lafebre created an adorable romance with appealing characters. Romantic and intimate, we follow the protagonists’ everyday life, as they contact each other at different stages of their life.

Always Never is a graphic novel out of the ordinary with beautiful art and a sweet and poetic text. ( )