Honestly? Just read it. No, seriously.

I read this gorgeous story in one sitting, where we learn the connection between a sea postman and a Whale who has a library in her stomach. It contains the story of family, of knowledge, of friendship and of cruelty. Beware that this is an adult story, but it is <i>very<i> worth reading. It moved me to tears in 80 pages.

Don't miss this story.

What a great way to end the reading years! This graphic novel was phenomenal. There are so many layers to it, it was heartbreaking yet comforting at the same time. The prose was so magical and easy to read. I recommend this book to anyone looking for something that packs a punch, yet it fairly quick to read. Be ready to cry! It is a very emotional read too. Will definitely pick up a physical copy.

A very insightful read, from start to finish! The quality of Zidrou's writing is impeccable, and the beautiful primary color palette drawings that accompany it only improve the story. I only wish it could have been longer

When requested this book on Netgalley, I thought this will be simple reading for kids. Now, after finishing the book, I took second look and saw "A poetic fable for grown-ups full of wisdom and beauty, by two Belgian masters of graphic storytelling."

It is a beautiful book, indeed. Moreover for a book lover like me, this is the real dream of having a library full of books, inside a whale. Written like most European comics, it is artistically drawn, and contain deep wisdom.

This was a beautiful ( but) sad story. It was a very unique story I really enjoyed the art style, I thought I was very well done.

Wow! Amazingly beautiful story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book.

This was a very poetic comic book. At the beginning, I was a bit surprised because, contrary to usual, this story is mainly narrated, there are not so many dialogue bubbles.
The drawings are beautiful, not super detailed but very blue. I think they add poetry to this book. The development of the story clearly surprised me. I won't explain why so as not to spoil anyone but if you've read it, feel free to tell me if you felt that way at any point. That said, don't be afraid, it makes the story even more beautiful in a way.
I recommend to those who are looking for a poetic, slightly sad book.
3.5/5

This was such a sad and emotional story. Doesn’t start off that way, but omg that ending… I thought it was going to be a cute story about the friendship between a whale and a seaman mailman, but then I reached a certain part in the story and almost started crying 😂 This is a beautiful story about stories. I also felt like it had a very wistful tone. The art style was also very beautiful and dreamlike. But yea, this book literally made me cry over a whale.

4.5/5 Stars

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Whale Library by Script by Zidrou & art by Judith Vanistendael was an adult(?) graphic novel story that was a bit out of the blue and depressing frankly. Maybe I didn't know what this was, but it isn't what I thought it would be. I was expecting a sweet fantastical children's story about a library inside a whale. There was very little about the library or the whale and was mostly about the mailman's life. I wasn't expecting nudity either. After the ending, I failed to see the point of it all. The best thing I can say, is that it was mostly okay until the ending, and the art was lovely. This wasn't for me.

This was very weird and very sad and very beautiful which makes it feel very French (though the authors are Belgian).

A great example of why a "pciture book" does not equate a children's book as some people still think. Be aware that this book is graphic. There are entrails and beheadings and genitals (not all in one scene though, thank god). It suited the message focusing on the beauty of life and how death can be so senseless sometimes. Ultimately, I'd say this was a sad book. The end brought a little light back to the story, but it was a rueful hope, filled with knowledge of cruelty and injustice.

I'd be remiss not to mention the art itself. It carried so much beyond the words. The scenes of rowing across the water, humming a little tune, passing few others... the solitude settled on me as it did for the character. The bursts of color and humor inside the library / whale captured me, and I gazed at that tableau for a while. I found all the little delights of details and creatively imagined creatures that I could, and then I looked a little longer.

A bittersweet punch to the heart: that would be my tagline for this brief little story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a free copy. This is my honest review.

Out on the high seas lives a whale unlike any other, who spends her days reading stories to all who will listen, taken from the vast library hidden in her belly. When the whale bumps into a sea postman’s boat one fateful night, it’s the beginning of an extraordinary friendship. 

That is simply what this graphic novel is about, but it is so much more. It is rare a graphic novel or a comic can make me cry, but this one snuck up on me and did just that.

The beauty in between the covers is more than I can explain. The artwork is like the work of the masters, each page like a finely painted portrait. The story seems so simple. A sea mailman meets a whale with a library within its belly. But it is a story of loves. Yes, plural. Loves. The man loves his profession, delivering mail to ships out at sea. He loves watching as a lonely fisherman opens a letter from home or from a lover. He loves his wife, who wishes he didn’t take the risk to deliver the mail, but her love for him understands that he must go and for her love, he will always try to return. The love of his unborn child. Then we meet the whale, who has a love of books, a love of stories, and happy endings. They meet by accident, literally, and the whale gives him a book, beginning something wonderful. But even the cynic in me knows this cannot go on forever, and something sad must happen. But even when it happens, I still feel the sting of tears in my ears. Of sadness and of happiness of the gift the whale has given and the love the man carries in his heart.

I loved every moment of this short book and will read it again and again.
Highly recommended.

Thanks to @Netgalley, Europe Comics, and Zidrou for the opportunity to read this Arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

Bittersweet and poignant. The storytelling is masterfully lyrical, which only acts to perfectly complement to stunning illustrations. Fair warning: do not read in public, the ending made me sob.

The Whale Library is a beautiful poetic graphic novel aimed at adults. The illustrations are wonderful. Highly recommended.

The illustrations in this were beautiful. The pace was leisurely and had me feeling like I was floating along the ocean while reading the story. Very wistful.

A beautiful poetic and haunting book aimed towards the adults. The illustrations are fabulous. The writing is neat and your heart sways with the story line. Happy to read it.

It is a wonderful book, with reservations about some of the drawings that I did not find significant, but overall it is a sad and touching tale, although the beautiful whale never preferred sad endings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful poetic story with some good illustrations about a sea-postman who is making us discover his unrecognized difficult work and all the dangers that he might face after leaving his loved ones. Then, he made a chance encounter with a nice old whale who helps him get back home while she is asking him about things in his world and sharing with him her love for stories and books from her vast library that she carries in her belly , then she promises to meet him again in order to share more of her wisdom.

This is a book aimed for an adult audience, it was nice but the end gives you a good reminder slap about our harsh modern world but there is always a nice part to a sad ending that gives you hope and makes you feel better after all.

A postman for the sea mail service: what a great idea!

The Whale Library is a graphic novel narrated by a sea postman. His work is largely unrecognised. People forget that letters are delivered to and fro ships on the high seas. Sea postal workers face strange hazards: pirates, sharks, enemy submarines, dangerous weather, and whales. And it’s an encounter with the latter that shapes this story.

It’s not any old whale though, it’s a 100,000-year-old storytelling whale being pursued by whalers.

Judith Vanistendael’s illustrations are luminous: the reds and blues against white are striking. Hues deepen to reflect differences in mood, weather, and subject. I love the port scenes, the boats on shore, the yellow wellies, fishing rigamarole, and lighthouses.

There’s some sexy stuff here too: bathtub nudity and frollicking, which made me wonder just who the target audience is. There are darker themes and images of Caesarean section.

Gorgeous to look at, with tender and fantastical scenes - but at 80 pages, the story was over before my coffee was.

I did not enjoy this book. For me, it was hard to follow at times. I understand that the premise is probably to teach kids about the mailing processes, but I was expecting a cute tale about a whale from start to finish. I did love the art style though.

An intriguing book with absolutely stunning illustrations. There was a strange sex scene which felt a bit misplaced. The book told a lovely short story about the love of reading and libraries.