Delving into the intriguing premise of forging connections through recycling, this novel sparks contemplation on the profound ties we share with our loved ones. Charlie, a compelling protagonist, embodies sweetness, naivety, and relentless dedication, navigating uncomfortable situations to assist those grappling with loss. This was an incredibly deep read, combined with beautiful art, it was a real treat!

Thank you so much to NG for the ARC.

There are surprising depths in this beautifully designed book, where I really liked the cover and the ink-effect drawings. We start in a situation similar to a typical multinational company, but the call centre employees are not dealing with complaints, but with the second life of the bodies of dead people. All this corporate atmosphere is enhanced by regularly introduced activities, as people spend time laughing, crying, walking and eating, while being mantraised about how important this is for their health. How absurd is that? But that's exactly why it caught me at first sight. Our protagonist is a stark contrast to the world, she stands out from the crowd just by moving, greeting everyone, being nice to everyone and always very enthusiastic. He is a real flower in the raging wind, trying to solve everything for his clients, but as a result he discovers the secrets that make the system work. At the heart of the story is the search for God and life after death. We walk through heaven and hell, and look behind the decisions. The only thing I might have skipped was the romantic storyline, but I found little else wrong with it. I highly recommend it.

Though this starts out light and is funny on the surface, The Many Lives of Charlie is deep and is such a fulfilling read.

Absolutely loved the illustrations and the book was great to read through. It was engaging, held my attention till the end and would be such a treasure in anyone's collection, if only for the brilliant artwork!

I don’t think this book was anything special to me really because I thought it was just drab. The arsehole didn’t really hit right with me and I just didn’t feel for the main character and it just didn’t hit as close as most of the things do so I probably won’t read another book from this if there is another one and are potentially might not read any more from this artist because I just don’t enjoy their art style and it just didn’t move me like it supposed to

Let me start my review by saying the artwork is beautiful. The story itself started out very odd but then ended on a sweet note. Maybe because this was translated from French to English and something was lost in translation? Overall it was ok. Even though I got approved from NetGalley (thanks to the authors and publishers) it never saved to my iPad so I had to buy a copy from Amazon.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the book for a honest review

‘The many Lives of Charlie’ was a super fun read 😋 the story was well written and I loved the art work

Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was super cute and such a fun read.

The art was gorgeous, you could feel the movement and the dynamism of the subjects.

Didn’t go where I expected at all, was such a treat.

Thanks to NetGalley for this, was such a nice book.

The premise is interesting -- what if we can hold on to our loved ones in our own way by recycling? Charlie is a fantastic character, sweet and naive and hardworking. He deals with incredibly uncomfortable situations, trying to help people dealing with the loss of a loved one.
The book gets dark and ends on a deep, profound note. I grew to love Charlie and the people he was attached to
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this beautiful graphic novel

Funny, profound, and inspiring.

With nothing negative to say about this easy-to-read book, I’ll say you should give it a try.

Bodies can be recycled, but all of it?

4.5*

The Many Lives of Charlie was a fantastic story! I was intrigued instantly when I read the synopsis "What happens to our loved ones when they die? No more funerals, because now we recycle! In an exuberant and swarming big city, Charlie, an employee at Eternal Recycle, is the best in his field: finding a use for your body after you die. But one day, a boy calls and asks him what has happened to his mother’s soul. Charlie is used to handling the bodies, but who takes care of the souls?"

What I wasn't expecting was the twist! (No spoilers - you just have to read it!) It was stunning, the artwork was beautiful and even the though the story was resolved, I think and hope there is more to come! Thank you to Netgalley, Kid Toussaint & Aurelie Guarino and Europe Comics for the ARC!

The Many Lives Of Charlie is an imaginative exploration of death and the afterlife illustrated in the most beautiful and heartwarming way.

The art style matched the tone of the story perfectly. The creators did a brilliant job of addressing what can be a difficult topic for many in an appropriately sensitive and insightful way.

The only downside for me was that I feel Charlie’s story could have benefitted from being a tad longer. The narrative arc that gets introduced in the last third would have been so much more impactful had it been given a little more time to develop. Nevertheless I still really enjoyed the overarching story and the themes explored and would recommend you give it a go.

I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested in a heartfelt and comforting tale of love, death and the afterlife.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the authors for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.5⭐

A somewhat lighthearted take on a deep and somehow unusual topic. I really liked the blend of ideas, from spirituality to a rather dystopian work-life balance.

The graphics fit the subject and the colouring is nicely done, its style progressing with the events. It feels like some parts lacked a bit of development and did not link together perfectly, but nevertheless a great story, both emotional and hopeful at the same time.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The fact that I read this in one go, felt every emotion and wanted to start reading it all over again when I turned the final page, says enough I think.

This comic.. It really has it all. Amazing illustrations, a beautiful, original, meaningful and funny story and the best main character. Charlie is such a super nice guy, he works at a company called Eternal Recycle. The work place satire had me laughing so hard! I mean there were even mandatory crying breaks! What they do there, is recycling the dead. I’m not going to spoil too much but a deep question Charlie gets asked one day by a customer, is the start of an amazing quest which results in so much more than I could have ever imagined!

I loved Charlie as a character, with his long pointy nose and perfect posture.

This graphic novel quickly makes you intrigued about the protagonist and his co-workers; Why is he so ignored, when he seems so genuine? Is there a big secret that his colleagues know that he does not? What’s the deal with his strange career and industry?

Not to mention characters he meets outside of work; Cookie the dog who seems to know him, the two dudes that keep knocking on his door in disguises to get him to sign up a range of faiths…

Very kooky, held my interest instantly.

Many questions were answered as you progress through the wonderful story.

I loved it.

”The many lives of Charlie” is a charming graphic novel with a beautiful ending. I loved the concept and the illustrations were beautiful. It felt a little rushed towards the end but other than that it was a lovely read!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with a copy, all thoughts are my own!

5/5 stars

"In a story, every character is important. Don't overlook anyone."

OMG!!! It's too early to say this, but this book is definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of the year. This is a story about life, death and what happens in between: love, hate, suffering, regret, loneliness and much more. It's a story about human life at its finest. I was, and still am, amazed by that idea, and the whole soul and reincarnation stuff was developed so beautifully I found myself in love with that world.
All characters are unique and contribute their bits to the comic; they all realize they've done wrong and learn from their mistakes in order to have a better life. I think that's what made me love this book, that it's not just about Charlie and his lives and troubles, but also about the people he crossed paths with during his life and the way they all learn to be better people.
On top of that, the illustration doesn't just accompany the writing. It is part of it as they both are one together and one couldn't tell the story without the other.

The concept of this graphic novel was very interesting, the drawings were very memorable and the story was quite memorable. I’m slowly getting into reading more graphic novels and I’m very glad to have found this one. It’s been such a pleasure reading it.

Starting seemingly as a story of struggles against corporate ennui and the question of where does the soul go when we die, this chramingly illustrated comic takes some twists and turns, becoming an unconventional reincarnation romance that's focused on the ties between our souls. Every page of this story was a visual delight, and Charlie in particular is quite adorable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5

How are we defined by the life we live?
As we live in a world dominated by different religions and beliefs about what happens when someone dies, the question of where a soul goes can leave many people debating. It can especially hit closer to home when you have a close relative die, something that happened to me recently this summer when my grandmother passed.

First off, I think the narrator Charlie was extremely charming, if not a bit naive. When he gets asked the question of where a young child's mother's soul went after she died, he realizes that he doesn't actually have an answer just yet. Afterall, who does?

The art was beautiful. Charlie obviously was a little goofy, but I think it fit really well with his character. It's not until you start getting a little later into the graphic novel that you realize how even the smallest thing has meaning throughout the story. This would be great to have a conversation about the concept of reincarnation or life after death.

I do think Winston could have had just a little bit more character development. It would've been really nice to see little hints as to how or who he was going to be later on in the story. It felt a little sudden when he started showing his true colors. I also feel that there could've been more background to show how Charlie was connected to Eleanor. I know the past is explained, but it felt like it was an afterthought that was created to show this beautiful connection in the story. There could've been some smaller hints throughout, so it didn't feel sudden. The pacing just felt a little off.

I also felt like having the Dad go on the journey with him a little more, perhaps acting as a sidekick, would have made what happened in the end a lot more impactful.

In the end, though, this was a nice, short read. This would be a perfect read for a book club, as there are many different questions that you can ask and discussions to be had. I think it would be interesting to see more stories develop in this universe as you meet different people and learn about their lives.

Or even let us go on an adventure with Charlie as we explore the many different lives he has lived.

Review also posted on StoryGraph, and soon on Instagram under tbrshelfreads

I am a huge graphic novel reader and when I read the description of this book, I was excited by the concept. To be clear, I really liked this idea but the execution of it left me a little dissatisfied. Perhaps because I am American, but I could immediately tell work was born of European minds because the two main characters have that existential, eternal longing/suffering/Sehnsucht thing going on. Which isn’t to say that’s necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not my personal preference.