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The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes
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The Times I Knew I Was Gay (2018)

by Eleanor Crewes (Author), Eleanor Crewes (Illustrator)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
21510124,823 (3.71)5
A stumbling and shuffling account of stumbling and shuffling through coming out as gay. It's a pleasant enough read, but falls just a smidge outside the zone of "like" for me due to the lack of flow in the story and art. That may be due to the format of having only one or two images on each two-page spread and having to turn pages repeatedly to compete a single thought.

This 320-page 2020 edition is an expanded version of a 2018 edition that had only 120 pages. I searched for some images of the 2018 pages and see that in the conversion Crewes sometimes cut an original image in two horizontally, made adjustments to any overlapping word balloons and figures, and pasted the resulting halves on opposing pages in the 2020 version. Some other material seems to have been deleted or redrawn. I wonder if I would have preferred that take on the material? ( )
  villemezbrown | Nov 1, 2020 |
Showing 10 of 10
2.25 ( )
  Moshepit20 | Oct 29, 2023 |
To me, reading this book felt a lot like reading a poetry collection; I couldn't read too fast or I'd miss something important. I related to Crewes a lot while reading it. I feel that many white queer western women may relate because of the heteronormative cultures that we're brought up in that help us internalize so much nonsense. It was also nice to read a coming out story that wasn't entirely linear. Crewes talks about coming out multiple times and how long it took her to finally accept that she was gay. This is a fantastic Pride Month read. ( )
  BarnesBookshelf | Jan 29, 2023 |
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
  fernandie | Sep 15, 2022 |
Episodic graphic novel about a young woman's gradual understanding of her own sexuality. Love the representation for those of us who didn't really think about it when we were young and discovered these sorts of things as we grew. Or maybe just assumed one identity and then had to find a way to a better fitting one later? I don't know -- I haven't seen it so specifically laid out like that before, and this book is successful about telling that story. I think the somewhat stark style works quite well. ( )
  jennybeast | Apr 14, 2022 |
gradual self acceptance
  ritaer | Mar 12, 2022 |
well this is fine, and sweet by the end, but is probably three, maybe even four, times as long as it needs to be. not in terms of editing things out, but the blank space takes up more than the words or drawings seem to. this is less of a book and more of a short comic or long zine. i'd like it to have more content but with less wasted space; there's a lot of areas where she could have given us so much more detail. just about everything is brushed lightly over, where more would have been, well, more. the drawings were also lacking for me, in that just about everyone looked the same, and so i wasn't sure sometimes if it was her, her friend, her mom, or who i was looking at. i think simple drawings work for a book like this, but i needed more distinction between the characters, or some identifying characteristic of everyone so that i knew for sure who i was seeing.

i do think the story of a nonlinear coming out, or one where it happens over and over again for years before the person is comfortable with it and believes it themselves, is an important story to tell. and one that i'm sure many people would find affirming. so i wish this was just a little better done. ( )
2 vote overlycriticalelisa | Dec 19, 2021 |
A stumbling and shuffling account of stumbling and shuffling through coming out as gay. It's a pleasant enough read, but falls just a smidge outside the zone of "like" for me due to the lack of flow in the story and art. That may be due to the format of having only one or two images on each two-page spread and having to turn pages repeatedly to compete a single thought.

This 320-page 2020 edition is an expanded version of a 2018 edition that had only 120 pages. I searched for some images of the 2018 pages and see that in the conversion Crewes sometimes cut an original image in two horizontally, made adjustments to any overlapping word balloons and figures, and pasted the resulting halves on opposing pages in the 2020 version. Some other material seems to have been deleted or redrawn. I wonder if I would have preferred that take on the material? ( )
  villemezbrown | Nov 1, 2020 |
All I have to say is that this is simultaneously relatable and a little sad. The number of times she felt the need to go back into the closet was a little unfortunate, but it's definitely not uncommon. I'm glad she worked it out in the end and some of the scenarios were pretty dang funny regardless.

Recommended for anyone interested in a non-linear coming out story in graphic novel form. ( )
  kitlovestea | Oct 20, 2020 |
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay was my first time reading a graphic memoir, and I really enjoyed the experience! It was an interesting way to tell a really important story, and I think the illustrations were able to show another layer of the author's life. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell who was who, so I was often confused as to who the images were supposed to be depicting. A lot of the characters looked very similar, and I think the sameness detracted from the overall appeal of the book.

Additionally, this story was mostly highlights, so it was like watching a 15 second Reel on Instagram. You only get a glimpse of the whole picture, and I would have liked more details and interactions with people. I get more out of a single comic issue (roughly 20 pages) than I did out of the 320 pages of this book. It made it hard to connect with the author/main character and the story they were trying to tell. I do think this book will be something a lot of people can relate to, but it lacked a certain oomph. A very interesting concept though!

Eleanor Crewes shows the world that there are a lot of different ways for people to "come out," and that sometimes it happens more than once. Maybe you admit it to yourself in the shower one day, but don't mention it again for several years when you're shopping with your best friend. It may be another couple of years before you're able to talk to your parents about it, or list it on your social media pages. It's different for everyone, and no one should feel bad about the road they have to take to get there. There is no "right way" to discover yourself and who you're meant to be. (★★★⋆☆)

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Bloglovin' | Amazon | Pinterest ( )
  doyoudogear | Oct 3, 2020 |
A graphic memoir about coming of age, coming out, finding yourself - and Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Content warning for sexual harassment, homophobia, panic attacks, and eating disorders.)

As a kid, Ellie always felt different: she was more comfortable in pants than dresses and skirts (and even insisted on wearing trousers to her Communion); went through an extended Goth/emo phase; preferred ghost stories and manga to romance novels; was hardcore into Buffy, maybe even before it was cool; and feigned a romantic interest in boys when really she just wanted to be their friend. The Times I Knew I Was Gay is an autobiographical look at her teenage and young adult years, and follows her as she comes of age - and comes out.

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-01.jpg

In some ways, the title is misleading; Ellie doesn't have (m)any big "AHA!" moments when she realizes that she's gay. And when she does get an inkling of the truth, she's more likely to dodge and weave instead of confronting her sexuality head-on. For example, there's a great scene where she comes out to her two closest friends at university, drunkenly on New Years, only to never speak of it again...for another two years. In the meantime, she continues to perform heteronormativity, prowling for guys on Tinder, only to find ridiculously minor, Seinfeldian reasons to break up with them when things start to get too serious.

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-02.jpg

When a self-imposed ultimatum finally does force her out of the closet for good, she's met with love and support by her family (ngl, these scenes did it to me).

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-03.jpg

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-04.jpg

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-05.jpg

But she's a little disconcerted to find that the dating scene is still messy and sometimes disheartening, if for slightly different reasons.

Spoiler alert: things end up pretty alright.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay is a charming, relatable story about a "weirdo" (I say that with love, from one outsider to another) trying to find her place in the world - and realizing that it's a much easier journey to navigate when you're being true to yourself. There's a big, mushy heart at the center of this story, and plenty of humor to help soften some of the sharper edges.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2020/10/06/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-by-eleanor-crewe... ( )
  smiteme | May 20, 2020 |
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