Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds

Utterly enchanting, I'd had Posy Simmonds' Gemma Bovery on my wishlist for some time and this is exactly the kind of graphic novel I like, no superheroes, no magic powers, no parallel worlds, just life, warts and all, but beautifully observed and drawn, gentle humour and observations, just like a classic novel.

Tamara Drewe is a small village girl writing a newspaper column, a kind of minor it girl, and this is in some ways about her but just as much about the cast of characters gathered around the writers' retreat she lives next door to, about unsuitable boyfriends, teenage obsession, philandering husbands, the misguided actions of bored village teenagers and a happy ending that has nothing to do with sterotypes and obsessions. Kind of midsomer murders comes of age, a real joy to read