THE COLOR OF HEAVEN

The final—and best—installment of manhwa artist Kim’s moving trilogy chronicling the coming of age of a girl in pastoral Korea, based loosely on his mother’s own youth. As summer comes to a close, the strikingly cinematic opening finds Ehwa bidding a hurried farewell to the handsome wrestler who caught her eye in the previous installment (The Color of Water, 2009). Her lover heads off to work as a fisherman, and Ehwa returns to her mother’s tavern and begins an autumn of discontent. She’s testy to friends and fresh with her mother, but most of all, she’s frustrated by the distance between herself and Duksam. Winter arrives, bringing with it not only Duksam’s unexpected return and plans for a spring wedding but also the artist’s stark, crisp winter landscapes. As Ehwa and her mother prepare for the traditional ceremony, the nuanced nature metaphors and fertile scenery evoke the melancholy of change. This title, more than its predecessors, blends achingly beautiful artwork with a well-paced story—as fully realized, finally, as the heroine the artist has created. (discussion guide) (Graphic novel. 14 & up)