Dog lovers like me will definitely love the story of Maria and her 12-year-old dog, Sartre, in this graphic novel by Europe Comics. The Chihuahua died in an unfortunate accident just like Maria's fiancé, Romualdo, and she thought that the dog was sent by the former to be her companion. Maria is a soft-hearted and has unconditional love for all animals, hence, she treats Sartre just like her own son.

The recollections of Maria and Sartre will touch the hearts of everyone especially those who are a dog-people. Aside from that, the bond of Maria with her friends Anastasia, Ricarda, and Dora is quite entertaining to read especially on how they help one another for over fifty years. The pain and suffering that Maria has to endure because of the tragic deaths of two of Maria's loved ones dissipated immediately because of how she was supported by her friends.

Also, the ending is absolutely shocking because it is quite unexpected. I didn't foresee that surprising conclusion to the story and I reckon those who have read this had a similar reaction.

This is a beautiful story about an elderly lady called Maria Fuencisla who dotes on her tiny, ugly chihuahua. This dog is the centre of her life because it has helped her come to terms with the loss of her husband. Unfortunately one day the inevitable happens, there is a tragic accident and the small dog dies and Maria is sucked into immobilizing grief.

Her friends rally round, supporting her as she grieves and helping her recover. As they do so we are taken back into Maria's past and we see how she became a philosopher and how she met and lost her only true love. We also discover the meaning of friendship and the kind of love and camaraderie that friends can bring. As the story weaves between the past and present we see how Maria's tragedies and losses echo each other, but despite this through the love and support of her friends Maria has hope.

As Maria comes to terms with the loss of her dog, the friends involve her in their own lives and we get to see how this group of women have supported and loved each other for many years and how their future is also intertwined.

This is such a beautiful story with excellent art. The art conveys such emotion and I could feel the joys and the pains of the characters in the story. I also enjoyed the way the story slowly progresses with twists, turns and surprises.

It is a well told story of life, love and loss and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. In fact I enjoyed it so much that this book will go on my list of exquisite reads for 2018.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.