Early Lucy Knisley! Nice, short travelogue graphic novel that captures the feel of living in and exploring a city for a month, while also highlighting some of the anxieties from early twenties-about-to-graduate feels. ( )

I enjoy Knisley's art, and I think I'd have enjoyed this more if I'd been in the mood to read a cozy lightweight book, or if I'd read it as a webcomic where there's less expectation of narrative cohesion.

As it was, I'd just read Knisley's more compelling (and recent) Age of License and was underwhelmed by this travelogue of food, art, and adolescent angst. She gets the small details right but I didn't feel it had any big ideas to convey.

And, yes, there was part of me that wanted to say, as her boyfriend does, "Stop whining and enjoy your five weeks in Paris." Which is not really fair; everyone deserves their angst, even privileged art school kids—it can just be challenging to translate this kind of angst into art.

It did inspire me to cook up a storm afterward, though! ( )

I'm really enjoying Knisley's work -- I enjoy the way she captures the everyday, the personal storytelling that is both deeply honest and quite funny, and the travelogue aspects of this book. Lots to enjoy in a slim package. ( )

Wonderful multimedia memoir about five weeks in Paris with Mom. ( )

It's basically a diary comic... Which is fine on the internet but as a published book I was expecting a through-story or something more. If I had also been to Paris then this might be a fun way to reminisce.

I also know that this is her first book, and the stuff she published later on her career (or puts online today) is a better read. ( )