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Jul 07, 2016otterno11 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
After following Lucy Knisley's introspective and relate-able webcomic “Stop Paying Attention,” for some years, and I began to take a look at her published work. While I enjoyed “French Milk,” a graphic journal of Knisley's 2007 trip to Paris with her mother, it may have gotten just a bit too self indulgent for two hundred pages, however quick and pleasant a read it might be. “French Milk,” really succeeded in making me want to go to Paris (and caused me to think fondly back upon my own European adventures that same year) to eat the delicious food (though I might pass on the foie gras) and go to museums. The story is less about her trip to Paris, her insights on French culture, or even her relationship with her mother, and more about her own thoughts on art, fears of getting old and failing, and other personal quirks. This might be a bit less noticeable in a webcomic but can get a little forced in a full book. Still, I do enjoy getting insight into the life of another person expressed in comic form, especially when I have entertained ideas myself. Her art is very nice, simple and cartoonish, yet great at expressing unstated feelings and atmosphere (though drawings of foie gras piled plates can get old). The photos of the trip included also really let the reader get a feel for the trip, or at least make it seem like the record of a good vacation. If I ever do find myself in France, I will definitely try out the milk just to see if it is really that superior to the American stuff, and the same is true for Knisley's other work