French Milk [Paperback]

Lucy Knisley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2008

Through delightful drawings, photographs, and musings, twenty-three-year-old Lucy Knisley documents a six-week trip she and her mother took to Paris when each was facing a milestone birthday. With a quirky flat in the fifth arrondissement as their home base, they set out to explore all the city has to offer, watching fireworks over the Eiffel Tower on New Year's Eve, visiting Oscar Wilde's grave, loafing at cafés, and, of course, drinking delicious French milk. What results is not only a sweet and savory journey through the City of Light but a moving, personal look at a mother-daughter relationship.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For her 22nd birthday—and her mother's 50th—Lucy Knisley and her mother went to Paris. For more than a month, they toured the City of Lights from their fifth arrondissement flat, exploring museums and cafes, taking photographs, eating pastries and drinking French milk, which Knisley says is sweeter than its American counterpart; she compares it with the influence we take in from our mothers. Knisley's first book is unquestionably a travel journal first and foremost: Lucy-the-writer is so close to Lucy-the-subject that at times the story lacks background and emotional complexity. But as a travel journal French Milk shines. Knisley's photographs from the trip punctuate sketches of her daily adventures and musings about graduating from art school, first love and having an adult relationship with her mother. Best of all are Knisley's portraits of home at the beginning and end of the book, which capture her childhood home and college life lovingly but with clear eyes. Knisley's cartoony drawings are pleasingly clean in one panel and tellingly detailed in the next. A word-of-mouth hit when it first came out in a self-published limited edition, French Milk will remind readers of their own early trips to Europe and of traveling in their 20s. (Oct.)
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Review

"A keenly observed letter back home...the pleasure Knisley takes in food and company is infectious." -- Douglas Wolk, slate

"Charming." -- Publishers Weekly

"Wonderful....Read it and you will not be disappointed." -- Whitney Matheson, Usa Today

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416575340
• ISBN-13: 978-1416575344
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #484,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paris here I come, October 25, 2008

By 

Elaine M. Sargent "book lover" (Reno, NV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: French Milk (Paperback)

I am very interested in travel, anything French especially Paris as I have not yet been and have always been interested in comics and cartooning so this book was a real treasure to find. I liked the simple style and also the musings on everyday things in life. I felt like I was on this trip with Lucy and her mom. I am planning on using it as a bit of travel guide, for when I finally make my trip, also as a mother/daughter team. I would love to read more books by her...how about one set in NYC - my favorite place in the world!

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming Paris Mother/Daughter Travelogue, November 3, 2008

By 

Rachel Kramer Bussel "Cupcakes Take the Cake ... (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: French Milk (Paperback)

The Glass Castle author Jeannette Walls once told me that memoir should be universal, and I've kept that in mind ever since when I read them. What I think she meant is that while a memoir is specific to the storyteller in the details, anyone should be able to relate to it, somehow. As I read Lucy Knisley's French Milk, I was struck by her storytelling, but also her age, use of photography, and that I could never write such a book, though I too have traveled to Paris with my mother.

The fact that her divorced parents are on good terms, a fact she casually drops in, resonated with me, especially when her father comes to join them for a brief visit during their six-week trip. This would never happen in my divorced family, and it made me, briefly, jealous--again, this goes back to Walls's maxim; my life circumstances may not be the same as Knisley's, but hers caused me to reflect on my own. She also exhibits a particular pride and faith in her work (with the occasional doubts), one that I still struggle with in my early thirties. Her dedication to her art and the creation of this book are apparent. Other moments are brief but powerful, such as going up the Eiffel Tower on a particularly windy day, where Knisley writes, "You could feel the tower move in the wind and see the birds blown off course."

I was torn as to the value of the photographs she included; at first, I thought there was something unfair about it, but then I came upon one of her kissing a wall and realized there was no other way to capture that moment, at least, not so thoroughly. The photos are used sparingly, without comment, filling in gaps in her story, fleshing them out and creating what feels more like an intimate scrapbook than a memoir, albeit an accessible one.

French Milk is a travelogue, and as such, sometimes the details of each meal become less interesting toward the end. But it's Knisley's personality, and little details that make this book so charming, whether it's the odd characters she meets or her feeling low on a particular day or railing against a piece of bad art, going so far as to name the artist, who's made a rendition of Paris Hilton, by name.

I finished the book a bit jealous of Knisley's closeness with her mother, and impressed that she managed to finesse both the details and the bigger picture, a portrait of a young woman just starting out in "the real world," but taking a detour to a city full of pastries, lush dinners, cemeteries, art and adventure before she does so. French Milk will appeal to Americans who've, like Knisley, fallen for Paris, and those looking to recapture their college traveling days. As for me, I'm giving a copy to my mom, and hope that our travels are as fruitful.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, yes!, May 30, 2009

By 

Mary Rack (Kansas, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: French Milk (Paperback)

As a francophile and frequent visitor to Paris, I identified with so many of the author's experiences and observations. Walking home from the Eiffel Tower early New Year's morning - yes! Having an amazing dinner at a small unpretentious restaurant after being turned away from a trendy one - yes! An altogether enjoyable read.