Lucy Knisley’s latest food-themed graphic memoir recounts her adventures (some romantic) on a European book tour.
Acclaimed cartoonist Lucy Knisley (French Milk, Relish) got an opportunity that most only dream of: a travel-expenses-paid trip to Europe/Scandinavia, thanks to a book tour. An Age of License is Knisley’s comics travel memoir recounting her charming (and romantic!) adventures. It’s punctuated by whimsical visual devices (such as a “new experiences” funnel); peppered with the cute cats she meets along the way; and, of course, features her hallmark—drawings and descriptions of food that will make your mouth water. But it’s not all kittens and raclette crepes: Knisley’s experiences are colored by anxieties, introspective self-inquiries, and quotidian revelations—about traveling alone in unfamiliar countries, and about her life and career—that many young adults will relate to. An Age of License—which takes its name from a French saying—is an Eat, Pray, Love for the alternative comics fan.
About the Author
Lucy Knisley is a cartoonist and occasional puppeteer, ukulele player, and food/travel writer living in Chicago, IL. She is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Center for Cartoon Studies.
Praise For…
Knisley is a good artist and entertaining storyteller, and her rather typical tale rises well above the mundane. — Richard Pachter - Miami Herald
Knisley... continues to own the travelogue/graphic novel genre by bringing her characteristic humor and heart to this memoir of a summer in Europe. … The title comes from the French l’age licence -- the freedom to explore, experiment, and feel joy, all feelings beautifully captured here. [Starred Review]
— Publishers Weekly
…[T]he undertone [of An Age of License] is about learning to embrace periods of change to better understand the person you want to be. ... Knisley’s borderless pages and personal insights give the feeling of paging through someone’s drawn diary, and her delicate linework is lovely.
— Johanna Draper Carlson - Wisconsin State Journal
Lucy Knisley is one of the standout artist-writers of her generation, her storytelling assured and inviting. Her third book, An Age of License, picks up the themes of her first two books with increased sophistication. ... Further work from her pen can only enhance her fine reputation as an artist whose growth and exploits we delight to share.
— Paul DiFilippo - Barnes & Noble Review
Like the best travelogues, An Age of License shows you what it would be like to visit a place while reminding you that you can never have the same experience. If you liked her last book, Relish: My Life in the Kitchen, you should definitely check this out… This book is more thought-provoking than her other works, demonstrating growth and a challenge to readers to think about these things in their own lives.
— Johanna Draper Carlson - Comics Worth Reading
The cleverness here is how swiftly Knisley communicates everything... So much delivered so swiftly, so easily, Knisley’s chronicles always steering clear of both the sickeningly saccharin sweet and the angst-ridden. It nestles quite naturally in between, as light and as serious, as sad and as funny as real life often is. — Richard Bruton - Forbidden Planet International
An Age of License… has an immediacy to it that makes it… compelling…. Knisley composes each page carefully, leading the eye through a series of little moments that add up to a real story. …[M]y guess is that she will simply continue to mature as an artist and writer. An Age of License is already evidence of that.
— Brigid Alverson - Robot 6
Knisley is a pleasurable picture-maker… and she engages directly with the issue of privilege as it pertains to her ability to take trips like this one. — Tom Spurgeon - The Comics Reporter