The Adventuress

Bought this for my 18yo budding graphic designer, she loves it. Is not a book in the sense of Time Travelers Wife, is definitely to be purchased for your interest in art.

The Adventuress is sparse and brilliantly complex. The plot of The Adventuress is difficult to describe without telling the story myself. I like this succinct description from my library's catalog: "The Adventuress follows the dreamlike journey of an alchemist's daughter." If you've read Niffenegger, you know how she plays with fantasy and reality in a magical way; The Adventuress is no different. Like The Three Incestuous Sisters, it's a unique format. It's most like a picture book for grown-ups. The artwork is mesmerizing, and there are several panels I would gladly use to decorate my walls. When I finished it (far too quickly), my first thoughts were simply, "wow." It's a quirky, smart, hauntingly beautiful story told with the a sparse use of words and mesmerizing and beautiful art.

"The Adventuress" is another one of Audrey Niffenegger's picture novels. This particular book was created during the mid-80's when Niffenegger was a student at The Art Institute of Chicago. The story follows the life of an alchemist's daughter who is kidnapped by an evil, salacious baron. She kills the baron and is imprisoned, but she manages to escape by turning into a moth and flying into Napoleon Bonaparte's garden. The two become lovers, and the alchemist's daughter becomes pregnant and gives birth to Maurice...a cat. Ultimately, the affair between Napoleon and the Adventuress meets a tragic end because of Napoleon's betrayal, but the story manages to end on a positive note. I really loved this book. It has a very similar feel as "The Three Incestuous Sisters," which is the other picture book that Niffenegger has released. There are very few words to the story, but the entire tale can be absorbed just by looking at the amazing images. I understand why other reviewers compare Niffenegger's work to that of Edward Gorey, but in my opinion, Niffenegger's images evoke much more emotion and passion than Gorey's ever did. I also want to mention how lovely the actual book itself is: the paper is absolutely gorgeous and the book is bound in lush dark green velvet. Lovers of fine art will appreciate this book, as will anyone else who takes pleasure in beautiful things.

Don't buy The Adventuress hoping to have the same sense of wonderment and awe that you felt when you finished The Time Traveler's Wife. It isn't that sort of book. The Adventuress is the second of Niffenegger's picture novels (that were mass produced at least. The first being the Three Incestuous Sisters), but it's the first one she wrote. In a footnote at the end of the book, she says it was made between 1983 and 1985 when she was a student at the Art Institute of Chicago. The book is beautifully bound, the pictures are amazing. Some of them I'd be tempted to cut out and frame if it wouldn't ruin the book. In the epilogue, she describes the process it takes to create these images and thanks the people who taught her the technique. The story, itself, isn't much of a story so much as words that take you through the story the pictures tell. The art itself is the story, so if the words she wrote before in her amazingly successful novel The Time Traveler's Wife are what drew you to this story, prepare to be disappointed. But if you want to see inside the mind of an artist, who can write as well as create, I think you'll be impressed. I didn't know what to expect, but knew that I liked her work and this book was a pleasant surprise. The Adventuress is indeed an adventure for those who have never seen the work of a visual artist in which the pictures themselves are the story. It isn't a graphic novel. The words are there to enhance the images, but the pictures themselves are the star. I don't know what to tell you, but to pick it up and take a look. You could read it in 15 minutes at Barnes and Noble and know whether or not you wanted to take the chance and buy it. Myself, I'll probably keep it out as coffee table book, because it would be a shame for her art to be hidden on a bookshelf.

This is Audrey Niffenegger's first book, which she did as a small print run back in the early 80's. It is very unique, beautifully and artfully illustrated, and very imaginative. This style of book is what Niffenegger has been doing for many years, and The Time Traveler's Wife opened the door for her to get these strange illustrated novels on the market. The story revolves around an alchemist's daughter (who he created) and the adventures of her life. To say any more would spoil the story, the text of which is very brief, sufficed to say that an important historical figure plays a crucial role. The story and illustrations are very much like Edward Gorey. The spine of the hardcover book is made of felt... this is a very beautifully packaged book in every way. At the end it says that Niffenegger is working on a new full length novel. Last year she released Three Incestuous Sisters. Hopefully we'll have a new one to look forward to next year.