The Adventuress by Audrey Niffenegger

The Adventuress is a graphic novel by Audrey Niffenegger. It tells the story of a girl created by an alchemist. She goes through many adventures. She is kidnapped by an older man, forced into marriage and escapes by burning down the house. Jailed for this crime, she weaves a cocoon and spends a winter in it, becoming a moth. She flies away and ends up with Napoleon Bonaparte. When he leaves to go to Russia, she finds she is pregnant. After having the child, she leaves when she finds out she has been betrayed in love. She ends up in a nunnery, where she dies.

This is an interesting book. I didn't realise that Niffenegger regards herself as a graphic artist. In fact, this was her first book, created during her college years when she studied graphic art. My only exposure to her before this was the wildly successful, The Time-Travelers Wife, which I enjoyed immensely.

The artwork is reminiscent of Gahan Wilson, who is one of my favorite cartoonists, and one of the reasons I subscribed to the The New Yorker magazine for many years. Niffenegger's scenes have the same spare style, that suggests much more going on behind the scenes. I enjoyed this look into her other talent. This book is recommended for fans of graphic novels.