Raven Girl

Raven Girl is the 4th graphic novel by American artist and author, Audrey Niffenegger. It was written/drawn as the beginning point for a new dance for the Royal Ballet in London. The story starts with a Postman who falls in love with a Raven. They have a child, the Raven Girl who wants to fly but cannot, until she encounters a man who can make it happen. This is a fairy tale with plenty of traditional elements (unusual unions, talking cats, a Prince, a happily-ever-after ending) but also some modern elements (nightmares about email, a plastic surgeon, a university education, literal empty-nesters and a laboratory). There is more text and less illustration than in Niffenegger’s earlier work, The Night Bookmobile, and the illustrations are perhaps of a lesser quality, but this is, nonetheless, an enchanting tale.