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Reviewed by: Theresa
Rating: 7/10
Genre: Fiction
250 pages/2004
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The Lady and the Unicorn
by
Tracy Chevalier
Tracy Chevalier has written such wonderful books as
Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Virgin
Blue. So I was very excited when The Lady and the
Unicorn was released. However, it was a bit
disappointing, perhaps because she had high standards
to live up to.The Lady and The Unicorn takes place in the 15th
century and features Nicolas des Innocents, who has
been commissioned by the Parisian nobleman Jean Le
Viste to design a series of large tapestries for his
home. While he is working on the tapestry he meets a
young girl who he is attracted to, only he doesn't
know it's the nobleman's daughter, which puts his life
in a bit of a tailspin. The book puts us in the
middle of his life, trying to fit in at court,
designing the tapestry and finding inspiration through
his love for women. This book is a fictional work
about what really inspired these unicorn tapestries
that now hang in a Paris museum.
I did for the most part enjoy this book, it was a
fun, light read. Since it took place in the 15th
century, I found the difference in lifestyles from
modern day quite interesting. The characters were
easy to like and you did want to get to know more
about them. Also, a bit of the unicorn tapestry is on
the cover of the book, so it's interesting to look at
it and then get inside the author's imagination for
her story of how they might have been created. It's
what she's had success with in her previous books,
however I got the feeling the author is trying to
recreate the magic of Girl with a Pearl
Earring and that she's struggling to find originality
and something worth writing about.
This book was so simple, you can boil it down to a man
and his sexual escapades. That's what I kept thinking
about as I was reading. It lacked substance. Even
though each chapter is told by a different character,
I'd have liked to see more focus on the women's lives
and the families he comes in contact with. I felt
that was missing. I enjoy it when there is more than
one strong story in a book... Nevertheless, it kept
me reading, the 250 pages goes by quickly.
Overall this book was a decent read. Maybe because
Girl with a Pearl Earring was so
extraordinary, I'm just spoiled. I think it's a book
worth checking out.
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