About this title: Taking as her inspiration the famous "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries (which date from the 16th century), Tracy Chevalier writes a deeply researched historical novel about their creation, going into the minds and lives of the men who designed and executed the tapestries as well as the into the events of the time.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780007140909ISBN:0007140908
Description: Good. GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Imprint unknown
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780007743995ISBN:0007743998
Description: Good. PAPERBACK BOOK-GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780007140909ISBN:0007140908
Description: Fine. EXCELLENT CONDITION-READ ONCE CAREFULLY-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
Description: Very Good. No major defects-unabridged, clean, complete, not falling apart; some light wear. A perfectly good reading or reference copy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Plume Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780452285286ISBN:0452285283
Description: Very Good. No major defects-unabridged, clean, complete, not falling apart; some light wear. A perfectly good reading or reference copy. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780007140909ISBN:0007140908
Description: Good. The book is slightly dirty. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780007140916ISBN:0007140916
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780007140909ISBN:0007140908
Description: Good. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780007140916ISBN:0007140916
Description: Good. This is an EX-LIBRARY COPY. We only offer carefully selected, quality books, in this category. The normal stamps and labels may be present and the front flysheet has been tidily removed. The supplying library will benefit financially from your purchase. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Description: Good. Ships from the UK. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780007140916ISBN:0007140916
Description: Good. * BOOKS DISPATCHED WITHIN 24 HOURS * SATISFACTION GUARANTEED * ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED PROMPTLY * SHIPPED FROM UK * USA DELIVERY IN 3-5 DAYS * SHIPPED FROM UK: USA & EUROPE SPECIALISTS DELIVERY IN 3-5 DAYS. read more
"My initial assessment of The Lady and the Unicorn remained true throughout the rest of the book. It was alright, but not the good piece of historical fiction I was expecting. The best parts were when we're taken to Brussels (home of the lissier and his family) and get inside the heads of the people who live there. Alienor was my favorite character, she's charming, stubborn, sympathetic, and independant. She makes her own future to save herself from a dismal life with a man she cannot stand. She is the true central part of this book, but she doesn't emerge until a third of the way through. If it had been more about her and her family, I think I would have liked it better. We're intially introduced to Jean Le Viste and his family; his daughter Claude is one of the main characters in the beginning, but a) she's not very likeable, and b) she disappears for the whole middle section of the book and only surfaces briefly once before the very end. Additionally, the character of Nicolas has some motivational problems. On one hand, he's an arogant, cheap womanizer who seduces anything with breasts and can't wait to "plow" Claude in her fathers house. On the other, he's a likeable, charming, struggling painter who saves Alienor from a life of misery. Make up your mind, fellow. I felt that the language was a little too obnoxious at parts, especially with the times of prayers and the holidays. Sext, May Day, Ascension Day, Candlemas? These mean nothing to me so it's hard to tell what the real passing of time is. I understand they're part of the language, so I got over it, but toward the end they resurfaced a lot. And the characters voices and language when they were talking to each other also seemed unrealistic at times. There's a clear plot device (petite Claude) that is meant to shock the reader; but we're not stupid and it falls flat. Overall, I wasn't a fan, nor was I wholly disappointed with this book. It wouldn't be the first one I'd recommed, but I've read worse."
"Even though I would call this "Historical Fiction Lite" I still really enjoyed it. When I think of good historical fiction I think of Margaret George or Phillipa Gregory; this is way fluffier than those books but also an easier and quicker read. I think I even liked this a bit better than Girl with A Pearl Earring because it was told from many different characters' perspectives which always gives you a better view of the characters. It was also more humorous, for example Nicholas De Innocents' name is funny because he was certainly far from innocent. Other reviews have described it as bawdy but I found those sexual references humorous. The descriptions of the weaving process and how that family interacted with others and each other was interesting; and it was nice to see those middle class women take their destinies into their own hands instead of letting life just happen to them like Claude, the nobleman's daughter. If you look at the artwork itself (the 6 different tapestries depicting the 5 senses and "A Mon Seul Desir") you will notice that the lady in each tapestry is different and it supports the story that Chevalier tells of how the characters that we slowly learn about are woven into the tapestries."
"I expected something in the vein of Girl with a Pearl Earring and it was something totally different. It lacks Girl...'s poetic and romantic atmosphere, but The Lady and the Unicorn was a pleasant summer read. I enjoyed reading about the tapestries, the way weavers worked in 15th-century Belgium, and I liked this interpretation of an existing piece of art. The characters were likable enough, even though the plot sometimes switches from one to another in a rapid manner.
There are also some negative elements I'd like to point out: the narration is sometimes strangely worded. I think it's due to the author's effort to have the characters speak French... in English. Also, random racy moments are random (and sometimes funny - I don't think that was done on purpose, though). There are some stereotypes that kinda make you cringe, but the moral of the story is nice, even if it's totally hackneyed.
In spite of all this, I enjoyed this novel and looked forward to reading the next chapter every time I closed the book, and that's enough for me :)"
"Capitalizing on the immense success of her Vermeer novel, Chevalier applies the same formula to a medieval tapestry. She creates a cast of characters -- the painter, the family that commissioned the work, the family of weavers that actually manufacture it -- and weaves a set of interlocking stories around them. It's hard for me to criticize this book because I did enjoy it. I finished it in a couple of hours and at the end I'd learned quite a bit about tapestries and how they were made and about the lives of the people who made them. It's an easy read -- maybe a bit too easy. If I give it only three stars, it's because I closed the last page with the feeling that I'd just consumed a somewhat insubstantial meal. I was never fully engaged with the characters and I never really cared what became of them."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
