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This book appears to be written in medieval times, yet the butterfly is talking about a "sale" and "all things must go" and singing "won't you come home Bill Bailey." I sort of got the feeling that the butterfly was on drugs - or maybe it was the author. I was not very impressed with this book. I thought at the beginning that the Unicorn would be a character I could enjoy, but she turned out to be not very nice either. The characters were not very likeable and they didn't even seem to like each other. I came very close to not finishing the book after the scene with the butterfly. I don't think there were any happy people or animals in this book at all, come to think of it.but, to each his own. You should give the book a try if you are interested.
On this adventure, she learns about the Red Bull who drove the unicorns away, gets captured in a traveling sideshow, meets a kind and loyal magician named Schmendrick and a woman named Molly Grue who join her journey, is turned into a human, and ultimately learns the truth about the unicorns.MY THOUGHTS:If you have no patience for florid language and abstract descriptions, then this is not the book for you. Schmendrick was a good-natured bungling wizard who occasionally had an off day. In other words, the story felt real. Just about everyone sings something at some point, ranging from the silly and nonsensical to the melancholy.SHORT SYNOPSIS:A unicorn residing in a lilac wood overhears two huntsmen discussing the existence of unicorns. Throughout the text we're reminded that the unicorn is the most beautiful creature, much of which is her own musing, and when she's turned human, she's incredibly distraught because she's mortal and dying, and therefore no longer beautiful.* Point 3: This book is a musical without the sheet music.
Beagle enjoys writing lyrics, hand them this book. Together the characters all complemented each other well.The story had a nice flow, though I will admit some parts tended to slow down, but it wasn't so bad that I could put the book down and never want to pick it up again. The textures, the aromas, and the sounds all revolve around the things that grow and thrive in nature; shifting from air to sea to fire to earth to metal, and sometimes intermingling.* Point 2: The unicorn is rather vain, but in such a way that her vanity seems justified. Nearly every sentence is rife with similes and adjectives and adverbs.
Intellectually I knew the story was fiction, but deep inside, in a place that's usually lost to age, it was completely believable.Each character was built with a perfect balance of strength and weakness. And the indomitable Molly Grue, the voice of cool reason and support. When the unicorn learns that she's the last of her kind, she embarks on a journey to find her kin. In any other story, I'd probably admonish the author, but for The Last Unicorn, it works. Those sections gave me a moment to breathe so I could put the book down for the night get some rest and come back to it another day.
THREE QUICK POINTS:* Point 1: Nature plays a large role. For instance, the unicorn is vain. In the beginning, the vanity seems justified to an extent, but when she's transformed into the Lady Amalthea who now has human emotions and desires, that justifiable vanity becomes arrogance, mainly to disguise her fear. It was the off days that made him so relatable. Who truly knows. Frankly, I was glad that the book took a little longer than usual to read because I wanted to prolong the story. If anyone had any doubts that Mr.
Even when it ended I felt a little sad because I wanted to continue on with each character on their journeys.I also need to mention that this is not a typical happily-ever-after fairytale either. It brightened up the narration, even in the dreariest of passages.From the very first page, I was sucked into the fantasy, into a completely different world possibly long ago or existing parallel to this one. What I do know is that I felt as though I were standing right next to the unicorn throughout her entire journey and meeting the same creatures and people that she did and escaping from the same dangers. The opposite, actually. A difficult decision needed to be made at the end and it left me a bit heartbroken, but satisfied.
Beagle writes beautifully and charmingly, almost poetically, and The Last Unicorn is worth reading for that reason alone. It does seem that Beagle is more interested in raising what he obviously feels are important questions about existence and self than with engaging the reader on the basis of plot. The eponymous unicorn sets out with several human companions to find the rest of her kind and to confront numerous obstacles, including the monstrous Red Bull. The Last Unicorn is a 1968 fantasy novel by Peter S. But anyone who appreciates excellent writing will find it well worth his or her time. They're the kinds of things that fantasy storytellers make up as they go along.
While The Last Unicorn is filled with emotion and imagination and post-modernistic self-discovery, the events that transpire aren't particularly remarkable.
The novel is humorously anachronistic in places, and it's sprinkled profusely with little literary delights: a turn of phrase here, a choice of word there.
The Last Unicorn is not for everyone.
Beagle.
And there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not the kind of thing a lot people like to read, nor is it something that many readers often come to fantasy fiction for.
It's delightful just to read Beagle's sentences.
But the story itself is less than compelling, which can make the novel too easy to put down.
People who think of it as Beagle himself does are likely to find it profound; others may find it shallow.
My daughter loved the movie and wanted to read the book. She loved it.
One of the best fantasy books of all time -- don't let the subject matter fool you; this book is as enjoyable for an adult as for a kid. Even moreso, perhaps, because an adult reader will pick up on the subtleties -- themes of hope, despair, of the endurance of mystery and fantasy in the world, of what it means to be noble and heroic, or how to find one's place in the world -- and a few touches of truly wonderful metatheatricality. So very highly recommended.
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