Dissapointing
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I consider myself a big fan of Girl With A Pearl Earring and so decided to read The Lady And The Unicorn as it covers more or less the same ground but with a different work of art... needless to say I was simply dissapointed. I am not a prude but I do feel that the books revolves far too much about the sexual relations of its protagonist with, well, pretty much every woman in the book - it's far too sexually graphic for my taste and I had to force myself to keep reading it. Truly a missed book in my eyes.
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A TAPESTRY OF MEDIEVAL LIFE AND ART...
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Once again, Tracy Chevalier, author of a number of well-written works of historical fiction, lets her imagination run wild, weaving her story around another actual work of art. In this book, the author builds her story around the series of medieval tapestries known as "The Lady and the Unicorn", currently hanging in a museum in France, creating a work of historical fiction that is somewhat interesting and moderately enjoyable. Although not as well written as her best selling novel, "Girl with a Pearl Earring", or even her debut novel, "The Virgin Blue", those who like their historical fiction with some romantic overtones will be pleased with the author's efforts.
Towards the end of the fifteenth century, a talented, handsome, and cocky painter, Nicolas des Innocents, is commissioned to design and paint scenes depicting the Battle of Nancy for a series of tapestries. His paintings would then be enlarged in preparation for having the images woven into tapestries by a master weaver in Brussels. The commission is given to Nicholas by a prominent French nobleman, Jean Le Viste, a cold man who is given to self-importance and wishes to memorialize his status, as his star is on the ascendancy in the Royal Court.
Nicolas soon discovers, however, that it was Jean Le Viste's wife, Genevieve de Nanterre, who suggested him for the commission. She lets him know, however, that she does not wish for the tapestries to depict the Battle of Nancy but, rather, scenes of a lady and a unicorn. Genevieve de Nanterre, a pious and unhappily married woman, leaves it to him to convince her husband that this new idea should replace the Battle of Nancy as the subject of the tapestries. Nicolas manages to do this, and so it begins.
Nicolas is not only a fine painter but also a confirmed lothario who falls for Le Viste's daughter, a beautiful teenager named Claude. Of course, Nicholas has already dallied with Marie-Celeste, one of the household's maids with the usual, not unexpected, result, a fact that will eventually lead to some serious personal consequences for him. Meanwhile, Genevieve de Nanterre, who would rather be a nun than married to Jean Le Viste, discovers that her daughter reciprocates the painter's passion. Claude is ultimately shipped off to a nunnery to repent for her sins and to remain chaste until a suitable betrothal may be made for her. Genevieve's motives in doing so, however, are not wholly altruistic.
Eventually, Nicholas travels to the workshop of master weaver Georges de la Chappelle, who has been selected to convert the paintings to tapestries. Nicholas meets with cartoonist, Philippe de la Tour, to ensure that the tapestries stay true to his paintings and that the process of enlarging them does not substantively change his seductive design. Of course, his stay in Brussels is made more pleasant by the fact that Georges de la Chappelle has a lovely daughter named Alienor, who is ripe for the picking. Unfortunately, her father, for business reasons, wishes to marry her off to the local tanner, a smelly brute whose noxious scent is a result of an expected occupational hazard. Unbeknownst to them all, however, Alienor has a secret admirer, whose love will eventually make right all that goes wrong.
This is a mildly entertaining novel in which the underlying theme is seduction. The tale is told from the perspectives of each of the main characters through individual first person narratives. The lives of some of them become intertwined, because Nicolas des Innocents has come into contact with them. The story describes their lives and loves, as well as the impact that their lives have on the actual tapestries. The novel also gives a good deal of interesting information on the weavers' guild of the time and its practices, as well as information on the painstaking art of weaving high quality tapestries, such as that of "The Lady and the Unicorn".
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very disappointing
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I bought this on the basis of the positive reviews. Clearly loads of people love it so perhaps you will too, but I suggest you think twice if you prefer classic or challenging fiction. This is very light, using titillation where serious character development is lacking. Fine as far as it goes; sadly in my opinion that's just not far. I find Sarah Dunant's fiction is along similar lines, with the same mild erotic element, but of higher quality.
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do not read in a bus, you can easily miss your stop!
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Very absorbing book, could not put it down. Similarly to Girl with a Pearl Earing, relatively thin book provides a big story. Tracy Chevalier leads you to unexpected but how smartly thought through situations! Really made me think and perceive many aspects of surrounding differently. Highly recommended, brilliant book.
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A Real Page-Turner
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I loved this book, far better in my opinion than 'The Girl with the Pearl Earring'. The way the author weaves her story around The Unicorn Tapestries is both fascinating and I found the novel to be very, very addictive. Throughout the story the reader is allowed a personal insight into the thoughts of each of the main characters and this coupled with the historical detail of one aspect of life in fifteenth century Paris and Brussels made for a satifying and exceptional read.
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