Rating: 
Summary: A delight
Review: This is one of the most delightful books I've read in the past few years. Yes, yes, we know it's about a set of medieval tapestries being woven and about the people who get caught up in each others' lives as a result. Put like that, it sounds dusty and worthy perhaps. Nothing could be further from the truth. For me, Lady and the Unicorn bubbled along, filled with both fun and pathos. I found myself caring deeply not only about the characters but also the tapestries themselves. I also found myself referring frequently to the designs underneath the dust-jacket and even poking around among the rugs in the basement to see whether there was a unicorn rug down there.
Rating: 
Summary: An Appealing Mixture of Romance, Humor and Art History
Review: A series of six tapestries depicting a lady seducing a unicorn now hang in the Musee National du Moyen Age in Paris. Although these tapestries --- created in the late fifteenth century --- are some of the most famous in the world, very little is known about their creation or their history. Tracy Chevalier, the novelist best known for writing the perennial book club favorite (and new feature film) GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, has used her rich imagination to weave together romance, humor and art history in THE LADY AND THE UNICORN.Chevalier starts with one of the few facts that is actually known about the tapestries: they were created for the nobleman Jean Le Viste, whose family coat of arms features prominently in their design. In Chevalier's portrayal, Le Viste is a power-hungry nobleman with close ties to the king. He wants tapestries depicting the glories of war, but the artist, Nicolas des Innocents --- who specializes in portraits of noblewomen --- convinces Le Viste that a series of tapestries about courtly love will still bring glory to the Le Viste name. Nicolas himself is a womanizer --- the novel opens from his point of view, and we quickly learn that his amorous sights are set on Le Viste's teenage daughter, Claude. Much to the reader's surprise (and delight), when Claude narrates the next section of the novel we learn that she is just as lustful as Nicolas, and her prose just as bawdy. Needless to say, when Claude's family discovers their flirtation, her mother (who wants to be a nun) must concoct a plan to keep the would-be lovers apart. Claude is banished to a convent and Nicolas is sent to Brussels to supervise the weaving of the tapestries there. This development helps highlight one of the key themes of the novel, which is the juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane. Chevalier's novel is at turns raunchy and rapturous, and this contrast applies not only to the tapestries themselves and to the characters involved in their creation, but also to the whole culture of late-medieval France. In Brussels, Nicolas once again becomes woven up in a family drama, this time in the industrious Chapelle family of weavers. Their daughter Alienor is beautiful but blind, and they fear she must marry the rude and odiferous wool dyer, whom she can't stand. Nicolas and Alienor concoct a plan to save her from her fate while allowing Nicolas to do what he does best. In addition to being a hugely entertaining romp through art history and medieval sexual politics, THE LADY AND THE UNICORN also includes a number of interesting details about the art of weaving. By the end of this book, you'll have not only a clear picture of medieval weaving equipment and techniques, but also a greater understanding of and appreciation for the tapestries themselves, and for the weavers whose stories were lost to history --- until Chevalier creatively brought them back to life. --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
Rating: 
Summary: As flat as the tapestry
Review: I was thrilled when I heard that Chevalier was taking on a work of art I knew well. The tapestry of the woman with unicorn in the Cluny Museum in Paris is stunning, and it has been reproduced so many times that its colorful patterns and subjects now represent the intricate society of the Middle Ages. The best part of the book, however, is its cover; I have the hardback edition with the tapestry detailed under the jacket. While I learned much about tapestry making and the daily life of weavers and artists, the plot left much to be desired. And Chevalier reuses characters from Girl with the Pearl Earring -- maids and masters who are either wicked and cunning or sweet and sympathetic. Pearl Earring is richer and deeper; its emotional center grows out of the main character and her perspective. In Unicorn, we get too many perspectives from characters that fail to rise off the pages of the book. Chevalier's concoction of the story of the tapestry is intriguing, yes, and probably worth reading, but I cared about some of the characters too late in the game to give the novel my full support.
Rating:
Summary: Chevalier weaves a goodie
Review: Tracy Chevalier loves the arts and history and has presented another volume of very readable fiction, as told by the characters themselves. This is Chevalier's finesse, 1st person narrative, and getting involved with Nicolas des Innocents, the miniaturist who becomes the originating artist for this famous tapestry series, is an intimate way to learn what Chevalier imagines to be their story. I especially enjoy 1st person stories and as Chevalier alternates characters and their individual version, she once again weaves a good tale. There is a marvelous sense of the world of commissioned art, art for propaganda's sake. And Jean Le Viste, the powerful right hand man of the King of France, represents all the power brokers of history who seek further self-glorification by the display of their "priceless things". It was fascinating living among the Brussels weavers and coming to understand the magnitude of their task. One almost feels their physical discomfort and certainly the realities of a labor intensive craft. Having studied the importance of weavers throughout history, I was especially pleased to see Chevalier's casting of the guild system that controlled the work of Georges, Christine, their son, and workers, as well as their blind daughter, Alienor. The cad that Nicolas appears to be mellows within a short time, but his impact on all the lives of those who implement the lady tapestries is fascinating. There are lovely ironies in all the secrets that Nicolas causes to finally be exposed. Especially nice is Chevalier's epilogue which ties up the loose ends, just as the weavers finished off their work. Very clever, this Chevalier woman. Wonder which historical period she will novelize next? I shall be waiting with her other fans. The hardback edition of this book is simply beautiful with its blue dust jacket that cuts away to reveal tapestry glimpses, when just under it lies the glory of a full color display. What a special delivery! It makes a lovely presentation worthy of the value of the original works themselves.
Rating:
Summary: The Author Weaves a Beautiful Tapestry of Her Own.
Review: I read this novel on my vacation in Paris and on the day I finished it I went to the Cluny Museum to see the Tapestries for myself. I'd seen them ten years ago, but seeing them again, after reading Tracy Chevalier's book brought them to life in a way that was utterly magical. As she did with The Girl With the Pearl Earring, (but even better this time since she has matured as a writer) the author takes a classic work of art and artfully spins a tale inspired by the original which becomes an original itself. That the actual art work exists adds to the magic. The magic adds to the actual art work. Chevalier's imagination, her grasp of history, her attention to the senses, to details, to the soul of both artists, artisans and lovers are all as lovely as the tapestries. Not a stich is missing, not a word is extraneous or misplaced. Bravo.
Rating:
Summary: What a fabulous book!
Review: For me, Lady and the Unicorn was every bit as good as Girl with a Pearl Earring. I felt utterly transported to the middle ages and immersed in a rollicking good tale, immaculately told.
Rating:
Summary: COLORFUL, COMPELLING READINGS
Review: Tracy Chevalier charmed and intrigued audiences with "Girl With A Pearl Earring" and "Falling Angels." She continues her winning ways with "The Lady and the Unicorn," a fascinating part fact, part imaginative account of one of the world's masterpieces. She attributes her interest in this particular work of art to an early interest in unicorns. She called it a "teenage craze" saying, "I had books, posters, stickers, jewelry.......In one of the books were illustrations of the six Lady and the Unicorn tapestries that hang in the Museum of the Middle Ages (aka Cluny Museum) in Paris. I thought they were very beautiful, and made sure to see them when I visited Paris at the age of 20. After that I forgot about them." Fortunately for the world she was reminded of them when she read an article in 1999. Her curiosity about their origins was piqued, and she set to work. Inspiration, as most creative artists know, can be a blessing or a devilment. Ms. Chevalier is blessed, and we are the beneficiaries. We are also the beneficiaries of superb performances by two gifted vocal artist on both Unabridged versions of this story. Seen on television in The Equalizer, As The World Turns, and Sesame Street, accomplished stage actor Robert Blumenfeld brings characters, especially the willful Nicholas, to vibrant life. An apt partner for him is Terry Donnelly who has performed at Dublin's Abbey Theatre and on the New York stage. For those unfamiliar with the tapestries they present what appears to be a woman seducing a unicorn. While these works have long been admired, virtually nothing is known of their provenance. Enter the fecund imagination of Ms. Chevalier who recreates Paris in 1490 where lives a rather haughty French nobleman with his family. To underscore his importance at court the nobleman retains the talented, lascivious artist Nicholas de Innocents to design six extravagant tapestries. The nobleman's household is never the same once Nicholas arrives. He uses the noble's wife, Genevieve, and lovely daughter, Claude, as models. Almost upon seeing Claude he falls madly in love but his suit is hopeless. Once his paintings are completed he takes them to Brussels and master-weaver George de la Chapelle demanding perfection in every stitch. Tracy Chevalier is a magician who seamlessly blends fact and fiction into colorful, romantic, compelling stories. "The Lady and the Unicorn" is one more. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: mon seul desir
Review: A beautifully written book. I finished the tale in one long sitting and was so immeresed in the book, I felt like I was one of the characters. After reading this, I felt like traveling across the ocean to go see the tapestries. There was only one element in which I was dissappointed -- the story of Nicolas and Claude. Besides that though, a really wonderful read!
Rating:
Summary: Weaving a tale.
Review: The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are a series of six pieces, each depicting the unicorn becoming more comfortable in the lady's prescence. This novel explores the possible conception and completion of those tapestries. That which interested me more than anything were the descriptions of weaving techniques and weavers' guild rules and regulations(no weaving by women permitted!!). What took place between Nicholas and Claude can hardly be called a love affair; a brief fling under the dining room table does not an affair make. The time that Nicholas spends in Brussles with the weaver and his family makes up for anything lacking elsewhere in the book. All in all, the tale is woven as neatly as the tapestries themselves.
Rating:
Summary: A Richly Woven Tapestry
Review: I didn't like Tracy Chevalier's book, "Girl With a Pearl Earring," and I didn't read the other two, so I was a little reluctant to buy this book. I love the Lady and Unicorn tapestries in the Cluny Museum in Paris so much, though, that I couldn't resist. I'm glad I didn't. Chevalier's writing is still spare and straightforward and I was happy to see that, but her sense of character and the richness she adds to her plot strands has increased many times over. This is a lovely book, filled with fully-realized characters and a beautifully-woven plot...almost as beautiful as the tapestries in the Cluny. Chevalier has certainly used her imagination well in giving us a story about how these beautiful tapestries might have come about. I felt like I was really transported back to France (and Brussels) during the fifteenth century. Chevalier hasn't skimped on the details and it's the details that make this book so lovely. I enjoyed this book and, although not an artist, I am a lover of art. I think anyone who loves art, France, tapestries or beautifully-told romantic tales will love "The Lady and the Unicorn." I recommend it highly.
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