Rating: 
Summary: a truly compelling read
Review: A subtle blend of fact and fiction, "The Lady and the Unicorn" is an exquisitely written and cleverly plotted book about the creation of the six bewitching and fascinating Le Viste tapestries. And although "The Lady and the Unicorn" may not be quite as lyrical as "Girl with a Pearl Earring" nor anywhere as dark as "The Virgin Blue," "The Lady and the Unicorn" still does make for compelling and engrossing reading -- I simply had to finish it in one sitting.In 1490, Jean Le Viste, a powerful and rich man who has the King of France's confidence but who more or less bought his way into the aristocracy with money and a good marriage, has decided to commission a set of tapestries in order to proclaim his wealth and power. Nicholas des Innocents, a talented, arrogant and rakish young man, is the artist that has been chosen to do the paintings upon which the tapestries would be based. Jean le Viste would like them to be of battle scenes from the Battle of Nancy. A quiet talk with the lady of the house, Genevieve de Nanterre, however gives Nicholas the idea of making the tapestries tell, instead, the story of the Lady and the unicorn. What follows is how Nicholas and the weavers in Belgium work together on the details that will make these tapestries a magical work of art; how Nicholas affects the lives of the men (and in particular) the women around him (like Genevieve de Nanterre, her beautiful and lively daughter, Claude; Christine du Sablon, the weaver's wife and her daughter, Alienor); and how the drive to realize the full magic of these tapestries will affect them all... Tracy Chevalier is one of those rare authours who is able to tell a tale in a rich and vivid manner and yet not use a prose style that is either overly florid or flamboyant. Her prose style is actually quite sparse and stark, and yet, in spite of this, she is able to capture completely how busy and colourful life and the cities of Paris and Brussels must have been in the late fifteenth century. The plot for "The Lady and the Unicorn" was well paced and carefully constructed; but one of the high points of this novel (for me anyway) was the brilliant manner in which she was able to bring the various characters in her book to life in spite of the fact that much of her character portrayals were merely thumbnail sketches at times. But best of all was "watching" how the legend of the lady and the unicorn was being played out again in the interactions between Nicholas and his various ladies, and "seeing" how the six tapestry portrayals of the lady corresponded with what was going on in actuality. Intriguing and enthralling, "The Lady and the Unicorn" is a read not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, but scandalous!
Review: This is a really well-written, beautifully descriptive, accurate, and exciting novel. Don't be put off by the fact that it's about a tapestry, because it's not a technical, boring book. It's all about the people that help create the tapestry.
It takes place in 1490, in Paris, when a nobleman commissions Nicholas des Innocents to draw the designs for a tapestry. Nicholas is a bit of a womanizer; and after realizing on the 2nd page that the maid he slept with last time is pregnant, he turns around and falls in love with the nobleman's daughter, Claude. Claude can't marry him, so she is sent to a convent temporarily while Nicholas goes to Brussels to see the tapestry being made. Nicholas meets the weaver and his family, and falls in love with the weaver's blind daughter, Alienor. Although it sounds like a shallow love story, it is not. Each chapter is written by a different character; of course Nicholas, Claude, and Alienor have their chapters, but the weaver, the nobleman, and Claude's mother all have their own chapters that tell their stories and problems. Since Tracy Chevalier is such a skilled author, the chapters flow very well, even though the character voice shifts. The ending is spectacular; it ties up all of the loose ends very neatly, but doesn't give a cheesy, predictable ending.
The descriptions in the book are gorgeous; you can immediately visualize the setting of late-medieval/early renaissance Europe. They are never too detailed that they slow the plot down. One word of caution: since the descriptions go into so much detail, that means that the love scenes are rather graphic. It seems like a fairly innocent book, but don't be fooled. It's definitely not porn or even close, but there are some scenes that can be a bit shocking if you're not expecting them. This shouldn't be a problem for most people, since this is an adult book, but in case you were thinking about it for a teen, you might want to choose a different book. It's a fabulous book, though, and I would recommend it to almost anyone, whether you like history or not.
Rating:
Summary: This one's a winner
Review: The basis for this book is a series of Medieval tapestries on display in a Paris museum. My first thought on hearing what this book was about was, "How is anyone going to make an interesting read out of that!" But Chevalier does, and quite brilliantly. As if that weren't enough, the writing is so excellent in this novel that you could read it just for the "poetry" and nothting else, but again, Chevalier does some remarkable things with "weaving" these elements togehter (the prose, the story, the characters) and the end result is great. The writing is on the same level as McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD or Chevalier's other work, GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING. I highly recommend this stellar work of fiction to anyone with a pulse!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: What a wonderful book. I actually enjoyed this more than "Girl with Perl Earring". This is the story not only of the making of the six beautiful and famous tapestries, but of several people.
The major players are Nicolas des Innocents the artist who designed the tapestries, Jean La Viste the man who had the tapestries commissioned, Claude La Viste the daughter of Jean, Genivieve La Viste Jean's wife and Claude's mother, Georges de LaChappelle the weaver of the tapestries, Christine Georges's wife and Alienor, Georges's blind daughter.
Ms. Chevalier tells her story in a series of chapters that are narrated by each of the characters. Although the view point of the story changes with each chapter, the story does not suffer from the changes of view, but flows wonderfully. She masterfully weaves a story not only of how the tapestries are created, but a story of Claude's sexual awakenings and her desire for a man that she cannot have, a story of Alienor and how she does what she must so that she does not have to marry a man distasteful to her, Genivieve's life as a dutiful wife and mother despite the fact that she wants to become a nun, Georges struggle to complete the tapestries on time, and Christine's joy at being able to help weave the tapestries. It is truly amazing that she manages to pack so many plots and sub-plots into a book without totally confusing the reader, but she succeeds.
My star ratings:
One star - couldn't finish the book
Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out other books by the author
Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection. Would judge other books by the author individually.
Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for others by the same author.
Five stars - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same author.
Rating: 
Summary: The great seduction of art and beauty
Review:
Chevalier is an author with an inventive eye for historical detail, choosing themes from the past, always with a connection to art, imbuing them with the lively interactions and complexities that bring history to life. In The Lady and the Unicorn, the author selects a set of 15th century tapestries created for a nobleman, Jean LeViste, who at first plans to adorn the walls of his elegant Parisian home with scenes of the Battle of Nancy.
However, the cooler vision of his wife prevails and LeViste commissions the artist Nicolas des Innocents to render a scene of a lady seducing a unicorn; later the paintings are adapted by a lissier and his staff in a Brussels studio, featuring the popular design of the times, the millefleurs, tiny flowers woven into the background, creating a field of color. Nicolas experiences some trepidation at his new commission, but is finally seduced by the promise of work and the beauty of one of LeViste's daughter's, Claude, a woman far above his social standing.
In alternating chapters over a period of two years, from the first paintings to the weaver's workshop in Brussels, the story is told in a variety of voices, the protagonists: Nicolas des Innocents, the artist hopelessly enamored of the betrothed noblewoman, Claude LeViste; the lady herself; the family of weavers, Georges de LaChappelle, his wife and blind, but beautiful daughter, Alienor; and the man who has loved Alienor since their childhood, Philippe de LaTour.
Two love stories unfold as the artist's paintings are transformed into the lush tapestries that capture the admiration of Parisian nobility. From the larger-than-life architecture of Paris to the small Brussels studio where the tapestries are meticulously woven and the isolated convent where a young woman's virginity is protected from the intrusions of the world, Chevalier once again turns art into life, her characters brimming with the exuberance of love, tempered by the strict social mores of a highly structured society. The pieces depicting the lady's seduction of the unicorn become a vehicle for the thwarted passions of those fated to fall in love, weaving yet another contextual layer into an already magnificent work of art, threads that connect the lovers and bind them forever.
Chevalier's métier is historical fiction, her deft prose juxtaposing believable characters with artistic endeavor. The author's vivid imagery is impressive, the scenes authentic and fine-tuned, the novel a small jewel that reawakens the past, restoring all to life before fading once more into the pages of history. Luan Gaines/2005.
Rating:
Summary: --Fascinating story of medieval tapestries--
Review: THE LADY AND THE UNICORN is another very imaginative story by Tracy Chevalier who also wrote GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING. Chevalier consistently writes very unique stories. This book has a sense of realism that made me feel as if I was seeing a glimpse into the Middle Ages.
The author has woven her story around the very real Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries that are presently in a Paris museum. The artisans and artist who created them are unknown. Chevalier creates the artist in the form of Nicholas des Innocents, a talented and handsome man. He's commissioned by a wealthy Parisian nobleman to design tapestries for his great hall. Before he leaves France, Nicholas falls in love with the nobleman's daughter. When Nicholas goes to Brussels we're introduced to the family of weavers who do the actual work in the creation of the tapestries. There the artist meets another young girl, this time, the weaver's daughter. Some characters seem to become intertwined into the work of the tapestries.
A very interesting part of the story was the influence and power that the weaver's guild had over the lives of their workmen. In fact, women were not allowed to do any of the actual weaving. This is a rich and haunting story.
Rating:
Summary: The lady, the unicorn and the internet
Review: Tracy Chevalier's "The Lady and the Unicorn" --like her previous novels -- is one of those books that make the reader longing to do some research in the subject. No that the novel doesn't have plenty of information, but that there are so many interesting things that we always want more and more. The first thing that any reader will want is to see the tapestries are so often mentioned in the novel -- actually they are the subject of the novel. The six of them hang in Musée National du Moyen Age (aka Cluny Museum) in Paris. And if you are not fortunate enough to be in Paris when you read this book, you can rely on the internet.
But it is not necessary to spend too much time researching. Chevalier's website has almost infinite information of the tapestries, the Le Viste family, medieval tapestries so on. That's why her website is the right place to go while reading her book -- actually it is good to go there for any of her books.
In this fashion, Chevalier is one of our contemporary writers who can make the best use of his/her personal website. More than being the means of advertising her work, or a place for exhibitionism, this writer brings new and useful background information about her books. It turns out to be essential to the understanding and enjoyment of her historical prose.
"The Lady and the Unicorn" is named after a series of French tapestries made in the XV Century. They are the link between the lives of a family of nobles and family of weavers. The only people who can transit the two poles (the nobles -- the working family) are the artist Nicolas des Innocents and the merchant Léon Le Vieux.
Nicolas was hired by Jean La Viste to draw a series of tapestries. They are supposed to be about war -- however, La Viste's wife persuade the artist to talk her husband into making them about the story of a lady seducing an unicorn. At the same time, Nicolas, who is a kind of conquistador, seduces the La Vistes' eldest daughter. The concerned mother tries to separate the couple.
In the next segment, Nicolas goes to Brussels to work with a weaver in his workshop in order to produce the tapestries. Transiting between these two poles, Chevalier is able to draw portraits of both the nobles and the working class who are both related to the tapestries -- the ones who own them, and the ones who make them.
Using the same device Chevalier used in "Falling Angels", each chapter is narrated by one different character. The writer is talented enough to make each one a distinguished voice, what makes each one of her narrators/characters very believable.
Just like Chevalier's previous novels, "The Lady and the unicorn" is a fast and entertaining reading -- filled with beauty and interesting background. Her characters are lively and the story is sexy in an old fashioned way -- or sometimes in a very modern one. A book that won't disappoint her fans or debutant readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Clumsy but mercifully quick to read
Review: One of the advantages of a reading circle is departing from one's normal reading matter. Hence I came to read my first (and definitely last) Tracy Chevalier novel. I know nothing of the Pearl Earring book or film. The poor imagery conjured up by the author does nothing to nourish the reader's soul. Many good reviews seem to mention the book's link with a real tapestry - just because a book has a real (art) artefact for inspiration does not make it a good work of fiction.
In short, life is too short to waste it on prose such as this.
Rating:
Summary: The story behind the Unicorn Tapestries
Review: This, the fourth novel by Tracy Cheavalier, is a pleasant excursion into art history. Set in fifteen century Paris and Brussells, it tells the author's imagined backstory to the creation of the famous Unicorn tapestries now in the Cluny Museum. Beginning in the household of the socially striving noble who commissions the pieces, the author soon shifts to the household of the weaver who will execute them. Linking both families together is the artist Nicholas, talented in both portraiture and seduction. His interactions with the females of both households and how they affect the shape of the final tapestry form the core of the story. Included in the story proper is some fascinating material on the techniques used by the weavers, the hidden meaning of the Unicorn Tapestry's images, and on life in the period.
Chevalier tells her story through the alternating perspectives of the major characters. This seems to be her standard operating procedure, since she's used it in her previous novels. Although it presents an occasional problem of keeping the characters straight, it's an effective method in Chevalier's hands. By alternating narrators, she's able to give more rounded pictures of her characters and to describe events through one character that other characters don't yet know.
Chevalier writes strong characters who occasionally act in unexpected ways. Nicholas, for example, is a first rate cad, but through his actions provides the means by which another character escapes from an unwanted marriage. Claude, the headstrong older daughter and heir of the Parisian noble, ends up exacting a special kind of revenge on the artist. At 250 pages, this is not a long book, but the author's characters are well limned.
"The Lady and the Unicorn" is by no means a great masterpiece, but it is a very worthwhile read. It goes quickly, but there's more depth than meets the eye. Plot twists, the lore of the unicorn, and Chevalier's strong characters made this one memorable for me.
Rating:
Summary: Great and original
Review: This book was very good and different. I loved the idea of the story and was totally taken away to a very different time in history. It really was a very sensual story. I was captivated and kept looking at the inside cover at the tapestry. I would definatly recommend this quick read.
|
