The Last Unicorn

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: My sister and I grew up watching this movie all of the time at my aunt's house. We used to have it on old CED disks. It is a great animated movie but like 90% of all movies the book is 100 times better. I finally got to read it when I was about 18 years old and should have been too old for booke of the sort but I loved it. I recommend this book to any avid or casual fantasy book lover. I am very surprised that there are not more reviews on it here.

Rating:
Summary: Subpar Fantasy
Review: What can you say when a book does nothing for you but seems to be a classic for so many. All I can say is, there are much better fantasy books out there.

Rating:
Summary: Dissapointing
Review: I love books like Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Neverending Story, so seeing all of these titles compared to The Last Unicorn on the back cover, I thought this would be a book that I would enjoy. However, I was very dissapointed. The Last Unicorn can't even be compared with the aforementioned masterpieces. I don't know why so many people love this book. It is gloomy, depressing and very slow reading, almost to the point of boredom. That is all I have to say on the subject. Pick another book because this one is not worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Absoluetly Amazing
Review: This is hands down the best book I have ever read. When I was younger, I had seen the movie. I bought the movie and litterally, learned every line. I knew the whole entire thing by heart. Then I bought the book and fell more in love. Beagle dealt with serious issues such as immortality and depression. But he touched on the fairy tale light hearted story I was looking for. He described things amazingly well and made me really believe what was going on. Seriously, Buy this book as soon as you can, you will not regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Revived Memories of the movie
Review: I remember watching the movie as a child, although I only recalled a few images when I got the book. The book revived my memories, especially of the Red Bull. The Last Unicorn has an interesting cast of characters and a mood that is somewhat different from other fantasy, yet hard to explain. This is definitely a book that can be re-read.

Rating:
Summary: A classic for all ages
Review: Once upon a time long ago when I was in elementary school (ok, sometime in the late 60s/early 70s)I was home sick and my older sister brought down several books, and among them was "The Last Unicorn" (another was Richard Brautigan's "In Watermelon Sugar", which I also enjoyed but would probably not be considered to be a kid's book at all). Since then I have read and reread this book at irregular intervals, gone through multiple copies from the used book stores, & forced boyfriends and now my husband to read it (he really liked it, too, and recommended it to his sister and niece.) It works on many levels for different ages. In elementary school, it was a good, slightly sad (but kids like some sad stuff, too) fairy tale. As an adult, you can read as much or as little symbolism as you want. The writing is beautiful and evocative. I can see those dark ungainly birds flying over the tottering castle squacking "said so" or "Help me", and the grey, disappointed king. We all know the type and can immediately form a mental picture when we read of the earnest, round faced prince trying so hard, yet ineptly, to be a hero, and I think I saw Molly Grue, with her strong sharp face and lank hair on the bus today. The characters are fairy tale characters, but also real people, they all, including the unicorn, have good and bad sides. They make mistakes. They get tangled up in egos and emotions and temper, remarkable qualities in stereotypical parts of witch, unicorn, evil king, naive prince, wandering magician, merry foresters, and so forth. I don't understand the comments of an earlier reviewer that there are no strong female characters. This is not one of the stories in which the male characters continually gallop in on white horses to save the day. The female characters; Molly Grue, Mommy Fortuna, and, of course, the unicorn (in both her human and non-human forms), all play very important roles, as do the males, in fact it is a surprisingly well balanced story in this matter. I never saw the movie because I always hate movies made from my favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: I can feel this body dying all around me . . .
Review: For anyone who even remotely liked the movie - READ THIS BOOK! If you're like me, you saw the animated adaptation when you were little and it became an integral part of your childhood. You watch it these days and say to yourself, "Okay, so maybe it's not fabulous, maybe Mia Farrow couldn't sing to save her life, but damnit, I still like it." If anything along these lines apply to you, read the book. The book was far more beautiful than I could have imagined. The cold grace of the Unicorn and her slow and painful transformation into the Lady Amalthea is a truly touching thing to read - and I don't just mean the actual moment when the magic is done, but the character changes as well. Read this book and discover that certain sort of grace you were always searching for in the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!! great as the movie and still great on Book.
Review: After i was blown away by the movie, i suddenly had the urge to read the book and i noticed that this was different from the movie, but who cares. Anyway, it deals with a Unicorn who seeks out in the world to see her lost companions who are kept hidden from the wicked King Haggard, along the way she even meets every animation lover's favorite wizard " Schmendrick" who turns her into a Human Girl and still seek them out. A must read if you love the movie.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite novel & movie!
Review: This is an amazing novel if you love unicorns and the magic they embody. If you like this novel, the movie is a must see - it sticks very close to the story line. Although it was made in 1982, it is still a wonderful movie for people of all ages. I recomend both the book and the movie to all unicorn-fanatics!

Rating:
Summary: A joy at any age
Review: This is a truly delightful fantasy novel. Perhaps terming it a "fantasy" is doing it an injustice. The book is an adventure tale, love story, bedtime story... it even dabbles in gentle satire. Several of the image constructs are pure poetry. (It is with great pain that I will refrain from, in citing, ruining them.) Is it appropriate for children? Most definitely. But it holds, I believe, the potential for bringing enjoyment for nearly any reader.