The Unicorn Sonata

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful in the Spirit of the Last Unicorn
Review: A great book in the spirit of the last unicorn. Neat idea, ethereal and interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Nice story
Review: Best known for "The Last Unicorn," Peter Beagle serves up a very different kind of unicorn story in "Unicorn Sonata." Shorter and perhaps more of a YA/kids' book than several of his other works, this is augmented by excellent writing and great illustrations.

Joey Rivera is a reclusive young student, who is something of a music whiz and who prefers the company of her sharp, elderly Abuelita and crotchety Mr. Papas to that of her peers. Her life is changed when an eerily beautiful young man named Indigo comes into the shop, trying to sell a long pointed flute to Mr. Papas. And he wants gold for the fluted horn -- lots of gold. Mr. Papas can't give him all the gold he wants immediately, and so Indigo puts the offer on hold.

The music of the horn follows Joey throughout her day. That night, she finds herself in a near-idyllic land called Shei'rah. In it live water spirits, kindly satyrs, tiny dragons -- and near-immortal unicorns called the Eldest. Except the Eldest are becoming blind, as an unknown affliction robs them of their sight. Joey travels from one world to the other, but begins to see flaws and problems in Shei'rah, and learns more about the mysterious Indigo and what he is doing.

This is a nice story, not the best or the deepest (since parts of it are obvious from the very start, such as what Abuelita is going to do), but very well-written and true to life as a fantasy book can get. It raises some good questions as well: Is it better to be good and pure, or to have human choice? Is it better to believe a beautiful lie than an ugly truth? Beagle handles these questions delicately and without ham-handedness. He also adds a few extra dimensions to previous creatures like satyrs and pheonixes, by also giving them different names than we do.

Among the introspective scenes is Joey and Indigo meeting a former unicorn who lives as a homeless human in our world; Beagle gives us a view of both sides of the issue, both what Indigo feels and what Joey feels when they see her. And the blindness symbolism is so subtle I didn't notice it at first.

Joey herself initially seems like she'll be the usual disaffected loner teen. But as she spends time among the Eldest and with Indigo, we see her gradually maturing in personality. It's not an easy transition, but enjoyable to watch. Most of the Eldest except for Indigo and the kiddie unicorn don't have much personality; they're ancient, wise, and good, and there isn't much more to them than that. Abuelita is delightfully spicy in personality, the kindly and wiser-than-you'd-expect grandmother we'd all love to have, as is the crotchety, sharp Mr. Papas (who may be my favorite character in the book). Ko is a fun sidekick, even if we take a long time to know just where in life he is; the water creature really could have used a purpose in the plot, since she really seemed like page filler. Indigo is the weirdest and most unique; his motives are cloudy and his demeanor is unusually cynical, but he becomes sympathetic to the reader nevertheless.

Finally, Robert Rodrieguez does an amazing job with the illustrations. Both realistic and dreamy, they fit the action in the book perfectly. And the Eldest, the way he draws them, are subtlely different from the usual visions of unicorns (especially those HUGE eyes).

A charming little coming-of-age story, and one that fans of "Last Unicorn" may enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Nice story
Review: Best known for "The Last Unicorn," Peter Beagle serves up a very different kind of unicorn story in "Unicorn Sonata." Shorter and perhaps more of a YA/kids' book than several of his other works, this is augmented by excellent writing and great illustrations.

Joey Rivera is a reclusive young student, who is something of a music whiz and who prefers the company of her sharp, elderly Abuelita and crotchety Mr. Papas to that of her peers. Her life is changed when an eerily beautiful young man named Indigo comes into the shop, trying to sell a long pointed flute to Mr. Papas. And he wants gold for the fluted horn -- lots of gold. Mr. Papas can't give him all the gold he wants immediately, and so Indigo puts the offer on hold.

The music of the horn follows Joey throughout her day. That night, she finds herself in a near-idyllic land called Shei'rah. In it live water spirits, kindly satyrs, tiny dragons -- and near-immortal unicorns called the Eldest. Except the Eldest are becoming blind, as an unknown affliction robs them of their sight. Joey travels from one world to the other, but begins to see flaws and problems in Shei'rah, and learns more about the mysterious Indigo and what he is doing.

This is a nice story, not the best or the deepest (since parts of it are obvious from the very start, such as what Abuelita is going to do), but very well-written and true to life as a fantasy book can get. It raises some good questions as well: Is it better to be good and pure, or to have human choice? Is it better to believe a beautiful lie than an ugly truth? Beagle handles these questions delicately and without ham-handedness. He also adds a few extra dimensions to previous creatures like satyrs and pheonixes, by also giving them different names than we do.

Among the introspective scenes is Joey and Indigo meeting a former unicorn who lives as a homeless human in our world; Beagle gives us a view of both sides of the issue, both what Indigo feels and what Joey feels when they see her. And the blindness symbolism is so subtle I didn't notice it at first.

Joey herself initially seems like she'll be the usual disaffected loner teen. But as she spends time among the Eldest and with Indigo, we see her gradually maturing in personality. It's not an easy transition, but enjoyable to watch. Most of the Eldest except for Indigo and the kiddie unicorn don't have much personality; they're ancient, wise, and good, and there isn't much more to them than that. Abuelita is delightfully spicy in personality, the kindly and wiser-than-you'd-expect grandmother we'd all love to have, as is the crotchety, sharp Mr. Papas (who may be my favorite character in the book). Ko is a fun sidekick, even if we take a long time to know just where in life he is; the water creature really could have used a purpose in the plot, since she really seemed like page filler. Indigo is the weirdest and most unique; his motives are cloudy and his demeanor is unusually cynical, but he becomes sympathetic to the reader nevertheless.

Finally, Robert Rodrieguez does an amazing job with the illustrations. Both realistic and dreamy, they fit the action in the book perfectly. And the Eldest, the way he draws them, are subtlely different from the usual visions of unicorns (especially those HUGE eyes).

A charming little coming-of-age story, and one that fans of "Last Unicorn" may enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: A childhood morality tale that really delivers
Review: I am aware of the tendency of fantasy writers to dwell upon the subject of voyages into fantastic otherworlds, which lead the characters to discover their inner strengths and weaknesses. Peter S. Beagle's "The Unicorn Sonata" is a case in point. Like any childhood fairy tale, it speaks of wonderful creatures like unicorns, satyrs, the division between the world of rigid adult control and the carnivalesque world of the child. What really makes the tale deliver is not the fact that Josephine "Joey" Rivera goes through another formulaic journey into a world parallel to the human world, but the identity of the saviour-child she assumes in the fantastic otherworld as she introduces her grandmother, a Mexican woman of her own superstitions, into the realm to heal the sick unicorns. The book, simple as it appears due to its illustrations and the dominant viewpoint of Josephine, is laden with symbolism that unravels bit by bit the need to be selfless and to look at the world around us for miracles. The result of this is a complicit faith in the innocence of the child, and her(or his) ability to change the world, regardless of age and status in society.

Rating:
Summary: The Last Unicorn for elementary school readers!
Review: I am huge fan of Beagle's "The Last Unicorn," and finally have decided to check out some of his other works. This is the first one I grabbed off the shelf because it is also about unicorns. I was a little disappointed because the plot is very slow and not that interesting, and the dialogue is not very deep or memorable. It lacks most of the lyrical qualities of "The Last Unicorn" in both plot and style. However, I don't think this a bad book!!! Its just different, that's all. I'm sure that Beagle had a different audience in mind. If I were 10 or 12 I would be raving about this book for sure! Call it a "Last Unicorn" for elementary school readers. "The Last Unicorn" is a difficult book after all, full of beautiful poetry, deep characters, and detailed descriptions. Perhaps this is a good stepping stone for younger readers to use... and eventually discover "The Last Unicorn!"

Rating:
Summary: This book is a classic example of fantasy.
Review: I first read this book about a year ago. I cannot believe that it is already out of print. Peter S. Beagle has done it again. He is able to capture the same beauty and wonder of unicorns that he achieved in his classic book The Last Unicorn. I am absolutely dying to read any more books by him.

Rating:
Summary: Yuck!
Review: I love _The Last Unicorn_ and _The Innkeeper's Song_, and I was expecting _The Unicorn Sonata_ to be on par with those. It is not. In fact, I can't even believe these books were written by the same person. _Sonata_ is written with a junior high audience in mind--the main character is this age. It offers nothing to a more mature reader, nothing that will stay with you after you turn the last page. (It has nothing to do with _Last Unicorn_, either.) The plot is boring and predictable. The characters are flat. There is absolutely no larger message that can be applied to how you live your life. Do not sully your opinion of Beagle's fiction by reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Unicorn Sonata - Truly The Unicorn's Reprise
Review: I never thought I'd find another book that even got close to rivaling The Last Unicorn, but this is it. As a true devoteé of fantasy fiction, I am always critical of any book that involves talking animals: it's the one thing that spoils it for me. But this book is an exception to that rule. Beagle's superb attention to the details of the landscape of Shei'rah really brought the book to life for me, and I find it a book that I can sit down and read after a hectic day and just feel the pressures of the day slip away. Another thumbs up for Beagle!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: I read this book about a year ago when I was nine.I could see the Unicorns bolting out in front of me, I could hear their sweet music,I could feel the soft grass beneath my feet,I could taste the cool water from the brook java's stream. This breathtaking book is not one to be overlooked. It is by far the best book I have ever read, and my heart aches for those who haven't had the joy of expeiriencing its whimsical pages. It is beyond description,and no one can fully understand it until they have read every word of it.

Rating:
Summary: Just could not get into this book
Review: I usually love Beagle, but nothing in the book caught my attention. Beagle's typically poetic writing style was absent from this work. An absense felt all the more because Unicorn Sonata was cursed with a bad plot. Not that the concept was bad, it just moved too slow. In fact, the plot often came to a complete halt. Perhaps, this is because this book seems to have been written with a younger audience in mind than most of Beagle's books (I would say ages 8 and up). I just felt this book was missing the magic his books usually possess, or perhaps I am too old for the magic in this book.