Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

O Último Unicórnio by Peter S. Beagle

9 reviews

blewballoon's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 Oh dear. I really wanted to like this. I have a nostalgic fondness for the 1982 animated film and I was hoping the book would have the same mesmerizing quality. From my recollection, the film actually follows the story and dialogue pretty accurately, if abbreviated. I wonder if it's this abbreviation that worked for me? The art style of the movie is so striking, and tonally works with the sometimes unnatural, meandering, and riddle-like way the characters often speak. In the text though, it feels like a bit too much. It almost feels like the characters are just reciting segments of nonsense poems like the Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll to each other sometimes, they barely feel like people. The whole book is sort of like reading an epic poem that spends a lot of time describing things rather than on anything happening. Sometimes these descriptions are clever and well-placed, and sometimes they are just slowing an already slow story down. I wish this type of writing worked for me, and I wish I had enjoyed listening to this audiobook, but I know I didn't by how much I actively avoided listening to it. I found myself folding my laundry in silence rather than putting this on. I'm sorry, Peter S. Beagle, for not being able to properly appreciate the whimsy and imagery you cultivated here, and I'm sorry Patrick Rothfuss because your intro to the book was lovely and I wish I felt the same way about it as you do. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, and Confinement

Minor: Animal death, Violence, Blood, and Death

atalea's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Blood, and Violence

Minor: Animal death

palebluehorse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Blood and Animal cruelty

Minor: Animal death and Self harm

i_write_on_occasion's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A fun and light-hearted story with sad undertones. A modern fairy-tale

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Kidnapping, Confinement, and Blood

Minor: Animal death and Slavery

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Animal death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Confinement

Minor: Fatphobia, War, and Genocide

orchidlilly's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 A timeless classic, what more can I say? 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Grief

Minor: Violence, Kidnapping, Blood, Body horror, Alcohol, Murder, Ableism, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

kaziaroo's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fairy tales aren't really my thing, but this one grew on me as it went on. It has a very wistful, meditative mood which I almost wish I could hold in a bottle to go back to whenever. The atmosphere and visual descriptions, especially of the weather and unicorn, were beautiful and I could visualise it all clearly as if it was in front of me. 

At the start, I didn't much like the nonsense rhymes, riddles and silly characters, and I didn't quite feel like I "got" it. But as the book went on and the main characters became more familiar, I enjoyed it a lot more and could appreciate the messages of the story and each character's growth. I love the idea of the unicorn, this perfect creature that lives in blissful blandness, maintaining an idyllic forest yet knowing that nothing is as beautiful as itself, but then being confronted and diluted by humanity with its sharp edges and bitter tastes. On the flipside, we see the humans' different reactions to meeting the unicorn and what that tells us about themselves. It's not quite my favourite, but it's a lovely if bittersweet book which I'm sure I'll revisit and will find fresh richness in upon rereading – and maybe I'll understand it a bit more then too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

Moderate: Grief and Blood

Minor: Animal death and Murder

mandkips's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Death, Confinement, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Cursing, Animal death, and Slavery

bonluvdon's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, and Suicidal thoughts