Reviews

A Fine and Private Place/The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

amyocamsrazor's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

sraedi's review against another edition

5.0

If I read it two years ago, I would not have affected me the same way it does now. As is, I have a habit of reading before bed during my negative thought cycle and this book drew a lot of conscious and subconscious connections. Even during the day it was tough. I spent most of it with a wet face and it took me a long time to get through but it was good and I don't regret it. Just maybe wish I'd read it much sooner.. and again much later.

jolovesluna's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

dantastic's review against another edition

4.0

Jonathan Rebeck, a homeless man, lives in a New York cemetery. His companions are a talking raven and two new ghosts. While the ghosts explore the circumstances of their deaths and fall in love, Rebeck meets a widow named Mrs. Klapper. Will Rebeck's feelings for Klapper be enough for him to leave behind his cemetery home?

I bought this for a quarter at a book sale and the story was worth a thousand times that. I was hooked from the moment the talking raven tried stealing the salami in the first chapter.

Beagle crafted quite a tale. While it's a fantasy story on the surface, it's really a story about relationships. The relationships between the four main characters is what drives the story and sets it apart from other fantasy tales. Rebeck's fear of the world outside the cemetery was a tangible thing and the revelation of how Michael Morgan really died was one of the more powerful parts of the book. I loved that there was no big bad menace other than the characters' own personalities.

I recommend A Fine and Private Place to fans of fantasy stories that are about people rather than quests.

bookishblond's review against another edition

5.0

What a lovely read! Beagle is most known for his fantasy classic [b:The Last Unicorn|29127|The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn, #1)|Peter S. Beagle|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1524764327s/29127.jpg|902304], but this book deserves equal renown in itself.

I am convinced that this novel is the inspiration for Gaiman's [b:The Graveyard Book|2213661|The Graveyard Book|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531295292s/2213661.jpg|2219449]... the similarities are too numerous to ignore.

anca_m's review against another edition

4.0

O carte cu o savoare aparte :) M-am dus intr-o lume si am venit inapoi.

basboson's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

goth's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

beetree's review against another edition

4.0

If Unicorn is a Hyacinth, then this book is a daisy. In that it is lighter and more subtle, but it is beautiful in its simplicity and freshness. I don't know, there's nothing more I can do than compare his books to flowers.

shane_tiernan's review against another edition

3.0

After reading [b:The Last Unicorn|29127|The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn, #1)|Peter S. Beagle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358147318s/29127.jpg|902304] I was so taken by Mr. Beagle's writing that I decided to read the rest of the stories in the omnibus I had. This was another novel and other than a man who could talk to ghosts and a talking raven there was nothing fantastic about it. It was really kind of slow but the writing and characters were great. I read it with my wife and we both kept wondering where it was going. In the end not much happened, but as with may literary stories (as opposed to genre fiction) there was a lot happening metaphorically.

Beagle's writing really sets a scene. I was right there in the Jewish district with Mrs. Klapper gossiping on the street in the 60's.