Reviews

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

basil_blastname'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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sweetpealovey's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing 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

4.5

This was a heartwarming and enjoyable read that immediately made its way into my heart. I have never watched the movie or had much of an idea of what the story was about, she I was pleasantly surprised by the events. Its display on my bookshelf is well deserved.

lilmswolfe's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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

3.0

alilysong's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

1.5

not for me. can understand why this is beloved/considered a classic though and think there’s some artistry in the storytelling/prose, though it’s not even overly remarkable imo. at the end of the day though it’s a silly whimsical story filled w/ magic, fantastical creatures, nonsensical riddles/poems/songs and digressive side plots. there’s supposedly a lot of subtext/symbolism -i just didn’t care. was not charmed or interested in what was happening in the story and was constantly compelled to skim, which i did for basically the entire book. It’s really not worth overthinking this one. maybe i’m just at a point in my life where these types of stories don’t tickle my fancy anymore

purrgator1's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

swaggle's review against another edition

4.0

I thought this book was quite funny which I haven't seen anyone mention. The characters all have a natural sense of humor to them, which made it fun to read. Beagle was clearly having a laugh when he wrote the characters talking past each other and making fun of his poor wizard by having seemingly every character say "you couldn't turn cream into butter". I think the sense of humor and the fun Beagle had writing this is where the book really shines. There are also plenty of references the characters make to the story that they're in and how their fate relates to how the story must progress or is progressing, which is kind of funny in a breaking-the-fourth-wall kind of way.

The plot centers around the themes of mortality and legacy. One of the main characters of the book, Schmendrick the Magician, introduces himself by saying that you would never had heard of him, despite the fact that he's an immortal wizard. Schmendrick eventually evolves as a wizard, finding himself and realizing "Whatever can die is beautiful--more beautiful than a unicorn, who lives forever, and who is the most beautiful creature in the world." And what becomes of the unicorn is that "she is a story with no ending, happy or sad. She can never belong to anything mortal enough to want her." 

This book does have a certain je ne sais quoi, but the descriptive language, poetry that evokes lore, the atmosphere and world building I think all comes together to make this book a classic, and something I could imagine reading to my imaginary future child during bed time.

sph_23's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious

colorgardgirl's review against another edition

5.0

Beautifully written, though a bit hard to understand due to the poetic nature of his writing. I believe it’s a sweet, pure, allegory for facing one’s purpose in life and one’s own mortality.

dreadawn1988's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

5.0

As a child one of my all time favorite movies was The Last Unicorn. I would rewatch that movie over and over again. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized that the movie was based on the book by Peter S. Beagle. I added it to my tbr but never got around to reading it. Reading the story now has bought with it the nostalgia of my childhood. I absolutely loved the book.

juller's review against another edition

5.0

If you can have a fantasy book that seems so realistic, Peter Beagle has done it. I thought the characters were more like real people instead of these amazing, to good to be true characters. That made me like them even more.
The book is perfect for the adult who still likes to believe that things like unicorns do still exist.