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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
fast-paced
I think this is a book I must read through a few times in order to completely grasp the language and deep meanings. But in saying that, there were some beautifully quotes and fun phrases/descriptions that I will often be thinking about now. I love how whimsical the world is and I wish for more media to have this type of vibe. Not sure how I like the ending though.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Review of “The Last Unicorn”
By: Peter S. Beagle
A unicorn learned she was the last of her kind and she decided to go on a quest in search of them. She crossed paths with an incompetent magician, Schemendrick, and Molly Grue, a middle-aged woman, who is young at heart, and had always wanted to meet a unicorn. The trio learned that the unicorns were being held captive by King Haggard and his fierce Red Bull. Due to his greed King Haggard’s kingdom was cursed and the trio must team up with Haggard’s son Prince Lir to save the unicorns. Unfortunately, out of desperation Schemendrick had accidentally turned the unicorn into a human and Lir fell in love with her.
“The Last Unicorn” was what I expected it to be, a whimsical fairytale adventure but with a feeling of datedness compared to modern fantasy. There was no gray area with the antagonist, and the heroes and heroines were pure, but had selfish desires. Like Beagle’s later novel “I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons”, he used this story to comment on fairytale tropes. Schemendrick referred to them being in a fairytale and they roles they were meant to play. In the beginning, the prince didn’t live up to the hero role until he met and fell in love with the unicorn in human form. He had been motivated, but didn’t understand why she didn’t react to his bringing her the heads of dragons he defeated He was oblivious to what she really wanted and needed.
There was a feeling of both sorrow and hope in the story as the unicorn went in search of her kind. The story looks at what it means to be a human, especially through the unicorn when she had become human. When Schemendrick accidentally turned her into a human to save her when the Red Bull attacked, she is horrified and was depressed, but she had become more human as time went by,
Climax was confusing and I didn’t understand what happened in the final confrontation. There was bittersweet quality to the ending but there was feeling hope for the characters.
inspiring
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
Beautifully descriptive writing and a very interesting story. Extremely well written for a fantasy book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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:
No
I first read this book in high school, 45 years ago. It was a gift from a favorite teacher, who had heard I wanted read it; she had copy and gave it to me. I loved it then, I've reread since, but it's been a couple of decades.
This is a fairy tale that knows it's a fairy tale - Schmendrick mentions that on several occasions - pokes a little fun at other classic stories and occasionally makes references to normal everyday life. It's by turns humorous, poignant and poetic. Beagle was 24 when he wrote this, which amazes me when I consider what I was doing myself at the same age.
Two sentences that completely that made me misty and have to go outside for some fresh air.
- Molly Grue's "How dare you come to me now, when I am THIS!" - hits differently at 62 than at 17.
- "Then the unicorns came out of the sea." I only realized on this reading how many ocean references there are, foreshadowing what happened to the Unicorn's people.
This is a fairy tale that knows it's a fairy tale - Schmendrick mentions that on several occasions - pokes a little fun at other classic stories and occasionally makes references to normal everyday life. It's by turns humorous, poignant and poetic. Beagle was 24 when he wrote this, which amazes me when I consider what I was doing myself at the same age.
Two sentences that completely that made me misty and have to go outside for some fresh air.
- Molly Grue's "How dare you come to me now, when I am THIS!" - hits differently at 62 than at 17.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book really wasn't for me, had to drag myself to finish it.
The very start and very end chapters were good, but the middle completely lost my attention
The very start and very end chapters were good, but the middle completely lost my attention