The Lady and the Unicorn

By: Tracy Chevalier

Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld, Terry Donnelly

Length: 8 hrs

Publisher's summary

Bewitching art experts and enthusiasts alike for centuries, the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries hang today in the Cluny Museum in Paris.

In each, an elegant lady and a unicorn stand or sit on an island of grass surrounded by a rich background of animals and flowers. Little is known about them except that they were woven toward the end of the 15th century and bear the coat of arms of a wealthy family from Lyons.

Tracy Chevalier takes readers back to the tapestries' creation, giving life to the men who designed and made them, as well as the wives, daughters, and servants who exercised subtle (and not so subtle) influences over their men. Like the many different strands of wool and silk that were woven together into one cloth, the lives and fates of these people entwine in complex patterns, crisscrossing as they seek desires sensual and spiritual, temporal and eternal.

An extraordinary story exquisitely told, Tracy Chevalier's The Lady and the Unicorn weaves history and fiction into a beautiful, timeless, and intriguing literary tapestry that rivals in grace and grandeur the masterpiece that inspired it.

©2004 Tracy Chevalier (P)2004 Penguin Audio and BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"Tracy Chevalier has invented another juicy backstory to a great work of art...a lively, sexy, and thoroughly entertaining novel." (Entertainment Weekly)

"Subtly rendered, surprisingly complex characters...a novel notable for its human warmth." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Tracy Chevalier has spun a story as richly detailed as the medieval tapestries on which it’s based...a fascinating novel." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Good Classic Historical Fiction

Good story, kinda sad and creepy but that’s just 15th century France for you. Enjoyed the characters and story.

Should be re-recorded!!

Very annoying to hear voices in the background.
Story was fascinating insight into world of Renaissance art, tapestries, artisans, nobility and the people who served them.

Excellent performance, Questionable story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story was a reflection on the poignantly sad aspects of human existence at the time. I prefer a story that has a more positive slant as we are living through very troubled times in our country now.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

All story lines were completed. No particular surprises.

Which scene was your favorite?

No particular scene comes to mind, but the various descriptions of how the tapestries were made were fascinating to me, a former needlepointer. The description of how the blind character picked herbs and managed her garder was also very interesting.

Was The Lady and the Unicorn worth the listening time?

Although I listened to the entire story it was not truly worth my listening time. The story was simply not my cup of tea.

Any additional comments?

In spite of my lack of enthusiasm for this well publicized book I have to acknowledge that the story was very well written by the author. Others may be perfectly happy with this story.

Not Chevalier’s best book

I read this book thinking it would be much like Girl with the Pearl Earring. Unfortunately this book, also based on a historical artworks, is not as enthralling. Honestly I think the story used the tapestries as a unifying theme but the story overall could have just as well been told without them. I feel like the story and the tapestries were two different themes forced together. More of the book was used for talking about lustful young men and women then most anything else. it was a little dry, I thought it was decent but I would not call it a favorite. Nothing about it stands out and the storyline of the art was almost lost due to the side stories of each of the characters. Girl with a Pearl Earring built up to the theme of the painting while this story used The Lady and the Unicorn as a background, the one thing that tied all the characters together. I don’t know if it works to base an entire novel on the theme of phallic symbolism of 1500’s unicorns & attractive women. The notion is just a little too plain and a little too transparent.

twists and turns

By the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring. Very engrossing story of tapestries and the Middle Ages.

fair book

confusing at times! how did a blind later become obviously able to see later? good story but .......

Hard to stay interested.

What did you like best about The Lady and the Unicorn? What did you like least?

If you liked Girl with the Pearl Earring (same author), you'll like this one. It's the same concept of spinning a story around a recognized piece of art. I just couldn't get into the story and characters. Was slow to start. Could always guess what was coming. No big surprises.

Have you listened to any of Robert Blumenfeld and Terry Donnelly ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Performances were great.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Very enjoyable

I truly enjoyed this book. The first male reader put me off at first, but eventually the story grabbed me. Definitely worth the listen.

Great Story

This was a Perfect Audiobook with a great plot, excellent writing, and terrific readers. Learning about art and tapestry weaving added to the fun. I enjoyed this as much if not more than the Author's Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Wonderful Audiobook!

This is one of my favorites, but I almost didn't listen to it. The male narrator starts it off and his voice sounded pretentious to me. I'm glad I hung in there. The female and male narrators switched off depending on the character speaking and I really liked that. I'm not knowledgeable about art, but that didn't matter. The characters and tapestry weaving process were fascinating and I never wanted it to end.