The Lady and the Unicorn: Summary and book reviews of The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier, plus links to an excerpt from The Lady and the Unicorn and a biography of Tracy Chevalier.

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 fifteenth 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.

Media Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Wendy Smith Although the premise of ''The Lady and the Unicorn'' superficially resembles that of 'Girl With a Pearl Earring', the more important similarity lies in their author's ability to populate a period setting with subtly rendered, surprisingly complex characters.   The New York Times - Janet Maslin Tracy Chevalier's approach to fiction is so methodical that she threatens to turn writing about art into a science. Her latest novel, like her Girl With a Pearl Earring, selects a masterpiece and then weaves a story to describe its provenance   Publishers Weekly What makes the tale enthralling are the details Chevalier offers about the social customs of the time and, especially, the craft of weaving as it was practiced in Brussels....If any of Chevalier's novels has a chance to match the success of Girl with a Pearl Earring, it's this one.   Booklist - Kristine Huntley ... a luminous tale about a set of medieval tapestries known as the Lady and the Unicorn sequence.... Chevalier meticulously describes the complex process of creating a tapestry, from its conception to the moment it is pulled off the loom. The story she weaves is as lush as the tapestries she describes, and her colorful characters leap off the page. A romantic, beautiful book.   Kirkus Reviews Marvelously imagined and sharply constructed, with a good feel for the people and the era a fascinating portrait of the intersection of life and art.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Jacky LORETTE
Mary Tudor - Suffolk, the mysterious Lady of The Lady and the Unicorn ?
Mary Tudor - Suffolk, the mysterious Lady of The Lady and the Unicorn ? You will see, with The Lady and the Unicorn, we are far from the simple interpretation usually known of the Five Senses ! The tapestries of The Lady and the Unicorn were...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Darmanian Le'Phayle
Le Paris C'ontre
DAR ABRAHAMOVICH! Magnificent! Splendid! The alliteration can't be beaten! The imagination blows one's mind! Everyone has to read this.

Rated of 5 by veronica
This is the third book of Tracy Chevalier's that I've read and I've loved all of them. (Girl With a Pearl Earring and Falling Angels) She has such a unique writing style. I highly recommend her books!

Rated of 5 by Charlie
This is a great book.I loved it from the start to the finish. In fact it was so good, I couldn't wait for lunch times to come round or to get home from work, so that I could pick up the book and get submerged once again in this 15th...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Anisa
I find it a very interesting book

Rated of 5 by BookBrowse
BookBrowse.com - Davina
This is a delightful, engrossing story that educates as it entertains. A must read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction at its finest.

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Books with similar themes

• Historical Fiction
  
• Europe 
  
• France 
  
• 17th Century or Earlier