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)

Education

Tracy’s books are well written, easy to read and listen. Most importantly thourghly researched. Every book from Tracy is a door opening to a piece of history that is new to me.
Tapestry’s of the 15th century served multiple purposes. Status, warmth, and a piece of history woven into a wall hanging. Details of the process from the buyer to the actual family in Belgium responsible for the weaving of the rich colors that spell out the story are told with character and day to day life events.

Wonderful!

One my favorite books. Humorous and poignant. Great performance. The story appeals to art lovers, history buffs, and romantics.

Talking in the background

Around chapter 5 I noticed in the background of the audio there are people talking. Not enough to understand, but definitely enough to think you’re going insane. It’s a shame because the story is wonderful!

Needs to be re- recorded

The quality of this recording is plainly poor. A different narration(or an ongoing conversation) is heard in the background for almost all of the first half of this book. It is very distracting and I almost stopped listening. The male narrator sounds like an old man, even when acting as the young artist Nicola. I really did not even like anyone in this book until introduction of the blind Eleonore. Terry Donnelly saved the day and I give this book 3 stars for performance, just because Terry is so great. Overall, a wasted credit.

Unappealing characters and bad audio

The main characters, Nicola and Cloude, are both arrogant, entitled, and self-centered. They are so bad the reader almost hopes they get together just so Nicola will get Cloude knocked up and abandon her, just like he does every other attractive woman he get close to. At least then Cloude might think outside herself. But alas, no. Tracy Chevalier attempts to make these 2 unlikeable people have a tragic love story. It falls flat. The saving graces of this book are the weavers and the description of how the tapestries are made. That family is kind in an age when brutish behavior is acceptable. They are a product of their time yet still sympathetic. The description of how tapestries are made is fascinating.

The production quality is mediocre. The sound levels are uneven and at times so quiet, you can't hear the performance. Please rebalance.