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The Lady and The UnicornThis based-on-fact piece of historical fiction is written by Tracy Chevalier, the same author behind The Girl with the Pearl Earring (now a major motion picture). Although I haven't read her first book, I enjoyed her second one, and would recommend The Lady and the Unicorn to anybody looking to learn something in a (very) easy-to-read format.
In fact, the easiness-of-reading issue was probably my only issue with this book. I suppose I spend so much time reading "established" authors that I have a little bit of a hard time coming back to popular fiction, but I'll admit that this book was an entertaining read - it came in handy when I accidently showed up an hour early for my doctor's appointment, at any rate.
The synopsis: The story is of the design and development of the famous Le Viste tapestries, now located in the Musée Cluny in Paris. As a matter of fact, I had been passing copies of these tapestries for years, without knowing what they were or where from. In a moment of coincidence, a good friend explained the tapestries to me just days before my mother appeared and passed along this book to me.
The narrative rotates between different characters - the artist who designs the tapestries, the weaver family who actually makes them, and the nobles for whom they are intended - and Chevalier actually manages to pull off this feat quite well. I'll admit that the first chapter had me skeptical, but by halfway through the book, I found I was getting into the different personalities and their thoughts/fears/dreams/etc. In the end, you find yourself with severall different mini-stories, all handily woven together through the story of the (woven!) tapestries.
What I liked about this book - and this is terrible to admit - is that the pretext of it being "historical" made me feel a little less ashamed about reading what is really just a well-decorated soap opera. There's sex and lying and seduction and betrayal... overall all the good workings of a crappy woman's romance novel.
The Lady and the Unicorn is a notable step up from that, and I would read it again. It's perfect travel reading; I can see myself enjoying it on an airplane or at the beach. Don't expect great literature, but it's a good time.
The Lady and the Unicorn - Tracy Chevalier
