I'm not sure why Beagle chose to ruin his legacy by writing a story that just happened to include a unicorn, but is mostly an old man fantasy about being with a young woman - but here we are. The actual ages in the story are around 24 and 48, but the 48 year-old is written like he's 60+ which makes it even more creepy because that's closer to the author's age.

I mean if a grown woman wants to mess around with a guy twice her age, sure have some fun, but this was written as a love story, which means soon she's 40 and he's 64, then 50 and 74? At which point she can be changing his diapers, just like he used to change her's when she was a baby. See what I mean? It's creepy. In the book he calls her "child" and mentions seeing her walk for the first time. Are there really men out there watching a girl grow up just waiting them to become legal? Don't answer that.

Other than that, there was some beautiful/entertaining writing, but that was ruined by the hint that "Oh no, this is going to be about this old guy sleeping with this young girl" and then it happened. The end is a surreal blur that doesn't really make any sense.

If you're a fan of The Last Unicorn, do yourself a favor and skip this. ( )

"Have you written any nice poems lately, by the way?"
"I do not write poetry. As you know. I sometimes--sometimes--read poetry to my cows, because they seem to like it." ( )

After having read a few books in the past month that were each disappointing in some way (the length, the plot, and the writing), I determined that my next read was going to be something that was likely not to suffer those faults. This one didn't.

It was quite short, a novella actually. But packed with lots of good stuff. Fantasy, but set in a very real location that's lovingly rendered: the area of Italy known as Calabria. Claudio Bianchi scratches out a living on a small farm on a mountainside, living with a few pigs and cows, an aged dog, three cats, and a goat named Cherubino.

Into this humble setting wanders a unicorn one day, and Claudio's solitude begins breaking down despite his best efforts to resist. Some connections are good, some are threatening, and all revolve around La Signora, the unicorn.

I really, really enjoyed the contrast between the gritty, unforgiving world of Calabria and the magical quality of La Signora. The earthy sense of place and people is ripe for her to bring out the best in all the local residents - well, nearly all.

I know that Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn is considered one of the best fantasy novels ever written, and I do have every intention of reading it someday, but at this moment in my life, this was a perfect book.

Five stars. And if I could, a sixth for Bronson Pinchot's narration.

( )

A fantasy story of the wonder of a unicorn appearing on a man's farm. The story is wonderful, whimsical, and well-written. The novella is essentially in two parts, with the excitement of a unicorn and then the tension. It is a great story with great characters. It is a very emotional and magical book. It is very different then The Last Unicorn, but if you enjoyed that book you will likely enjoy this one as well. ( )

Series Info/Source: I borrowed the audiobook of this through Audible Plus.

Story (3/5): This was a well written story. It involves a stubborn Italian farmer who is set in his ways and a unicorn who decides to give birth at his farm. The beginning of this story is very beautiful and magical. Unfortunately, two thirds of the way through gangsters and media folks get involved in the story and things went downhill from there. When a cat was tortured and killed that really soured things for me.

Characters (4/5): I was impressed by how well the characters were developed and how beautifully things were described. Claudio’s relationship and connection to the animals on his farm was very well done. I also enjoyed the side characters and the unicorn a lot too.

Setting (4/5): I loved the Italian farm setting. It gave a modern day story a very nostalgic feel. The description was very well done and I could picture everything about the setting perfectly.

Writing Style (4/5): This is the first story I have read by Beagle and he has an amazingly beautiful writing style. If he had left out the gangsters and some of the cruel violence towards animals this would have been a five star read for me. Still I loved the beginning and ending and thought the unicorns and characters were amazingly well done.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this made me want to go and read Beagle’s other books. It is beautifully written and magical in a gentle way. Beagle does an amazing job with description and with creating very human characters that are easy to care about. Some of the violence and crime in this story soured it for me, I think it would have been a fine story and a lot more enjoyable without those elements. ( )