Customer Reviews

The Unicorn Sonata

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am aware of the tendency of fantasy writers to dwell upon the subject of voyages into fantastic otherworlds, which lead the characters to discover their inner strengths and weaknesses. Peter S. Beagle's "The Unicorn Sonata" is a case in point. Like any childhood fairy tale, it speaks of wonderful creatures like unicorns, satyrs, the division between the world of rigid adult control and the carnivalesque world of the child. What really makes the tale deliver is not the fact that Josephine "Joey" Rivera goes through another formulaic journey into a world parallel to the human world, but the identity of the saviour-child she assumes in the fantastic otherworld as she introduces her grandmother, a Mexican woman of her own superstitions, into the realm to heal the sick unicorns. The book, simple as it appears due to its illustrations and the dominant viewpoint of Josephine, is laden with symbolism that unravels bit by bit the need to be selfless and to look at the world around us for miracles. The result of this is a complicit faith in the innocence of the child, and her(or his) ability to change the world, regardless of age and status in society.

I am huge fan of Beagle's "The Last Unicorn," and finally have decided to check out some of his other works. This is the first one I grabbed off the shelf because it is also about unicorns. I was a little disappointed because the plot is very slow and not that interesting, and the dialogue is not very deep or memorable. It lacks most of the lyrical qualities of "The Last Unicorn" in both plot and style. However, I don't think this a bad book!!! Its just different, that's all. I'm sure that Beagle had a different audience in mind. If I were 10 or 12 I would be raving about this book for sure! Call it a "Last Unicorn" for elementary school readers. "The Last Unicorn" is a difficult book after all, full of beautiful poetry, deep characters, and detailed descriptions. Perhaps this is a good stepping stone for younger readers to use... and eventually discover "The Last Unicorn!"

Thirteen year old Josephine (`Joey') Rivera helps out part time at John Papas' music store in return for lessons. When a young boy named Indigo walks into the store trying to sell a strange horn on which he can play wonderful haunting music Joey is entranced. While John Papas cannot play the instrument Joey finds that she can. But Indigo's price for the instrument is too high and Joey is left with only the memory of his song. Several nights later, after visiting Abuelita, her grandmother, Joey hears the music again and follows it. Suddenly she finds herself in a different world, Shei'rah, the home of the unicorns.

She meets Ko, a Satyr, who takes her to meet The Eldest, the nearly immortal unicorns, in an adventure we will never forget. Shei'rah is a world of beauty and danger, and The Eldest, at it's heart, are the music of that world. Gradually she learns their ways and of a blinding disease which is gradually destroying them. Traveling back and forth across the border between our world and Shei'rah, Joey seeks to help heal the Unicorns and bring their music back. "The Unicorn Sonata" is the story of her quest, told beautifully by Peter Beagle and illustrated by Robert Rodriguez.

Beagle is the author of "The Last Unicorn" and "A Fine and Private Place," which is on my all time favorites list. In the years since these novels Beagle has become a more youth oriented. While he has remained accessible to us adults, he aims his message where it will do the most good. This is especially true of the "The Unicorn Sonata," which is not really a coming of age story, but one of finding one's self.

Beagle has the ability to turn commonplaces into mysteries in his fiction and from those mysteries construct tales that reflect his abiding belief in human nature. The reader rediscovers the world through the eyes and ears of Joey and her friends. In her quest to heal the unicorns' vision she brings clarity to her own. She is stretched and tested, but never found wanting. Always, in the end, hope returns and we find healing.

This really is a beautiful book, and I believe if it had been published 20 years ago it would have been a huge seller in the fantasy market. I think the reason some of the other reviewers have not enjoyed the work as much is because this sort of fantasy kingdom has been portrayed before--Never Never Land, Middle Earth, Narnia--even the world of The Last Unicorn itself. Still, at the end, I found myself yearning for Beagle's mythical kingdom. And Abuelita is a wonderful character. A slower, older style, but worth finishing.

I wanted to read "The Last Unicorn" by Peter Beagle to honor the cartoon that simotaneously captured my imagination and invoked fear when I was in preschool. Unfortunatly, that book has proved extremly difficult to procure; my local library's copy is perpetually checked out. Being the impatient teenager I am, I settled for "The Unicorn Sonata," also by Beagle.

The book was a quick read (it took me less than a day), ranking in at 154 pages. Regardless, I enjoyed the story and felt my time was well-spent. This novel is definetely best classifed as a Young Adult story, and was certainly more elementary than what I usually read-not that this is a bad thing; it's just different.

Joey, a pre-teen from Los Angelos, unassumingly works at Papa's Music shop until a strange boy visits the store, hoping to sell an equally strange blue horn. After hearing the instrument, Joey is enraptured; she cannot get the music from her head, and when she begins to hear it at night, she leaves her bed to follow the melodious sounds. Her short quest brings her to Shel'rah, a mythical land populated by unicorns, pheonixs, and water-jalla. There, she meets Shel'rah's inhabitants and learns of their problem-one which only she can solve.

I'd recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys the fantasy novels and is in search of a quick, mindless afternoon read.

I usually love Beagle, but nothing in the book caught my attention. Beagle's typically poetic writing style was absent from this work. An absense felt all the more because Unicorn Sonata was cursed with a bad plot. Not that the concept was bad, it just moved too slow. In fact, the plot often came to a complete halt. Perhaps, this is because this book seems to have been written with a younger audience in mind than most of Beagle's books (I would say ages 8 and up). I just felt this book was missing the magic his books usually possess, or perhaps I am too old for the magic in this book.

This book is one of the best I have ever read. I've read it and re-read it many times!The sheer beauty displayed in this book is astounding.It holds your attention the whole way through. It's a fantastical journey through a mysterious land. Very, very highly recommended.

I first read this book about a year ago. I cannot believe that it is already out of print. Peter S. Beagle has done it again. He is able to capture the same beauty and wonder of unicorns that he achieved in his classic book The Last Unicorn. I am absolutely dying to read any more books by him.

I'm a big fan of Peter S. Beagle and I certainly don't deny that he can write wonderfully and create an appealing fantasy world. However, the main ingredient of story is conflict, and there is essentially none in the Unicorn Sonata. Sure, Indigo gets a bit sulky, but the major part of the book comprises Joey going to the unicorn world, having fun, and - that's all. If you are new to Beagle, start with "The Last Unicorn," or "The Innkeeper's Song," both of which are great books, with actual plots.

The Unicorn Sonata, written by Peter S. Beagle, is about a lack-luster 13 year old girl named Josephine Riveira who accidentally stumbles upon a magical land called Shei'rah. The story that unfolds is both riveting and beautiful. The Unicorn Sonata is a wonderful read, accessible to both children and adults and successfully brings back the sort of magical world that we seem to have forgotten in today's chaotic society.