The Last Unicorn | 
so-so“I was born a unicorn. I could‘ve sworn you believed in me. Then how come all the other unicorns are dead?”
sptfy.in/tofz
Peter S. Beagle asks the question above (decades before the song—a favorite—was penned) and comes up with a rather poetic answer. Based solely on said answer (no spoilers!), I should‘ve *loved* this book… but I didn‘t. I have a hard time believing in a magic that robs women of their agency. 👇🏻
monalyisha 1/3: Every time one of Schmendrick‘s spells is successful, it comes at the expense of a woman‘s stated wish. First, the titular character wishes to remain a unicorn—a wish that is not heeded. Then, she states plainly that she wishes to remain human; again, she is transformed against her will. 1d
monalyisha 2/3: I got the impression that I was meant to find the magician sort of hapless yet charming. This is the wrong political climate for powerful men who claim to have “no control” over their power, making pronouncements that take away a woman‘s control over her own body, smiling smugly and laughing wrongly all the while. The characters learn and grow but “Lady Amaranth” is never given a true voice and my patience, these days, wears thin. 1d
monalyisha 3/3: I know this is a favorite for many but without the nostalgia factor, I cannot get behind it. The poetic writing is its saving grace, though Beagle sometimes reaches for lyricism and whimsy at the expense of clarity. (edited) 1d
See All 7 Comments
monalyisha #TuesdayTunes (14 minutes late)! @TieDyeDude 1d
merelybookish Interesting! We recently watched the movie as a family (my first time seeing it) and it made me curious about the book. I guess it doesn't shock me that it's sexist. 1d
monalyisha @merelybookish I‘m the outlier! There are a lot of glowing reviews. I decided early on that I was bothered, which was a hard first impression to work past. 22h
CSeydel Oh no! 18h
54 likes7 comments
pick
pan
