THE LADY AND THE UNICORN, by Tracy Chevalier

Total immersion in 15th century Paris and Brussels, with a meticulous look into the world of the lissier, the makers of tapestries. The iconic images of the unicorn, with which few of us are unfamiliar, is the starting point of this novel. Nicholas des Innocents, Parisian artist and compulsive womanizer, is asked to do a series of tapestries for the Grand Salle of a recently ennobled Frenchman. The nobleman's wife convinces Nicholas that love and not war should be the subject. Surprisingly, he talks the nobleman - who has little interest in art, but much in impressing people - into the new scheme. Click below for more...
His journey, from rough sketches to the finished product from the hands of the Brussels family of weavers, is the story. That, and his endless seductions, some of which don't turn out well. While Nicholas searches for easy conquest, this is at heart a love story, but not always about people and not always with that HEA (Happily Ever After). But then HEA is a modern idea, and would've been scoffed at in 1492, when the story wraps up. Rich, detailed, compelling, this is a great read for those who enjoy historical novels with factual underpinnings. It's a 4. 


 Find the author at www.tchevalier.com
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