A typical historical romance novel of a glowing love between a handsome viscount and an ugly duckling.

What I like in this book:
the witty conversations between Miranda and Turner.
Miranda's subtle admiration for Turner.
Turner's gentle love making to Miranda.

What I don't like in this book:
the shallow character of Turner and his family.
the naivity of Turner and his family.
lack of description about the landscape and background.

What can be improved:
more ink on the mind and personality of the characters.
more ink on key events like the wedding of Turner and Leticia.
more ink on the environment...

I still hesitate about the next romance novel. I hope I will find a better one.

this book is well written, close to my mind and heart.

it talks about a man, just like Elie himself, who suffered from the days in the concentration camps and suffered from what came into his brain during the war. he was hit by a cab when he and his lover Kathleen were crossing the street to see a movie. he was sent to a hospital where his life was saved by a young doctor. the doctor felt that this seriously injured guy didn't want to live and he was curious to know the reasons behind. when being asked and challenged, this man went back to his childhood and his days in the concentration camp and discovered his old wounds and roots of suffering. he challenged how he could live when people kept on dying, how he could eat happily when people were starving, how he could love when he was confused...

i enjoy reading this book cuz at certain points our thinking about life and death are alike though i didn't experience the concentration camp torment. but death is so close that i agree living and dying co-exist so living is to die and dying is to live.

My favorite sentences:

• "The problem is not: to be or not to be. But rather: to be and not to be."
• "Hatred puts accents on things and being, and on what separates them. Love erases accents."

I can't believe that I finished reading this book in just a week!

I was first motivated by the title. I used to like unicorn and the story of virgin's seduction to the unicorn. Once I started flipping the first few pages of the novel, I just couldn't help enjoying myself in the interesting stories between the 'son-of-a-bitch' painter and the female characters - rigid lady in court, lady's young daughter in court, plump maid in court, proud weaver's wife, sharp weaver's blind daughter. In each lady, Nicholas (the painter) saw not just a different face but a different soul and a different desire that he hardly understood at the beginning.

The author, Tracy Chevalier, is smart that I totally got this disgusting painter out of my head when I was reading the book. My focus was always put on the ladies and their complicated yet delicate thoughts, interwoven relationships and their happy yet tragic endings.  The author used a special style to tell the story that each chapter is told in the voice of one character. Things look different in different people's eyes/ hearts, and that makes their personalities stand out from each other.

Of all characters, I like Alienor, the blind girl. I think she's got the happiest ending from all of the others. She got 'what' she desired for. She did everything to please everyone but at the end her parents planned to marry her to a 'stinky' wool dyer, whom had a smell of sheep's piss.  She broke the chain by bringing Nicholas to her sweet bed of lilies. She later got married with the cartoonist with Nicholas' son.

I have sorrows for Genevieve, the lady in court. Just like what Nicholas described, she was bound to the world of wealth and regulations. She had been sorry for almost her life that she didn't have the chance to be 'purified' in a convent. When Nicholas showed the tapestry of a Mon Seul Desir, Genevieve was just like the lady in it - hesitating whether to enter or leave the worldy place she had been living.

The more Nichloas knew about these ladies; the closer he was to their desires, their souls. He tried the best to put their characters into the tapestries. The Sight one was made for Alienor. In this tapestry, the lady was holding a mirror reflecting the image of a beloved unicorn, which lay happily in her lap. The image showed a happy face of the unicorn but the lady was looking a bit sad as her smile was crooked and her eyes were looking heavy and puffy.

Overall speaking, it's a good novel, which is written in the language of women's sensuality and sensibility.

Tracy Chevalier's website: http://www.tchevalier.com
The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_and_the_Unicorn

Recently, I am crazily reading material about this lady, Katherine of Aragon aka Princess of Wales and Queen of England (b.1485~d.1536).

She was wife to Henry VII's first son, Arthur, and supposed to be Queen of England to be. After her 6 months with Arthur, the English heir died of a fatal disease.

Katherine came from an interesting political background. Katherine was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Her parents made a clever plan to marry Katherine to England for an alliance against France while Henry VII thought Spain was a good ally to keep the French away. So they draw up a treaty to marry their children. When Arthur died, it ruined the Spain's plan. There's a turning point when Henry VII died. Henry VIII became King of England and had the right to choose his wife. To secure the relationship, although there were many political issues and religious constraints, he finally decided to marry Katherine 7 years after Arthur's death. Please note that  Henry VIII was 6 years younger than Katherine. Her old age was being criticized by the public and blamed for the failure of producing healthy heir to her husband.

Katherine did give births to several children but only one daughter survived her infancy and that was Mary (aka Bloody Mary). Since she failed to give her husband a male heir (at that time, female was illegitimate to be heir), Henry VIII looked around for mistresses and Katherine was always left alone in the Tower. Katherine felt unhappy about his behaviours but she did not give up her role of a good wife and good Queen of England. She loved Henry as much as their daughter, Mary. She was considerate and she even showed her understanding about the King's decision to divorce her.

Katherine, to me, is a tough woman. It was her destiny to be Queen of England. She had to undergo several times of financial hardships and cruel public humiluating criticisms from outside and inside in Ludlow Castle and then Windsor Castle. She had to conquer the fears in the difficult seas to commit the marraige with an English man she was destined to marry. Her courage was again proven in the way she conquered the 7 years of fears of losing her status and public attackes on making her the wife to Henry VIII. Those chill sweats made her thousand sleepless nights. She had to supress her true feelings when her first husband died, her mother died and her divorce.  Even though she had been dumped by her husband, she never failed his country and his people. She was such a beautiful woman and unfailing Queen of England.

Books

This book is written by a historian with details about the 6 wives of Henry VIII. Each chapter is full of passion, love, adventure, courage and tears but not much happiness of these 6 women. Note. Weir had spent 20 years of writing a book about British Royal History. Amazing. She must enjoy very much studying the old times.
Another history book about these 6 queens. Fraser's use of words and language is obviously more sophisticated than Weir. I prefer her story-like presentation of the history. Fraser has also written a lot of history books about England and other European figures including Marie Antoinette, and  lately a movie starring Kirsten Dunst was produced from her book. My next project should be Marie cuz her life is also very fascinating.

This is a 35% fiction + 65% historical elements. Catalina is depicted as a romantic, witty and caring person in her multiple roles - daughter, wife, mother, princess, queen, widow, divorcee... I particularly like the way Gregory presents the heroine's mind between different events.

Websites
(in English)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon
http://tudorhistory.org/aragon/
http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/aragon.html
http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/aboutCatalinadeAragon.htm
(in Spanish)
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalina_de_Arag%C3%B3n 
http://www.aragonesasi.com/historia/catalina.php

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