Unicorn's Blood
by Patricia Finney
List Price: $14.00
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0312200390
Publisher: Picador USA
“So where shall we begin, in this tale of unicorns and virgins? In the
head of my usurper, the earthly Queen Elizabeth, I think. She lies peacefully
in darkness on a clean linen pillow, the rose-water that took the red
cinnabar and white-lead paint from her skin leaving ghosts of gardens
about her cheeks. Her hair is cut short and no longer the fair burnished
copper that men praised in her youth, but an ugly shade between grey and
red, now hidden by an embroidered cap. Her alabaster skin is furrowed
and freckled with the footprints of Time. But when she sleeps, the folds
relax and the guile and statecraft melt away until it is as if a child
peeks from behind a crumpled mask.” (p. 2)
In her first novel since the
critically acclaimed Firedrake’s Eye, Patricia Finney has written a masterpiece
of voice, of historical detail and of psychological insight that rivals
the best of Umberto Eco and Rose Tremain.
England, mid-1580s. Facing
an array of international foes and torn internally by religious strife,
England finds that its safety depends more than ever on a slight woman
of exceptional intellectual brilliance, a master of realpolitik--Queen
Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, Gloriana. Elizabeth is revered like a goddess,
her stature a shrewd political tool designed to hold her people together.
And it’s about to be destroyed by a dark revelation from a hidden part
of her past.
Unicorn’s Blood is
about a dangerous secret, the existence of a private diary kept by the
Queen as a young princess. Should this stolen journal, embroidered with
a unicorn that has a ruby for an eye, fall into the wrong hands, its intimate
revelations would destroy the entire edifice of Tudor government. This
guide is designed to help you navigate the twists and turns of Patricia
Finney’s intricately wrought work.
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1. Why did the author chose to narrate this story through the voice of a defrocked nun? What does this have to do with the historical context of the novel?
2. Discuss the relationship between religion and politics in the 16th century. Are there any contemporary examples of parallel power struggles?
3. Discuss the nature of feminine power in the novel. How is it related to the characters’ beauty and sexuality, and how does this interplay affect the personal and political lives?
4. Discuss the symbolism of the unicorn. In how many ways is it related to the concept of virginity, and Elizabeth’s in particular? What is the significance of the title?
5. Discuss the perils that faced the characters in this novel. What is the relationship between their spiritual and earthly concerns?
6. What is the purpose of having the prologue follow the body of the text? What ramifications does this have for the plot of the novel?
7. Who is the real Elizabeth and why is this important?
8. How would you answer the question at the end of the book, “Now judge if you would have done different?” (p. 363)
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"An accomplished historical thriller . . . Finney’s fictional meditations on Elizabeth’s iconic womanhood not only bring Elizabeth alive——they make England’s greatest queen an object of sympathy and even identification. "
——Publishers Weekly
"In all, a roaring good tale, with a poetic sensibility and judicious sense of humanity at its core. "
——Kirkus Reviews
"A peerless period novel, Unicorn’s Blood is worth a queen’s ransom. To paraphrase the Bard: excellence, thy name is Finney. "
——Orlando Sentinel
"Masterfully written and researched… "
——Portsmouth Herald
"Brilliant, original and wonderfully written. "
——Women’s Review of Books
