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The Unicorn Woman

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Description

FINALIST FOR THE 2025 PULITZER PRIZE IN FICTION "One of our greatest living authors."—Lauren LeBlanc, The Boston Globe Marking a dramatic new direction for Jones, a riveting tale set in the Post WWII South, narrated by a Black soldier who returns to Jim Crow and searches for a mythical ideal Set in the early 1950s, this latest novel from Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Gayl Jones follows the witty but perplexing army veteran Buddy Ray Guy as he embodies the fate of Black soldiers who return, not in glory, but into their Jim Crow communities. A cook and tractor repairman, Buddy was known as Budweiser to his army pals because he’s a wise guy. But underneath that surface, he is a true self-educated intellectual and a classic seeker: looking for religion, looking for meaning, looking for love. As he moves around the south, from his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, primarily, to his second home of Memphis, Tennessee, he recalls his love affairs in post-war France and encounters with a variety of colorful characters and mythical prototypes: circus barkers, topiary trimmers, landladies who provide shelter and plenty of advice for their all-Black clientele, proto feminists, and bigots. The lead among these characters is, of course, The Unicorn Woman, who exists, but mostly lives in Bud’s private mythology. Jones offers a rich, intriguing exploration of Black (and Indigenous) people in a time and place of frustration, disappointment, and spiritual hope. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beacon Press


Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 20, 2024


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 192 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807030031


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 35


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.2 x 0.69 x 9.25 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #178,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #165 in Black & African American Historical Fiction (Books) #937 in Magical Realism #1,196 in Black & African American Women's Fiction (Books)


#165 in Black & African American Historical Fiction (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Good
Good story-telling. A whole book of story-telling. I bought it after reading the first part of it. In that first part, the writing contained intelligent new and creative ideas. After reading the first part I thought it could have been a contender for some prize. But as I read it, it just became a story told in an interesting way, but not like the beginning, so I had to speed-read through the rest of it. Most people who aren't as spoiled as I am by only the best writing, and who just want a good story should enjoy it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2025 by jdmcox
    • Mystical, Whimsical, and Deeper Than It Seems…
This is my first Gayl Jones book. Won’t be the last. There’s real alchemy here. All analysis and criticism will fail to come to terms with The Unicorn Woman. And that is exactly the author’s intention. This book is a warm, chuckling spell, something like a big-bosomed hug from beloved aunt.
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2025 by P. Lanzing
    • Obsession and Dreaming
Buddy is a Black man, back from a sojourn in France after serving the at the end of WWII. His sojourn continues upon his return to the US. This novel is pleasingly enigmatic, venturing around in time and space as Buddy searches for the Unicorn Woman he sees at a carnival freak show. Time: the novel telescopes back and forth, one thought playing off another as themes like beauty, love, spirituality, belonging, but especially beauty, are meditated upon. Place: Buddy’s travels through rural Kentucky, Lexington, KY, Harlem, and Jim Crow Memphis frame Buddy’s experiences and recollections. This novel is musical, somehow harmonizing deep thoughts and meaningful deeds with a minimal framework of plot. Gayl Jones is a master of voice. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2024 by C. D. Elder
    • Not quite what you think it will be
While the descriptions and stories the main character tells are interesting I was left confused about the unicorn woman. I kept hoping she would have more to do with the story or be revealed as something metaphorical. I found the story confusing and not quite as it appears.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2024 by Michael Goza

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