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The Truth About Unicorns
Oriskany Forks, 1926. Nice little town. Nice people viciously minding the business of others. God-fearing people, eager to believe the delusions of one insane young woman while ignoring the true, black evil emanating from another. Nice, ignorant, people who knew it all, aiding in the ruin, heartbreak, and death of others. Just home-folks, the Bascombs. Was Bascomb really their name? What of Aunt Alice, who loved to watch young girls undress? And Paul Bascomb's mother, who had mysteriously disappeared when he was a boy? What about the abandoned round house in the woods above the Bascomb farm? The one with the windowless second story. The one where Crazy Lizzy had so gruesomely perished. Why did Helen Bascomb think that those woods were creeping toward her home? Nice-looking kid, that Harley Westcott. Dashing, on that horse that he rode. And rich. A real prize. Red-haired Lilith Bascomb? She was going to be a beauty. No match, however, for her Coke-ad pretty, determined, and mentally-unbalanced sister Cassandra. Before that Bascomb pair, a scheming Hitty Westcott had stolen Tobin Westcott out from under the nose of her sister Carrie. Why did Hitty have to cut her father's throat open? What did Carrie do all day, alone in her remote house back in the woods? How did the Westcott barn catch fire? Was it only bad luck that engineered the tragedy that struck Tobin Westcott's prize cattle? Why was a girl baby switched with the boy baby that Cassandra knew that she had given birth to? Why did that little girl build coffins with her blocks, then put her dolls into them? And what was the white animal that people kept seeing in the woods, fleet and solitary, appearing as a horse, with a mane that swept toward the ground. a beard like a goat, a tail like a bull, and a fine, long horn in the middle of its forehead? Was there really a unicorn in those woods? Who or what was Toynbee Upjohn? It is believed that unicorns are guardians of good. Can good really triumph over evil in this world? What IS the truth abut unicorns?
370 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 16, 2009
Interesting, unusual book written in the 70s, set in the 1920s/30s. It's about family, the occult happenings which deeply, darkly effect them, the nature of love, insanity/mental illness, self-respect and life in a small, rural community.
The author inherited and currently lives on the farm featured in the story, and runs an unusual animal sanctuary, called Spring Farm CARES: http://www.springfarmcares.org/
The author was also married to Gene Reynolds, the producer of the MASH tv show. She has written another occult book, which I haven't read yet.
I picked up this novel in a used book store some years ago. It's detailed, sometimes uncomfortable to read, just slightly dated, but moreover, timeless in its themes. The main protaganist, Harley Westcott, comes of age during the depression. How it effects him and his family, in addition to the background of the occult, mythology and black magic, make for a fascinating read. Woven through the story are issues pertaining to education, feminism, provincial thinking, cruelty, mental illness, exploitation of others due to hatred, lying to those closest to us, the importance of love and honesty, and how naive, selfish, small-minded or ill-informed decisions can have far reaching and sometimes tragic consequences.
I find this book haunting, as it's stayed with me for many years. Like Puzo's The Godfather, I have to reread it every few years.
The author inherited and currently lives on the farm featured in the story, and runs an unusual animal sanctuary, called Spring Farm CARES: http://www.springfarmcares.org/
The author was also married to Gene Reynolds, the producer of the MASH tv show. She has written another occult book, which I haven't read yet.
I picked up this novel in a used book store some years ago. It's detailed, sometimes uncomfortable to read, just slightly dated, but moreover, timeless in its themes. The main protaganist, Harley Westcott, comes of age during the depression. How it effects him and his family, in addition to the background of the occult, mythology and black magic, make for a fascinating read. Woven through the story are issues pertaining to education, feminism, provincial thinking, cruelty, mental illness, exploitation of others due to hatred, lying to those closest to us, the importance of love and honesty, and how naive, selfish, small-minded or ill-informed decisions can have far reaching and sometimes tragic consequences.
I find this book haunting, as it's stayed with me for many years. Like Puzo's The Godfather, I have to reread it every few years.
December 2, 2013
A weird, pastoral little story, and by "pastoral" I mean "slow-moving, but ultimately very likeable". Is that what pastoral means when it's applied to a novel? I think so, it feels right at least. I'm going to use it that way. Also, much of it takes place in a pasture, with cows and everything, so it's got that going on too, pastorally speaking.
Small town life, paranoia, religion, the supernatural (possibly), insanity and family history, explored through the lens of rumour, family and the sort of backbite-ey whispers that can only happen in the sort of town where everyone knows everyone else's business and one woman's fevered imagination can drive a town to the brink.
The prose style here is odd, and slow-moving in parts, but it reads like an attempt to lend atmosphere to a story that takes place in a small farming community in the 1920s, and mostly it succeeds, drawing the reader in gently rather than rushing through its paces.
Some books are of the "can't put it down" variety, but I could very much put this book down. However, I always wound up picking it back up, and at its end I'm very satisfied I did...
Small town life, paranoia, religion, the supernatural (possibly), insanity and family history, explored through the lens of rumour, family and the sort of backbite-ey whispers that can only happen in the sort of town where everyone knows everyone else's business and one woman's fevered imagination can drive a town to the brink.
The prose style here is odd, and slow-moving in parts, but it reads like an attempt to lend atmosphere to a story that takes place in a small farming community in the 1920s, and mostly it succeeds, drawing the reader in gently rather than rushing through its paces.
Some books are of the "can't put it down" variety, but I could very much put this book down. However, I always wound up picking it back up, and at its end I'm very satisfied I did...
April 24, 2008
its good... little fast-paced and sometimes a little strange. But it definately takes those turns the reader doesn't want it to. Which makes the reader keep guessing instead of predicting what will happen. The people you want to fall in love don't and those you don't want to fall in love, do... how frustrating!
January 20, 2013
I'm not sure when this book entered our household library, or even who might have brought it in. It could have been either my mother or myself, both of whom have been known to partake in this type of story. I think I might have picked it up at a book fair, but, as I said, am not entirely sure.
This is a story set in the 1920's and 30's about the residents of a small town in New England. Though the town is nothing at all like Peyton Place, there are, indeed, many secrets and mysteries among the inhabitants. The tale revolves primarily around two families, involves suspicion, madness, love, witchcraft, and frankly, a lot of sadness. But it is well told. I kind of wish there'd been a family tree somewhere in the book to help me keep the characters straight, because in my "drift off to sleep" mode while reading in bed, I often had to retrace my steps to recall certain passages, or pause to work out who was related to whom and exactly how. But all in all, it was an interesting story to read.
Even more interesting was to learn that the author inherited and currently lives on the farm featured in the story, and runs an unusual animal sanctuary, called Spring Farm Cares: http://www.springfarmcares.org/
She was also married to Gene Reynolds, the producer of the MASH tv show at one point. Her biography was quite interesting to read. http://www.bonniejonesreynolds.com/au...
This is a story set in the 1920's and 30's about the residents of a small town in New England. Though the town is nothing at all like Peyton Place, there are, indeed, many secrets and mysteries among the inhabitants. The tale revolves primarily around two families, involves suspicion, madness, love, witchcraft, and frankly, a lot of sadness. But it is well told. I kind of wish there'd been a family tree somewhere in the book to help me keep the characters straight, because in my "drift off to sleep" mode while reading in bed, I often had to retrace my steps to recall certain passages, or pause to work out who was related to whom and exactly how. But all in all, it was an interesting story to read.
Even more interesting was to learn that the author inherited and currently lives on the farm featured in the story, and runs an unusual animal sanctuary, called Spring Farm Cares: http://www.springfarmcares.org/
She was also married to Gene Reynolds, the producer of the MASH tv show at one point. Her biography was quite interesting to read. http://www.bonniejonesreynolds.com/au...
March 7, 2014
I am a sucker for certain kinds of stories; so read the 5/5 as I liked the book, rather than a claim that this book is really good (I do think it is good: but not sure where I'd put it on a scale of things).
I read it a long time ago, so cannot give a detailed review.
Here are some of the things I liked about it. Patterns repeat across generations; sister loved; sister scorned; and the patterns have weird consequences. I also really related to the emotions of some the characters, the teenaged protagonist in particular.
I also like the deliberately unresolved hints at the fantastic.
After re-reading I am no longer sure that the hints at the fantastic are deliberately unresolved. Rather I now believe that Reynolds gives subtle but unambiguous hints as to what is magic and what is not.
I read it a long time ago, so cannot give a detailed review.
Here are some of the things I liked about it. Patterns repeat across generations; sister loved; sister scorned; and the patterns have weird consequences. I also really related to the emotions of some the characters, the teenaged protagonist in particular.
I also like the deliberately unresolved hints at the fantastic.
After re-reading I am no longer sure that the hints at the fantastic are deliberately unresolved. Rather I now believe that Reynolds gives subtle but unambiguous hints as to what is magic and what is not.
October 23, 2015
Nope. Do not like Ms Reynolds' writing style.
This has the opposite problem as, say, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss -- whereas every gesture, scrap of furniture, & tiny personal motivation in Shanna is over-described to the point of neurosis, everything in Unicorns is under-described to the point of lacking background, motivation, or connection with the reader. I couldn't properly picture the characters, their setting, their relationships to each other, or why they were doing...whatever they were doing (which wasn't much). As the pages plodded along, I actually LOST interest.
Disappointing, yes -- but there it is. I shall regift this one to a friend who (hopefully) will like it more.
Standard 2-star DNF.
This has the opposite problem as, say, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss -- whereas every gesture, scrap of furniture, & tiny personal motivation in Shanna is over-described to the point of neurosis, everything in Unicorns is under-described to the point of lacking background, motivation, or connection with the reader. I couldn't properly picture the characters, their setting, their relationships to each other, or why they were doing...whatever they were doing (which wasn't much). As the pages plodded along, I actually LOST interest.
Disappointing, yes -- but there it is. I shall regift this one to a friend who (hopefully) will like it more.
Standard 2-star DNF.
January 18, 2014
This book was wonderful. After about page 30 I could hardly put it down. The characters are believable, the mystery is compelling and in the end, you are not sure what to believe. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
January 5, 2012
I wanted to love this book. I found it in a dusty old bookstore in New York and the dust jacket had me convinced it would be my next favorite book: "Robert Frost meets Stephen King." God, yes please! That sounds fantastic.
The Truth about Unicorns is a decent book. There are several really meaty characters in the book and the start of a great mystery that really keeps you turning the pages. I particularly liked Harley, Lil, Upjohn and Carrie. I thought that some of the other characters, particularly Cass and Hitty, were overdone to the point of caricature. This may have been the intent of the author, but I wasn't fond of it. It would have made more sense to me if those characters were better balanced (good vs. evil) like the principal characters.
What upset me the most about this book was the resolution. I felt that Reynolds had spent most of the book building up the mystery surrounding the Crazy Lizzy Sixty and the round house that stood in the middle of it. In the end, the mystery was "resolved" in under twenty pages and I was left feeling ... cheated. Certainly, the strange events that occurred in the book were explained. And the characters were all given some semblance of resolution, but I felt that there was so much *more* that could have been done with them and with the mystery. I also felt that Harley and Lil were kind of cheated out of the HEA Reynolds had led up to for most of the book. And I desperately wanted that HEA for them. She made me want it, and it was reduced to a kiss and a single line of dialog.
All in all, I did enjoy the book and I would definitely read another by Reynolds to see how she grows as an author. If you enjoy stories set in small towns with paranormal elements in them, you'll probably like this story.
The Truth about Unicorns is a decent book. There are several really meaty characters in the book and the start of a great mystery that really keeps you turning the pages. I particularly liked Harley, Lil, Upjohn and Carrie. I thought that some of the other characters, particularly Cass and Hitty, were overdone to the point of caricature. This may have been the intent of the author, but I wasn't fond of it. It would have made more sense to me if those characters were better balanced (good vs. evil) like the principal characters.
What upset me the most about this book was the resolution. I felt that Reynolds had spent most of the book building up the mystery surrounding the Crazy Lizzy Sixty and the round house that stood in the middle of it. In the end, the mystery was "resolved" in under twenty pages and I was left feeling ... cheated. Certainly, the strange events that occurred in the book were explained. And the characters were all given some semblance of resolution, but I felt that there was so much *more* that could have been done with them and with the mystery. I also felt that Harley and Lil were kind of cheated out of the HEA Reynolds had led up to for most of the book. And I desperately wanted that HEA for them. She made me want it, and it was reduced to a kiss and a single line of dialog.
All in all, I did enjoy the book and I would definitely read another by Reynolds to see how she grows as an author. If you enjoy stories set in small towns with paranormal elements in them, you'll probably like this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2011
Set in the 1920's, Reynolds presents an almost ideal community. Almost because there are struggles, but they seem rather minor really (save, perhaps, Paul Bascomb's treatment of his daughter Lil). What I think Reynolds's shows, is that even when things look rather good on the surface, what goes on beneath might not match up. While the novel does have a mystical bent and deals with occult themes (I surprised myself by knowing who Montague Summers was as I actually have the book referenced), it's not completely about that. She shows the same sort of hysteria that swept through Salem and other cities, and still sweeps through it might not be over witchcraft now. The breakdown of community is, really, rather marvelous. How the lies of one person, or even a misunderstanding, becomes turned about into something horrific. The copy I own asks on the back cover: Who would like this? Fans of Shirley Jackson. And with that, I have to agree. Perhaps it's thanks to having read The Lottery so recently, but I could certainly see where the theme is similar. Not so much the execution (and in the Lottery that's very literal), but the panic of people.
Reynolds also shows the hidden strengths within people, and their weaknesses. For me they acted as something of a foil, a foil within themselves while there were also external foils in the shape of other characters. Part mystery, part horror, it really drew me in. Truly enjoyable.
Reynolds also shows the hidden strengths within people, and their weaknesses. For me they acted as something of a foil, a foil within themselves while there were also external foils in the shape of other characters. Part mystery, part horror, it really drew me in. Truly enjoyable.
April 12, 2012
I am giving this a 3 star but I was tempted giving it a 4 because I can't remember the last time a book had me all worked up and excited after the ending. It is a detailed story which makes it a little bit tedious and therefore the lower rating. However, overall I enjoyed the book, not sure if I liked the ending or not though :)I think I will have to think about it a bit more!
**Overall an interesting read though I really had a hard time choosing shelves for this book. Set in the early 1900's and is basically about witchcraft and religion and how a community can evolve opinions based on heresay and paranoia.
**Overall an interesting read though I really had a hard time choosing shelves for this book. Set in the early 1900's and is basically about witchcraft and religion and how a community can evolve opinions based on heresay and paranoia.
Read
September 28, 2013This its a fascinating book. It reminded me of the Salem witch trials a lot at first, with someone accusing others wrongfully of witchcraft to further their own goals. But it only leaned on the Salem trials for that part. The rest was very original, with some great characters.
The only part i did not like was the ending. It went so fast, and next thing you know, a calf gets born, AND THAT'S IT! I'm still stunned by this ending. I would have liked to see some resolution to Lil and Harley's love story.
The only part i did not like was the ending. It went so fast, and next thing you know, a calf gets born, AND THAT'S IT! I'm still stunned by this ending. I would have liked to see some resolution to Lil and Harley's love story.
March 31, 2015
I read this book when I was 16 and fell in love with it. I think this book influenced my own writing more than any other book.
May 15, 2019
One of my all time favorites. In fact, when it was republished a few years ago, I bought a new copy for myself as the old one had been read to pieces. The mystery, the family feud, the betrayals...and that tiny little piece of magic holding it all together.
There was a comment that there wasn't enough description...maybe because I was raised in the middle of three farms I could better picture barns and cows? It was not at all difficult to imagine the characters...Cass with her cornflower blue eyes and tumble of black curls...Lil who was feline and golden eyes...my favorite scene was actually the wedding party thrown for Harley and Cass, where Lil's transformation is revealed.
This is one of those stories that you just want to sink into for hours and hours.
And for ladies, who, like me, are of a certain age, tell the truth: didn't you just love Toynbee Upjohn?
There was a comment that there wasn't enough description...maybe because I was raised in the middle of three farms I could better picture barns and cows? It was not at all difficult to imagine the characters...Cass with her cornflower blue eyes and tumble of black curls...Lil who was feline and golden eyes...my favorite scene was actually the wedding party thrown for Harley and Cass, where Lil's transformation is revealed.
This is one of those stories that you just want to sink into for hours and hours.
And for ladies, who, like me, are of a certain age, tell the truth: didn't you just love Toynbee Upjohn?
Read
August 13, 2023Came up in a conversation about books we adored as adolescents. The description was compelling, so I tracked it down and read it.
12-15 year old me would have devoured this novel.
Adult library director me is asking herself where it would shelved and who would want it banned today.
It was a RIDE.
12-15 year old me would have devoured this novel.
Adult library director me is asking herself where it would shelved and who would want it banned today.
It was a RIDE.
October 8, 2017
Read in the 70s
February 14, 2024
So many characters. It would help to have the family tree. I kept forgetting who was who and what nickname belonged to who. Otherwise fun book, kept me interested.
June 10, 2024
Interesting read…just okay…took me a while to get through it, but good enough to finish. If you like family drama with a bit of mystery and a smattering of the occult, you’ll like it.
July 22, 2019
For this small farming community in upstate New York in the 1920s, the Jazz Age might as well be playing out on the moon. Around here, folks? concerns pretty much stay the same as one decade slides into another. Nothing important really changes. The cows still need milking. The Parmelee family curse has been in place for ages. Carrie?s been evil from the cradle. Red-haired women have never brought anything but trouble to this town. And there sure ain?t nothing new about what teenagers are getting up to in the woods.
May 15, 2012
This story is in someways a retelling of the Salem witch hysteria set in a small town in the late 1920's. Prejudices between family lines, ignorance, hysteria, and a taint of madness drive the behavior of the town. Characters are complicated with both good and bad characteristics. The story revolves around two sisters, Cassandra and Lilith. While there are hints of possible magic, most of the events can be attributed to coincidence or superstition or plain bad behavior/trickery. It was an unusual but interesting tale.
May 24, 2014
On the cover: "Robert Frost meets Stephen King" as well as a comparison to The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. I like Frost a lot, King and Jackson are two of my favorite characters, so I was excited to read this one. I first picked it up over three years ago and couldn't get into it then and while I finally managed to read it all the way through this time, I wasn't completely won over by the plot or the characters.
August 17, 2011
I picked this up by mistake but decided to go ahead and give it a try. I got pulled in while waiting for a doctor's appointment...just an easy read. A story of turn-of-the-century rural life mixed with magic and witchcraft. Kind of the "Charmed Ones" do "Little House on the Prarie"!! Not great literature but okay for a summer read.
April 8, 2009
i was enchanted by this book, it is one of those books that when re-reading it, it brings back the smells of the previouse summer and the sound of the wind through the trees from the last time i read it.
September 12, 2015
I gave this a five for a two reasons. The first because it is really that good, but the second is much more important. This book is completely different than anything I have read in a while. I am so glad I found this book because I almost did not even go into the bookstore I found it at.
December 5, 2012
Great book! I could not put it down though I actually had read it previously over 20 years ago. It is still a mesmerizing story and stands the test of time. It is one that I will definitely read & re-read along with a few other worthy classics.
January 17, 2013
My mom told me she read this book in high school. I went to the same school and took the book out to read and it was just as enchanting as my mother had described! Unique and dark and beautiful. This book had me on the edge of my seat
July 28, 2009
Lovely. A comforting book.
Although I still quite don't know the truth about unicorns.
Although I still quite don't know the truth about unicorns.
January 6, 2010
Magical and poignant-following the lives of a family in the 20's, the good the bad and the unusual. I re-read this every few years or so.
February 3, 2011
I loved this book from the very first page to the last!
December 15, 2020
Even weirder than I remembered it being.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews