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Hunting Unicorns
American Maggie Monroe is a journalist for New York's hardhitting current affairs show Newsline. Independent and fearless, the more cutting-edge the story, the happier she is. But when her next assignment turns out to be an in-depth documentary on the decline of England's ruling classes, she's furious at being sent to cover a bloody tea party. Meet the Earl and Countess of Bevan, eccentric, maddening and with family secrets to hide. Meet Daniel Bevan - their eldest son. Funny, attractive and hopelessly alcoholic. Meet Daniel's responsible brother Rory - angry, self-mocking and strictly teetotal. her journey the two look set to clash. Maggie finds herself torn between her journalist ideals and coming to terms with a greater understanding. This unlikely romantic comedy paints an endearing portrait of a family, which like so many others, holds itself together despite its evident frailties.
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First published March 21, 2003
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About the author
Bella Pollen
10 books61 followersRaised in New York , Bella Pollen is a writer and journalist who has contributed to a variety of publications, including Uk and American Vogue, The Times, the Sunday Telegraph and the Observer.
Author of five previous novels, including the best selling Hunting Unicorns and critically acclaimed Summer of the Bear, Pollen has tackled a broad spectrum of subjects from Cold War intrigue to decline of the British Aristocracy to the immigration issues of the US/Mexican Border.
With Meet Me in the In-Between, an illustrated memoir, Pollen takes us on her illuminating, funny and often painful quest to keep looking for the extraordinary in an ordinary life.
Pollen divides her time between London and the American mid-west.
Author of five previous novels, including the best selling Hunting Unicorns and critically acclaimed Summer of the Bear, Pollen has tackled a broad spectrum of subjects from Cold War intrigue to decline of the British Aristocracy to the immigration issues of the US/Mexican Border.
With Meet Me in the In-Between, an illustrated memoir, Pollen takes us on her illuminating, funny and often painful quest to keep looking for the extraordinary in an ordinary life.
Pollen divides her time between London and the American mid-west.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
May 7, 2012
“Over two centuries of growth and majesty reduced to stumps and I think it was the first time I ever saw a grown man cry.”
I had an unusual experience the other day. I simple could not face another crime novel. I’d had enough of missing children, screaming mothers, blood-drenched clothing, formaldehyde-scented basements and alcoholic detectives. I wanted something relaxing, light, up-lifting. A book more akin to pink candy-floss and lime jelly babies than blood spatter and scratch marks. Something that made me feel happy, not tense between the shoulder blades, every time I picked it up.
Nothing like that in my bookcase!
Except, tucked away at the back, on the “bookclub” shelf, along with the other stuff I’d never normally pick up in a million years but had to read because someone had chosen it (and them’s the rules,) I found Hunting Unicorns by Bella Pollen. I vaguely remembered reading it years ago; I had a feeling there was a scene with a rabbit that made me laugh out loud but other than that … decidedly unmemorable. Still, when needs must…
The Earl and Countess of Bevan are part of England’s desperate aristocracy. Land rich, cash penniless, their life is an ever-decreasing circle of trying to keep the stones from crumbling away from the family pile. They’re mad as frogs in a box, but instantly endearing. Their eldest son, Danielle, is bright, unscrupulous, a hopeless alcoholic and, by chapter two, dead as a doornail. Their second son, Rory, is hard-working, embittered, wracked with guilt and sees life through an ever thickening grey cloud of doom and despondency.
Into their world comes Maggie - a tough, opinionated, New York journalist, furious at being dragged from a war zone to make a documentary about the English upper classes. She plans a hatchet job – it’s the only sort she knows – the genteel, slightly gormless aristos will fall before her like elderly birds at a turkey shoot.
Of course, it doesn’t quite work out that way.
Please don’t spread it around but I rather loved this book. It’s sweet, funny, beautifully written, insightful and very uplifting. I keep a small collection of women writers to whom I turn when the darkness gets that bit too dark and Bella Pollen has been added to the list.
Next up, I’m reading Mo Hayder. I’m back!
I had an unusual experience the other day. I simple could not face another crime novel. I’d had enough of missing children, screaming mothers, blood-drenched clothing, formaldehyde-scented basements and alcoholic detectives. I wanted something relaxing, light, up-lifting. A book more akin to pink candy-floss and lime jelly babies than blood spatter and scratch marks. Something that made me feel happy, not tense between the shoulder blades, every time I picked it up.
Nothing like that in my bookcase!
Except, tucked away at the back, on the “bookclub” shelf, along with the other stuff I’d never normally pick up in a million years but had to read because someone had chosen it (and them’s the rules,) I found Hunting Unicorns by Bella Pollen. I vaguely remembered reading it years ago; I had a feeling there was a scene with a rabbit that made me laugh out loud but other than that … decidedly unmemorable. Still, when needs must…
The Earl and Countess of Bevan are part of England’s desperate aristocracy. Land rich, cash penniless, their life is an ever-decreasing circle of trying to keep the stones from crumbling away from the family pile. They’re mad as frogs in a box, but instantly endearing. Their eldest son, Danielle, is bright, unscrupulous, a hopeless alcoholic and, by chapter two, dead as a doornail. Their second son, Rory, is hard-working, embittered, wracked with guilt and sees life through an ever thickening grey cloud of doom and despondency.
Into their world comes Maggie - a tough, opinionated, New York journalist, furious at being dragged from a war zone to make a documentary about the English upper classes. She plans a hatchet job – it’s the only sort she knows – the genteel, slightly gormless aristos will fall before her like elderly birds at a turkey shoot.
Of course, it doesn’t quite work out that way.
Please don’t spread it around but I rather loved this book. It’s sweet, funny, beautifully written, insightful and very uplifting. I keep a small collection of women writers to whom I turn when the darkness gets that bit too dark and Bella Pollen has been added to the list.
Next up, I’m reading Mo Hayder. I’m back!
June 15, 2008
A lazy compilation of stereotypes and well-worn, but improbable, anecdotes. Neither funny nor insightful and the plot is very predictable too. Alleged resemblances to Waugh and Wodehouse are ludicrous hyperbole.
January 25, 2008
I have absolutely NO idea why I finished this book. I guess I was just hoping it would get better but it definitely didn't. The story was crappy, the writing was terrible and I could have told you after about 10 pages exactly what was going to happen. Guess that's what I get for buying off the clearance shelf...especially after just finishing Love In the Time of Cholera.
August 8, 2017
Truly terrible. I tried to stop, but I had to find out what happened and went back. I didn’t expect it to get better and it didn’t. It’s the story of cynical American TV journalist Maggie doing a piece on the British aristocracy and Rory, the man who helps her make contact—himself nobility. There is nothing good about it. The philosophical messages are cliché. The actions are poorly motivated and not believable. The conversation is mostly grouchy and snippy for no apparent reason. There are two first-person narrators—one Rory’s dead brother (& there is no reason it’s him) and the other Maggie, but though she is thoroughly American and looks down on the Brits, the author keeps giving her words like bonnet, counterpane, queue, etc. Research isn’t that hard. She’s a war reporter, so would be able to follow instructions and know the value of good contacts, yet when visiting what seems to be their only contact, she deliberately breaks rules (like smoking in the library) and antagonizes them. Finally, the entire last half rests on the assumption that Rory and Maggie are meant for each other, but nothing previously has established this intense bond or made it believable.
January 13, 2013
'Hunting Unicorns' is a well-written, entertaining romp with a heart, and I found myself laughing out loud once or twice, yet felt moved at other times. It's partly about a look into a dying species - the English aristocracy (the 'unicorns', or as one aristo himself calls them: 'dinosaurs') - and partly about the intercultural meeting (or clash) between an English man (who himself is a member of aforementioned species) and an American woman (who very much is not) and the ensuing events as their lives, prejudices and hopes intertwine. A small sub-plot is what is portrayed on the cover of the book: the love between two brothers and how they each deal with their upbringing and their choices in life - even after one of them dies. Very enjoyable indeed.
January 12, 2018
Possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. Truly awful. (I picked this up because I heard an interesting interview with the author, who has recently published what sounds to be a very good memoir ‘Meet Me in the In-Between’).
February 18, 2021
I didn’t know what to think anymore. Were the English aristocracy a class that deserved to be wiped out or an eccentric but splendid remnant of a tribe under threat?
This is the question Maggie, an American reporter, asks herself after being assigned to explore and write a story about the dying British aristocracy who have just been stripped of their hereditary rights to the House of Lords. Better acquainted with chasing the dangerous and gritty, she’s hardly thrilled with the wet and soggy country settings of rich and noble England. But will Rory, your typical grumpy, but somewhat charming, Englishman, with his own eccentric family secrets, convince her otherwise..?
And so sets up this rather light but lovely enough novel; the gutsy, no strings American meets the sarcastic and traditional Brit. Reading ‘Hunting Unicorns’ was akin to watching a classic Richard Curtis movie, laughable mishaps, beautiful familiar settings and characters you root for. Incidentally Pollen writes in her acknowledgments that the book was originally written as a screenplay - and I think this shows as some scenes can almost be read as stage directions and certain interactions are reduced to just a few lines with little literary build up.
The book is split into alternate chapters; Maggie’s account in first person and chapters about Rory, by his brother Daniel from an omniscient perspective. Both are quick and easy to flick through and digest, making it a swift read.
As a Brit myself, I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of American and British cultures and perspectives. There are some witty and clever observations from both parties and it touches on some interesting ideas surrounding war, love and upbringing from each side of the pond. It also highlights some, often unspoken, and complex issues in regards to British nobility, the burden of inheritance and the parts played by aristocracy in the Second World War. However, these topics really are only gently touched upon as this can only be described as a sweet and simple romantic comedy.
I would recommend this novel to fans of ‘Notting Hill’ or ‘My Best Friends Wedding’ and those who are looking for something light, uplifting and easy to read and who maybe don’t have time for longer novels. I can’t fault the book in terms of readability but I can only rate it 3.5 stars as it really is more like a ‘film on paper’. I would have liked for Pollen to have taken a bit more time to delve deeper into some of the topics I mentioned above; about the history of Britain, the politics of America and the culture clashes this brings about.. but then I suppose it would have become a totally different book and possibly lost its charm.
Overall, I did enjoy this book as a funny and easy read and would love to see it in cinemas, but it does fall short slightly for its lack of depth or complexity. Light and enjoyable, but potentially a missed opportunity.
This is the question Maggie, an American reporter, asks herself after being assigned to explore and write a story about the dying British aristocracy who have just been stripped of their hereditary rights to the House of Lords. Better acquainted with chasing the dangerous and gritty, she’s hardly thrilled with the wet and soggy country settings of rich and noble England. But will Rory, your typical grumpy, but somewhat charming, Englishman, with his own eccentric family secrets, convince her otherwise..?
And so sets up this rather light but lovely enough novel; the gutsy, no strings American meets the sarcastic and traditional Brit. Reading ‘Hunting Unicorns’ was akin to watching a classic Richard Curtis movie, laughable mishaps, beautiful familiar settings and characters you root for. Incidentally Pollen writes in her acknowledgments that the book was originally written as a screenplay - and I think this shows as some scenes can almost be read as stage directions and certain interactions are reduced to just a few lines with little literary build up.
The book is split into alternate chapters; Maggie’s account in first person and chapters about Rory, by his brother Daniel from an omniscient perspective. Both are quick and easy to flick through and digest, making it a swift read.
As a Brit myself, I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of American and British cultures and perspectives. There are some witty and clever observations from both parties and it touches on some interesting ideas surrounding war, love and upbringing from each side of the pond. It also highlights some, often unspoken, and complex issues in regards to British nobility, the burden of inheritance and the parts played by aristocracy in the Second World War. However, these topics really are only gently touched upon as this can only be described as a sweet and simple romantic comedy.
I would recommend this novel to fans of ‘Notting Hill’ or ‘My Best Friends Wedding’ and those who are looking for something light, uplifting and easy to read and who maybe don’t have time for longer novels. I can’t fault the book in terms of readability but I can only rate it 3.5 stars as it really is more like a ‘film on paper’. I would have liked for Pollen to have taken a bit more time to delve deeper into some of the topics I mentioned above; about the history of Britain, the politics of America and the culture clashes this brings about.. but then I suppose it would have become a totally different book and possibly lost its charm.
Overall, I did enjoy this book as a funny and easy read and would love to see it in cinemas, but it does fall short slightly for its lack of depth or complexity. Light and enjoyable, but potentially a missed opportunity.
April 18, 2017
Well, this one was a bit of a surprise – and a delightful one at that. I probably would never have picked up this sardonically funny little book if I hadn't chanced on it in a footpath stall selling second hand books in Thrissur, decrying it as chick-lit. It was on my reading queue for a while, before I decided I needed a quick and easy read to lighten things up a bit. Now I'm wondering which of Bella Pollen's books I should tackle next.
The story centers around two brothers and their family, who are part of the fading English aristocracy. The parents being consummate alcoholics has had differing effects on both the kids. One grows up to be a raving alcoholic, while the other is a complete teetotaler. Owing to incidents in the initial parts of the book, it is the teetotaler, Rory, whose life is focused on for the most part, while the older one, Daniel watches on from his perch. Into this quagmire, arrives Maggie, a reporter of human interest stories, who originally wanted to do a story on female genital mutilation, but was convinced by her boss to take up a documentary on the relevance (or irrelevance) of the aristocracy in today's changing times.
Maggie soon realizes that English royalty are very reluctant to divulge their inner thoughts and workings to just anyone and her search for a good in-between lands her at Rory's office. Rory, meanwhile, has given up on his love for archaeology to start an agency which facilitates visits to old and majestic English homes for tourists. It obviously does not start off on the right note between them, but their bond changes over time to a denouement with a certain degree of predictability.
However, despite the obvious direction of the story, the book is a winner in its manner of execution. Maggie and her crew's attempts to get favor and insights into the crumbling (both metaphorically and literally) world of the Royals, as well as Rory's attempts to make his erstwhile Royal clients and his own family to see reason are at times laugh out loud funny. At the same time, there are genuine moments of tenderness and care in the writing, giving us touching insight into the characters minds and motivations. Rory's ambiguous relation to his family and his lineage, Maggie's desires and conflicting emotions on committing herself to stability, and Daniel's love for his brother, are all laid bare in front of the reader and we start caring for these, at times, inscrutable specimens.
If you're in the mood for something lighthearted, yet meaningful, I would highly recommend this book.
The story centers around two brothers and their family, who are part of the fading English aristocracy. The parents being consummate alcoholics has had differing effects on both the kids. One grows up to be a raving alcoholic, while the other is a complete teetotaler. Owing to incidents in the initial parts of the book, it is the teetotaler, Rory, whose life is focused on for the most part, while the older one, Daniel watches on from his perch. Into this quagmire, arrives Maggie, a reporter of human interest stories, who originally wanted to do a story on female genital mutilation, but was convinced by her boss to take up a documentary on the relevance (or irrelevance) of the aristocracy in today's changing times.
Maggie soon realizes that English royalty are very reluctant to divulge their inner thoughts and workings to just anyone and her search for a good in-between lands her at Rory's office. Rory, meanwhile, has given up on his love for archaeology to start an agency which facilitates visits to old and majestic English homes for tourists. It obviously does not start off on the right note between them, but their bond changes over time to a denouement with a certain degree of predictability.
However, despite the obvious direction of the story, the book is a winner in its manner of execution. Maggie and her crew's attempts to get favor and insights into the crumbling (both metaphorically and literally) world of the Royals, as well as Rory's attempts to make his erstwhile Royal clients and his own family to see reason are at times laugh out loud funny. At the same time, there are genuine moments of tenderness and care in the writing, giving us touching insight into the characters minds and motivations. Rory's ambiguous relation to his family and his lineage, Maggie's desires and conflicting emotions on committing herself to stability, and Daniel's love for his brother, are all laid bare in front of the reader and we start caring for these, at times, inscrutable specimens.
If you're in the mood for something lighthearted, yet meaningful, I would highly recommend this book.
June 27, 2021
Such drivel…. Ugh… I tried my best to finish it, but I don’t feel I need to as the outcome is totally predictable and this was confirmed by flipping through the last few pages. I’m not sure what bothered me more: the pretentious writing by way of the author dropping in obscure multi syllable words just because she can; the fact that a supposedly experienced war journalist gets herself into all sorts of ridiculous scrapes due to her inability to adhere to a few basic rules and guidelines in terms of behaviour (I’m going to guess that spending a lot of time in war torn countries would teach you NOT to misbehave and call attention to yourself) inserted in by author merely for comic relief, or the subtle racism, once again trying to be passed off as humour.
Upon reflection, they’re all reasons to ditch the book.
I’d give it zero stars if I could.
Upon reflection, they’re all reasons to ditch the book.
I’d give it zero stars if I could.
September 3, 2017
Overall, a well-crafted piece which clearly involved intense background research. The detailed picture of British aristocracy, the way its past, present and (fading) future have been stitched together into the narrative, is excellent.
The only thing that made me put this book down mid-read for a pretty long while was when the narration began of a dead character's point of view, thoughts and feelings like he was still alive and yet a ghost! And this continues till the very end, somehow messing with the otherwise logical and romantic flow.
The only thing that made me put this book down mid-read for a pretty long while was when the narration began of a dead character's point of view, thoughts and feelings like he was still alive and yet a ghost! And this continues till the very end, somehow messing with the otherwise logical and romantic flow.
April 25, 2011
Romantic comedy with a Wodehouse feel. Hmmm. I think I'll be the judge of that. (a charity shop buy, it was apparently a Richard and Judy summer read in 2004)
Started life as an idea for a film. Goodness only knows, maybe Hugh Grant or Colin Firth were in mind for Rory... however. It was hilariously funny in places, sad in others and insightful elsewhere. Wishy washy cop-out ending.
Started life as an idea for a film. Goodness only knows, maybe Hugh Grant or Colin Firth were in mind for Rory... however. It was hilariously funny in places, sad in others and insightful elsewhere. Wishy washy cop-out ending.
December 1, 2018
This would've been far better if alcoholic (but interesting) Daniel had somehow managed to get his boring brother Rory killed instead of himself, and Maggie had... well, just not existed at all. And incorporating an ancient urban myth as a comic set-piece (the dog digging up the buried pet rabbit - see Snopes for confirmation...) is just inexcusably lazy writing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2008
I wanted this to be better than it was. I liked the subject matter - the opportunity to poke fun at the anachronism that is the English aristocracy - was irresistible. The execution was sadly disappointing. It was ok for a rom com I suppose.
July 27, 2011
A good book for passing the time. A quick read, and very predictable.
October 6, 2020
Sweet and funny. Draws you in to the trials and eccentricities of the English upper class. A light read but enjoyable all the same.
September 12, 2008
So far tedious story involing the following:
Daniel - British Alcoholic. Clearly in the novel for comic relief and excessive exposition.
Rory - Daniel's brother. Not too much of a personality yet, all parts regarding him inexplicably narrated by Daniel (as though he is watching the scenes from above).
Maggie - Whiny, catty, arrogant American reporter. She's in England for a story that she feels above doing (the jacket tells me that she will have a romance with Rory, but as it stands, I don't understand how that's going to happen).
Needless to say, I hope it picks up....
...and now that I've finished...it is painfully obvious why Rory's brother Daniel is narrating his entire part of the plot, and I feel like a dolt for not realizing earlier.
At any rate, it did pick up a bit...but only a bit. My main problem with this novel was that there were so few characters I cared about. Pollen is a good author - very few cliches, an innovative way of writing/constructing the story, the plot is not something you've heard before, and all of the characters have distinct personalities. Unfortunately, I hated the main two. Rory is kind of a tool, and Maggie manages to be slightly less catty by the end of the book, but not in any way that makes her endearing. If it weren't for the satellite characters in Rory's family (his brother and his wonderfully archaic grandparents), I would have pitched this one. Thankfully, those satellite characters, along with Pollen's artful writing, really save this whole book (hence the three stars, rather than two).
Daniel - British Alcoholic. Clearly in the novel for comic relief and excessive exposition.
Rory - Daniel's brother. Not too much of a personality yet, all parts regarding him inexplicably narrated by Daniel (as though he is watching the scenes from above).
Maggie - Whiny, catty, arrogant American reporter. She's in England for a story that she feels above doing (the jacket tells me that she will have a romance with Rory, but as it stands, I don't understand how that's going to happen).
Needless to say, I hope it picks up....
...and now that I've finished...it is painfully obvious why Rory's brother Daniel is narrating his entire part of the plot, and I feel like a dolt for not realizing earlier.
At any rate, it did pick up a bit...but only a bit. My main problem with this novel was that there were so few characters I cared about. Pollen is a good author - very few cliches, an innovative way of writing/constructing the story, the plot is not something you've heard before, and all of the characters have distinct personalities. Unfortunately, I hated the main two. Rory is kind of a tool, and Maggie manages to be slightly less catty by the end of the book, but not in any way that makes her endearing. If it weren't for the satellite characters in Rory's family (his brother and his wonderfully archaic grandparents), I would have pitched this one. Thankfully, those satellite characters, along with Pollen's artful writing, really save this whole book (hence the three stars, rather than two).
May 2, 2025
Two brothers Rory and Daniel from an upperclass family are completely different characters in this romantic comedy about the decline of traditional wealth. Their parents are both alcoholics, struggling to survive financially in their ancestral family mansion. Maggie, an American journalist arrives in the UK with a brief for a film about the aristocracy and their place in modern society and she meets the Bevan family to find out more about their lives. The comedy is mostly centred around the very wealthy behaving in weird and eccentric ways and the romance is a predictable will they-won't they double act. I originally thought it was quite an interesting premise raising issues like the responsibility of those with inherited wealth and titles towards the rest of the community as well as their own family name and reputation and also how the behaviour of parents impacts their children, but mostly it's a predictable lightweight romance with slapstick comedy. Not for me. 2*
May 27, 2016
Light, fun novel detailing the romance between Maggie, no-nonsense frontline reporter frustrated at being sent to do a fluff piece on the English aristocracy, and Rory, second-son to the Earl of Bevan still struggling with putting aside his career to manage his family's decaying estate. Admittedly, with the two oh-so-incompatible leads, the fairly predictable ending, and the perhaps overwrought, globe-trotting climax, it reads a bit like a romcom (think it started life as a screenplay, actually).
I don't think that's a drawback here, though. The characters are lovable, the humor's spot-on, and the pace keeps the pages turning. Definitely an interesting, modern, and more realistic twist on the 'young noble falls for uppity commoner'-plot.
I don't think that's a drawback here, though. The characters are lovable, the humor's spot-on, and the pace keeps the pages turning. Definitely an interesting, modern, and more realistic twist on the 'young noble falls for uppity commoner'-plot.
September 3, 2008
I found this in a box in the mailroom of my building, and although, while reading it, every inch of my brain was screaming, "put this book down NOW!" I secretly loved it...and if you can't resist romantic comedies involving career-minded women getting swept off their feet by someone with a foreign accent, maybe you should give this a read. On second thought, don't.
August 4, 2018
2nd read of this book.... mainly because I couldn't remember reading it the first time round.
OK..... I liked the eccentricity of the upper classes.. but relationship with the American journalist didn't feel possible! An OK read, but that's about it
OK..... I liked the eccentricity of the upper classes.. but relationship with the American journalist didn't feel possible! An OK read, but that's about it
August 2, 2020
I think we all know by now that when a review uses the phrase “screamingly funny” the book will be anything but. Obvious storyline, potentially interesting characters poorly developed, moments of incoherence and some definite whiffs of racism. I really wouldn’t bother.
October 25, 2014
A great summer read! A very nice romantic comedy with some funny moments, although it definitely could have done with more wackiness and eccentricity;-)
January 29, 2008
Not bad. Chick fiction.
March 28, 2020
Another book about the priviledged rich of England? I seem to be picking these up in a bit of a magnetic row. Not another one, I thought, but actually this was rather good. Verging towards Molly Keane, in showing the poverty traps of the aristocracy, the eccentricities, a bit of comedy, and also some thoughtful commentry. Yes, these families inherit massive houses and estates, some of which are built on the wealth created on the suppression and hard work of an awful lot of people treated incredibly badly. But these days they don't rule over the minions living in the area, they don't have pots of ready cash, but they do have crumbling buildings which need a lot of upkeep and money of which they don't have, yet they feel duty bound to keep the property. The rest of the world has modernised and moved on and they just don't get it.
It is also a bit of a love story, that honestly dragged a little at the end verging into chick lit territory. But not too badly. This is a tale of Maggie, a modern American woman who is a journalist who fights for causes and injusticies and needs no one. She's been given a job to make a documentary about the English artistocracy, and how they're snobby, out of date, living in luxary bla bla bla. And arriving in England, is surprised to find no one wants to talk to her. She gets in touch with an agency who essentially are a go between the modern world and the landed gentry, run by Rory, who is the second (now first due to tragic death of first son) son of an Earl up north. Bit confused if it was meant to be Co Durham (lots of Stockton on Tees references) or Yorkshire. Anyway... Obviously the two hate each other, because they stand for things the other hate, but there's a thin line between love and hate, and you can figure the rest out. The story is told from two perspectives, Maggie, our American lass, and Daniel, the dead son watching over his little brother. On the whole I enjoyed it, although the inferences that "english" meant people of these rich estates - as these kinds of people are such a minority in the population, so it's tiresome to read how this is supposedly a representation of what all English people are like. But I suppose some of this was meant to be the English v American banter that gets them to fall in love.
It is also a bit of a love story, that honestly dragged a little at the end verging into chick lit territory. But not too badly. This is a tale of Maggie, a modern American woman who is a journalist who fights for causes and injusticies and needs no one. She's been given a job to make a documentary about the English artistocracy, and how they're snobby, out of date, living in luxary bla bla bla. And arriving in England, is surprised to find no one wants to talk to her. She gets in touch with an agency who essentially are a go between the modern world and the landed gentry, run by Rory, who is the second (now first due to tragic death of first son) son of an Earl up north. Bit confused if it was meant to be Co Durham (lots of Stockton on Tees references) or Yorkshire. Anyway... Obviously the two hate each other, because they stand for things the other hate, but there's a thin line between love and hate, and you can figure the rest out. The story is told from two perspectives, Maggie, our American lass, and Daniel, the dead son watching over his little brother. On the whole I enjoyed it, although the inferences that "english" meant people of these rich estates - as these kinds of people are such a minority in the population, so it's tiresome to read how this is supposedly a representation of what all English people are like. But I suppose some of this was meant to be the English v American banter that gets them to fall in love.
December 12, 2022
"Hunting Unicorns is a wonderfully engaging romantic comedy set among the British aristocracy in decline. The patrician Bevan family clings to tradition while wrestling with taxes, tree blight, and the need to keep the family skeleton firmly in the cupboard. Rory, the youngest son, is mired in tidying up his family's well-meaning schemes to hold on to their dilapidated manor. Enter Maggie, an American TV journalist happiest sending dispatches back from war-torn anywhere. Sent to London to do a piece on England's ruling classes, she's none too happy at covering what she calls a 'tea party.' When Rory is hired to get Maggie access to the most private families, the two immediately clash, bickering until a romance springs up where it seemed least likely. A delightfully funny love story exploring loyalty and family, Hunting Unicorns is ultimately about having the courage to risk everything in the pursuit of what really counts."
~~back cover
That cover nicely encapsulates the book, and of course there's an HEA, unlikely as it seems since Maggie is and has been entangled with Jay, a Doctor Without Borders who manages to show up in her life at the oddest moments, and there's a dead brother circling the scene. A very enjoyable read, although not exactly intellectually challenging.
~~back cover
That cover nicely encapsulates the book, and of course there's an HEA, unlikely as it seems since Maggie is and has been entangled with Jay, a Doctor Without Borders who manages to show up in her life at the oddest moments, and there's a dead brother circling the scene. A very enjoyable read, although not exactly intellectually challenging.
September 22, 2020
🚨 YA GIRL’S NOT HAPPY 🚨
Hunting Unicorns is one of those books that is sweet, exceptionally English, and a good laugh. That being said, I’m not as big as fan as I hoped I would be.
I’ll admit, I found the characters extremely likeable and could relate to something in each one which is always fab in a read. I also really enjoyed the very British and witty writing style; even the most mundane of turns within the story seemed comical, which is something that I feel only a British author can successfully pull off.
I did, however, find the book as a whole pretty boring.
The plot is outrageously cheesy and, in places, a bit of a drag. And, as much as I love me some fromage, it’s not something I want in my reads, thanks 🧀
By the end, I was just reading to finish it so that I could pick up another. Sad.
Overall, I’m a bit gutted. I was given this book by a friend who always KILLS it with the recommendations, so I have a major sad face rn. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying it’s a bad book. It might be fab for you. It just wasn’t for me. And that’s the tea 🤷🏻♀️
Now don’t talk to me for the next 2-4 hours while I sulk.
Hunting Unicorns is one of those books that is sweet, exceptionally English, and a good laugh. That being said, I’m not as big as fan as I hoped I would be.
I’ll admit, I found the characters extremely likeable and could relate to something in each one which is always fab in a read. I also really enjoyed the very British and witty writing style; even the most mundane of turns within the story seemed comical, which is something that I feel only a British author can successfully pull off.
I did, however, find the book as a whole pretty boring.
The plot is outrageously cheesy and, in places, a bit of a drag. And, as much as I love me some fromage, it’s not something I want in my reads, thanks 🧀
By the end, I was just reading to finish it so that I could pick up another. Sad.
Overall, I’m a bit gutted. I was given this book by a friend who always KILLS it with the recommendations, so I have a major sad face rn. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying it’s a bad book. It might be fab for you. It just wasn’t for me. And that’s the tea 🤷🏻♀️
Now don’t talk to me for the next 2-4 hours while I sulk.
September 29, 2024
This is probably a better book than represented by my two-star rating. For me, however, though it started off well, it became, in the end, a book about characters in whom I had no interest and whose story did not me engage me at all. I almost abandoned it halfway through but laboured on, skimming over the chapters until I finally stumbled across the finishing line, exhausted and in need of a strong drink.
I wouldn't say it was a bad book, just not for me. To describe it - as the cover blurb does - as 'hilarious' and 'a cracking ... comedy with a Wodehouse feel' does the book no favours, as it sets the bar high only, in my opinion, to disappoint. Thoughtful and gentle, perhaps - but certainly not overly funny, albeit it has its moments.
I wouldn't say it was a bad book, just not for me. To describe it - as the cover blurb does - as 'hilarious' and 'a cracking ... comedy with a Wodehouse feel' does the book no favours, as it sets the bar high only, in my opinion, to disappoint. Thoughtful and gentle, perhaps - but certainly not overly funny, albeit it has its moments.
September 12, 2022
I was disappointed by this book, especially as I had enjoyed a previous one by this author.
I found the stereotypes of aristocrats and Americans very annoying. The latter, having worked in war zones and as well as supposedly being grown ups, would have known how to behave and so wouldn’t have been deliberately annoying when staying in someone’s house e.g. smoking out of the window after being asked not to. The former came across as caricatures. The subplot about was unnecessary though it did become a plot device to split the lovers up temporarily, as all good romcoms have to have. It’s just a shame this book isn’t one of the good ones.
I found the stereotypes of aristocrats and Americans very annoying. The latter, having worked in war zones and as well as supposedly being grown ups, would have known how to behave and so wouldn’t have been deliberately annoying when staying in someone’s house e.g. smoking out of the window after being asked not to. The former came across as caricatures. The subplot about was unnecessary though it did become a plot device to split the lovers up temporarily, as all good romcoms have to have. It’s just a shame this book isn’t one of the good ones.
June 4, 2021
So Bella Pollen's Summer of the Bear was the best book I read last year. Novel, magical, imaginative - everything I look for in a book. This was none of those things. It treads old ground, its two main characters are completely standard and the romance predictable. But it was enjoyable, she writes about England in a fun, real way, and all the colourful surrounding characters and stories are interesting enough to drag you through the rest. I can't decide how I felt about the two narrative points of view, but it was at least interesting. An adequate summer read.
February 8, 2022
Looking at the landed gentry of the U.K. after the hereditary peers have been abolished from the House of Lords, Maggie, American journalist meets Rory who arranges visits to stately homes. Rory's elder brother is buried in the grounds of Bevan, their family home. Daniel narrates his chapters from the grave as the plot gets deeper into the secrets hidden within the walls. Funny and close to the truth when recording the eccentricities of the elite, Maggie finds out more than she'd bargained for.
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