4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/02/07/...With the deft touch of a master storyteller, Peter S. Beagle weaves a strong thread of mythology into this gorgeous and emotional tale about love, sacrifice, and courage. Reading In Calabria is like stepping through a veil and into a dream, crossing into that secret and magical place where everyday life comes face to face with the fantastical. It’s an unforgettable, stunning experience.In a small village nestled in the pea...

The miraculous effect a unicorn can have on a life!This was a surprisingly tender book. I love the idea that when a unicorn shows up in your life, it brings out the absolute best in you. Truly beautiful here, and more accessible in a way than the fantasy setting of the Last Unicorn.It's another very focused fantasy book though, which I really appreciated. This one almost never leaves the space of a small farm.I'm honestly not sure about a few things in it (the representation of Italy and Calabri...

In Calabria is a story about redemption through love, and second chances, and, yes, unicorns. But don't go in just for the unicorns.I think my reading notes will give you an idea why.~ Before we look at the unicorn proper, let us regard a monster:The monster crowded gracefully past Bianchi to crane farther under the old tractor’s hood. He brushed the long ash from his cigar tip with a tap of his little finger, and it in turn brushed Bianchi’s hand as it fell into the engine. “Impacciato, goffo!”...

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .So did ye know that Peter S. Beagle has written another awesome unicorn tale? Well, now ye do. If ye don't know who Peter S. Beagle is then go and find a copy of the last unicorn and read it immediately; it's one of the best books of all time. Then watch the animated movie for good measure. So when I saw that there was another unicorn tale, I had to read it.I foun...

After having read a few books in the past month that were each disappointing in some way (the length, the plot, and the writing), I determined that my next read was going to be something that was likely not to suffer those faults. This one didn't.It was quite short, a novella actually. But packed with lots of good stuff. Fantasy, but set in a very real location that's lovingly rendered: the area of Italy known as Calabria. Claudio Bianchi scratches out a living on a small farm on a mountainside,...

Different story about unicorns. Curmudgeon farmer life is changed when a unicorn builds a nest on his property. Not bad

Like most people who are able to read and enjoy fantasy, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Peter S. Beagle. That's not to say I'm a real fan, however; he's a remarkable writer, and uses language like a virtuoso uses a violin, but I've just never warmed to him. And In Calabria is a perfect example of why. It's a beautiful book. The characters are marvelous. The intrusion of the rare and beautiful into the life of a reclusive and misanthropic man is intense and utterly real. But, for me, t...

As a new unicorn story by the acclaimed Peter S. Beagle, I had high expectations for In Calabria. Unfortunately, this novella didn’t do much for me.For many years, Claudio Bianchi has lived alone on his farm in Southern Italy, writing poetry and tending to his three cows and other animals. Then one morning, he discovers a unicorn has arrived at his farm. The arrival of the unicorn will change Claudio’s life forever.The focus of In Calabria is Claudio Bianchi. He’s cut himself off from other peop...

Claudio Bianchi is a rural Italian who's gone out of his way to assure his solitude. He hangs out with his dog and his goat, and his social contact is often limited to the mailman who drops off the junk adverts. But then, one day, a unicorn appears on his land. Bianchi, a secret poet, is perhaps the ideal type of person to appreciate the magical beast with his combination of rustic earthiness and appreciation of beauty. He wants to keep the creature's secrets and to help as he can with what she

Oh boy. Rarely do I round a 1.5 up to a 2, but this is an odd case. Not a surprising one, since I've read a couple of Beagle's hard misses by now, but this is a pretty bad one on several fronts.Peter Beagle is an unusual writer in terms of unevenness--the things he does well are usually pretty unique and wonderful, and the things he sucks at (I should say, doesn't put real effort into or doesn't take seriously; I don't think he at his age and length of career ever lacked the ability) are unreada...

You need to let a unicorn come into your life. If you don’t have one handy, Peter S Beagle can provide you with the basic kit for finding and caring for a supernatural beast of wonder. He knew something of sorrow, remembered joy, and devoutly hoped – as much as he consciously hoped for anything other than proper allotments of sunshine and rainfall – never again to encounter either of those two old annoyances. Asked, he would have grumbled, “Sono Contento,” if he bothered to respond to such int...

A short book, but not exactly a quick read, Beagle's second new book in less than a year has some familiar themes (the transience of immortal beings, their impact on humans, how love shapes people) and a completely new setting. I think that this book NEEDED to be set in Calabria, a remote part of Italy where our main character lives much as his forebears did for generations, and in doing so, the setting absolutely became one of the most important characters in the book. I was pleased with the st...

3.5ish stars. Wistful and lovely in a lot of ways. The man knows his unicorns. I immediately felt for Claudio, older than his 47 years (it felt like he was 85), and I would totally live on that farm. His relationship with La Signora is beautiful and the book really shines when it's just the two of them and the farm animals. Once the people come in (humans ruin everything), the book crashes back down to earth and becomes much less exciting. Overall simple, sweet and enjoyable.

Hmm. I'm having a hard time deciding on a rating with this novel (more like a novella in length).Claudio Bianchi owns a farm in the small Italian village of Calabria. He's grumpy, likes his privacy, and writes poems he shares with no one. In his late forties, his only friend is a young postman who comes a few times a week to deliver the mail. Oh, and his goat. Two things converge to break his comforting privacy: a pregnant unicorn appears on his farm, and the postman's younger sister starts deli...

Received to review via Netgalley; publication date 14th February 2017In Calabria is a quiet sort of story. It has dramatic moments, certainly, but those weren’t what will stick in my mind in the slightest. What will stick in my mind is Claudio’s quiet care for the unicorn, his moments of inspiration, and his love for Giovanna. He opens up, going from old curmudgeon with a heart of gold to a man who loves, who is brave, who will put himself on the line — and it’s because of the unicorn.It’s easy

4.5 starsUnicorns come to Calabria. Not once upon a time in an imaginary land, but now, in the 21st century, a beautiful unicorn comes to a run-down farm on a hillside in Calabria, South Italy, and settles in. The farm owner, a lonely hopeless man, shuns the technology of his times. He ekes out his meager existence from the land and takes care of his few animals, when he witnesses the miracle of the unicorn. The strange, un-earthy creature gives a new meaning to his life, opens his eyes and his

The language is exquisite, the exoticization of Calabria isn't. And I'm creeped out by the frequency with which Beagle writes romance between elderly men and very young women.

I've had this on my phone for months and months. I don't read much on my phone at the best of times, and when I rarely leave the house, it gets worse. But I had some time outside of a coffee shop, and had forgotten to bring my current book, so I finally got to finish this one. It's an absolutely delightful story of a crusty old Italian farmer, a loner who is entirely happy with his animals -- and what happens to his life when a unicorn chooses his farm for her own complex and cataclysmic purpose...

This is really more like 3.5 but I'm rounding up since I like Beagle's work in general. This isn't quite as polished and cohesive a work as his Summerlong, which I read earlier this year. Most of it works together very well - it's a simple, quiet tale about a cranky, reclusive man who has to adjust to a lot of extra social interaction after a unicorn takes up residence on his remote farm.But... this quiet tale is somewhat marred by some suspenseful action towards the end of the book. Those frene...

Oh Peter S Beagle... once again you have written a story that normally I would have no interest in and managed to make me love it. In Calabria is about unicorns, so fans of The Last Unicorn will probably jump on it. However, I should warn readers that the two books are quite different. The Last Unicorn is a more traditional fantasy, and In Calabria is a magic realism story where unicorns most certainly exist, but the world is ours with little bit of magic. That being said, it's still an excellen...