Hunting Unicorns: A Novel
Publication date/ Length: 2003 / 350 pages 
First line: My mother and father drank.
Synopsis (from the back cover): The patrician Bevan family clings to tradition while wrestling with taxes, tree blight, and the need to keep the family skeletons 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…
Review: My friend Joy recommeded this quirky novel and it was a pleasant, unusual companion on a flight. I had never heard of Pollen, but noticed she was cited as “A Best Summer Read” by the U.K.’s Richard & Judy show, so I imagine many of you readers have already read her work!
Hunting Unicorns is an interesting peek into the 21st century flipside of what we readers imagine the glory of Pride and Prejudice to be. The estates of long ago are now falling apart and the aristocracy’s way of life is much less romantic when seen through the perspective of trying to keep huge, impractical, drafty estates in repair. So, one of the protagonists of this novel has put his dreams of archeaology on hold to help his own parents, as well as their compatriots, find ways to fund the upkeep of their ancestral homes.
Enter Maggie: an American journalist sent to do a “puff” piece on the beautiful estates so many anglophiles can’t get enough of… Although she sets off on this assignment reluctantly, she soon discovers a “hook” for her story, as well as potential love match in Rory.
The premise of this novel is fairly interesting — and the characters are unusual and unforgettable. However, I did struggle with the structure of this novel. The perspective alternates between Maggie and Daniel, Rory’s dead brother who dies in the first few pages. I never understood why the perspective was Daniel’s and not Rory’s — I would love to hear any theories from other readers, in fact. I ended the novel feeling a bit disjointed… and as if I had missed something. So, if anyone has read this novel, I would love to hear your impressions, too. I did enjoy Unicorns enough to try another of Pollen’s novels, though!
Hi Kristen! How fun that you reviewed this book! I had never heard of her before but just picked her up randomly at the library (not always a successful tactic for me). After I read Hunting Unicorns I looked her up on the web and found this interview, which explains why she chose Daniel’s perspective.: http://www.panmacmillan.com/displayPage.asp?PageID=3347
Hi Joy!! Thank you so much for the link — I love reading about authors’ processes! The interview explained why she chose to stick with Daniel well…
Thanks again for the recommendation!