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The Black Unicorn
The Black Unicorn
Nov 14, 2025 11:19 PM

Author:Audre Lorde

The Black Unicorn

I have been woman

for a long time

beware my smile

I am treacherous with old magic

Filled with rage and tenderness, Audre Lorde's most acclaimed poetry collection speaks of mothers and children, female strength and vulnerability, renewal and revenge, goddesses and warriors, ancient magic and contemporary America. These are fearless assertions of identity, told with incantatory power.

'Audre Lorde writes as a black woman, a mother, a daughter, a lesbian, a feminist, a visionary; poems of elemental wildness and healing, nightmare and lucidity ... which blaze and pulse on the page' Adrienne Rich

Reviews

Smith-Barton's portrayal from the inside of a mind warping under intense pressure is powerful stuff, almost making the point that first love is close to being a psychotic episode in itself. That's a refreshing and realistic spin on the average teen romance.

—— Financial Times

Powerful, relatable and uplifting

—— Emily Barr, author of The One Memory of Flora Banks

An honest, thought-provoking story about grief and mental health

—— The Sun

A sensitive exploration of the fractures and fissures of mental breakdown from a vital new voice in YA fiction

—— Waterstones Recommended Reads Newsletter

Smith-Barton . . . writes powerfully about mental health, psychosis and growing up between cultures

—— Bookseller, One to Watch

WOW! The Million Pieces Of Neena Gill is an authentic, compelling & touching portrayal of teenage Neena's journey through the deterioration of her mental health

—— Abigail Tarttelin, author of Golden Boy and Dead Girls

A masterful stylist and a wise, often hilarious observer of human nature and his times, Anthony Powell is an under-appreciated literary gem. The pleasures and dramas of the “Dance” continue to illuminate daily life.

—— Claire Messud

I re-read the “Dance” every five years or so and always find something new – the world has changed but the characters are evergreen. Everybody has a Widmerpool in their life.

—— Daisy Goodwin

He has wit, style, and panache, in a world where those qualities are in permanently short supply

—— The New York Review of Books

[A] comic masterpiece

—— Irish Times

Comic, satisfying, thought-provoking, addictive

—— The Telegraph

It's his supreme skill in mastering a lengthily interwoven chronicle, the evolution of such a range and variety of pin-point characters, the wit and the cultural ambition that give the novel a unique place in English Literature.

—— Melvyn Bragg

At Lady Molly's comes fourth in the Dance sequence of 12 novels, but like all the novels it can be read on its own ... If it has ever struck you that life is comic and unexpected and strangely patterned and sad, you should read Powell ... I suspect I am approaching the larger realisation that Powell is the perfect companion for every stage of existence. Few novelists are wiser about people or about life.

—— James Marriott , The Times

'Sam Hawke injects her story with charismatic prose, characters with flair and also has one of the best opening lines that I've ever read in speculative fiction.'

—— Mihir Wanchoo at FantasyBookCritic

A funny, addictive story that shines with real emotion

—— Fabulous Magazine

A delight . . . Joyful, great fun and with quite a few twists along the way

—— Catherine Alliott

This book . . . has a touch of real wisdom [and] will satisfy Kinsella diehards as well as new readers.

—— Washington Post

Fizzingly fresh and can't fail to lift your spirits

—— Sunday Post

What an absolute treat – sheer joy from start to finish.

—— Lucy Diamond

Fast, furious and fabulous fun

—— Woman & Home

Another heart-warming story from the Queen of feel-good fiction

—— The Lady

A joy to read

—— USA Today

This fun, super-readable breath of fresh air had us completely hooked

—— Fabulous magazine, Sun on Sunday

An enjoyable read, funny and moving

—— Sunday Post

A fun, frothy good-hearted read

—— Sunday Mirror

A tale of long-term love and friendship told with Sophie’s blend of warmth and humour

—— Sun
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