Fool

A Novel

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Euan Morton

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Christopher Moore, much beloved scrivener and peerless literary jester, now takes on no less than the legendary Bard himself (with the utmost humility and respect) with a twisted and insanely funny tale of a moronic monarch and his deceitful daughters, as seen through the eyes of a man wearing a codpiece and bells on his head.

Pocket has been Lear's cherished fool for years. So naturally Pocket is at his brainless, elderly liege's side when Lear demands that his kids swear to him their undying love and devotion. Of course Goneril and Regan are only too happy to brownnose Dad. But Cordelia believes that her father's request is kind of...well...stupid, and her blunt honesty ends up costing her her rightful share of the kingdom and earns her a banishment to boot.

Well now the bangers and mash have really hit the fan. And the only person who can possibly make things right . . . is Pocket. Now he's going to have do some very fancy maneuvering: cast some spells, start a war or two - the usual stuff - to get Cordelia back into Daddy Lear's good graces, to derail the fiendish power plays of Cordelia's twisted sisters, and to shag every lusciously shaggable wench who's amenable to shagging along the way.

Pocket may be a fool...but he's definitely not an idiot.

©2009 Christopher Moore (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Witty, Well Written, Well Read

This was an excellent rendition of King Lear as told from the Fool's perspective. While it's not my usual fair, in a few minutes I was fully engaged. Often crude, Mr. Moore makes the vulgarity part of the story in a way I would not have thought possible, which is to say, I stopped being offended and began enjoying it in short order. I fully plan to investigate his other novels.

Euan Morton did an outstanding job of reading. His delivery was spot on and I found myself completely involved in the story. His characterizations were excellent, It made listening smooth and easy, as one clearly understood who the subject was at each word.

Quite Entertaining

When I purchased this, I was expecting something like Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and became a little annoyed when Moore's work came across more like Monty Python, or Douglas Adams or a Robin Williams riff.

However, after a while, I just accepted the conceit and really began to enjoy it. However, I was still planning to write a somewhat critical review, until the epilogue. Here, the author himself speaks for about 15 minutes, explaining his intent and his influences and also the fact that the Lear tale did not originate with Shakespeare and that there is more than one text extant.
In the end, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is probably best enjoyed by the Shakespeare enthusiast. Moore has done a great job of making the tale of Lear accessible to a broader range of listeners.

That said, this is definitely an "R" rated work.

A great listen

What made the experience of listening to Fool the most enjoyable?

Euan Morton is an amazing narrator! He brought more to the store than I could have reading it on my own.

What about Euan Morton’s performance did you like?

He was able to perform so many different voices, and his animation was amazing.

Crude AND Fun

I love the writings of Christopher Moore. I don't like Shakespeare. I know I should but I don't. Christopher Moore is such an inspired writer, he makes even Shakespeare interesting to me. Within the first three minutes of listening to this book, I was laughing out loud. Crude and fun, are the words I would use to describe this book. If you are looking for something silly and entertaining and inappropriate all at the same time, this book is for you.

Very Amusing

Would you listen to Fool again? Why?

It is an amusing tale which had me laughing out loud at times ~ which can be embarrasing in public! when no one can see your earbuds!

I think Shakespeare would approve

If you could sum up Fool in three words, what would they be?

Raunchy, blasphemous, hilarious

What other book might you compare Fool to and why?

I've listened to two other Christopher Moore creations, but this one takes the cake.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to say which scene was a favorite, but what does stick in my mind is the Fool encouraging his sidekick at Yule time to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blow out the candles on the menorah.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I regularly laughed aloud until those around me thought I was the Fool.

gotta love a fool

What made the experience of listening to Fool the most enjoyable?

The story was full of twists and kept me entertained.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Fool was full of wit but had a heart!

What about Euan Morton’s performance did you like?

The English accent was difficult to follow at first. After are o und chapter three, I became accostumed to it and had an easy time listening.

Who was the most memorable character of Fool and why?

There were a few characters t ers that I feel in love with, Fool and Drool. Their love of shagging and ridiculousness is quite fun!

Fool

I love Christopher Moore, and this did not fail!
I have not laughed this hard in a very long time.
I highly recommend this book if you want a great raunchy laugh, ignore is shagging, shameful buggery or tom foolery offend thy.

Fantastically Bawdy

Perverse, vulgar, humor. It has everything you can imagine. Heinous Fuckery most foul. You will love this more than pie.

Ok

The performance made this book. I laughed out loud several times but I didn’t care for the making fun of religion.