Sacre Bleu

A Comedy d'Art

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Euan Morton

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

It is the color of the Virgin Mary's cloak, a dazzling pigment desired by artists, an exquisite hue infused with danger, adventure, and perhaps even the supernatural. It is... SacrÉ Bleu.

In July 1890, Vincent van Gogh went into a cornfield and shot himself. Or did he? Why would an artist at the height of his creative powers attempt to take his life... and then walk a mile to a doctor's house for help? Who was the crooked little "color man" Vincent had claimed was stalking him across France? And why had the painter recently become deathly afraid of a certain shade of blue?

These are just a few of the questions confronting Vincent's friends - baker-turned-painter Lucien Lessard and bon vivant Henri Toulouse-Lautrec - who vow to discover the truth of van Gogh's untimely death. Their quest will lead them on a surreal odyssey and brothel-crawl deep into the art world of late 19th century Paris.

Oh la la, quelle surprise, and zut alors! A delectable confection of intrigue, passion, and art history - with cancan girls, baguettes, and fine French cognac thrown in for good measure - Sacre Bleu is another masterpiece of wit and wonder from the one, the only, Christopher Moore.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2012 Christopher Moore (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

a fusion of fantasy, historical fiction and satire

I am the reader Clunie. Not the painter, as Manet introduced himself. But I am content in my lot to appreciate art crafted by others - be it hanging on the walls of galleries, or within the pages of a book inspired by such works.

I loved Christopher Moore's sarcastic sense of humor and witticisms injected into his characters - based on some of the best-known impressionists in history whom, I soon realized, I knew very little about. Did you know Van Gogh's "suicide" at age 37 is a topic of much debate, with much suspicion cast upon the ability to self-inflict a gunshot wound to the stomach at that angle? Talk about "hot takes," 130+ years old. But I wouldn't have been prompted to research such incidents if Moore didn't paint such vivid scenes.

Suggested pairing with:"Wish You Were Here," by Jodi Picoult. The background on Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and the Sotheby's art world piqued my interest to learn more. Despite very different writing styles, they complement one another well.

Now - who's going to sponsor my trip to Paris so I can visit the Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre?

Moore to love?

Ok, so it isn't my favorite from Christopher Moore, but it still holds its own as a funny and entertaining listen. The whole French art history theme wore on me after awhile - I started wishing for it to hurry up and end already - like a couple of hours before it finally did. I also had a difficult time solidifying the characters in my head - I felt like they were being reintroduced multiple times and they all kind of ran together into three or four historic artists and some really witty whores. Does it sound like I didn't enjoy it? I really did - it had the signature Moore saucy humor and fun sub-plots that he is known for and he remains one of my favorite authors. If you like Moore you need to add this to your collection, and if you've never experienced Moore then definitely try it because everyone needs some Moore :)

I love Christopher Moore but

This story has a few laughs, but nothing like "Lamab" or "Fool" or "You Suck" and "Bite Me" which I have listened to more than a dozen times and still laugh. I only got this because I had an extra credit. and I'm glad of that because I was let down. You may like it, I am familiar with the time period and the art movement of France at the time but still didn't inspire me. Just my opinion I thought the narrator did a fine job and that did make it more entertaining. but I was expecting more from Moore.

Christopher Moore does it again!

This was a wonderful book, and a very fresh, unique story. The narrator was perfection. The story moved at a great pace and it was impossible to get bored with all of the back and forth between Juliette and the male characters.
I was disappointed in the ending. I can't explain why without giving away the story but suffice it to say that even though I was disappointed, it is probably a more accurate depiction of humanity than I care to admit.

Strange. Funny. Art Fable.

What did you love best about Sacre Bleu?

I cannot remember reading anything quite like it. Unique.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sacre Bleu?

Loved the characters and the interaction between them.

What about Euan Morton’s performance did you like?

With the exception of a few pronunciation errors, quite good.

Any additional comments?

Recommend it, adult content.

Must Read (listen)

Funny, witty and filled with art history. Anyone can enjoy this one. And you walk away with a new saying, "sorry, couldn't be helped".

Not what I've come to expect from Christopher Moor

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to someone already familiar with Christopher Moore's work and writing style, otherwise, no. It wasn't his strongest story so I don't think it would make for a good introduction to his oeuvre.

If you’ve listened to books by Christopher Moore before, how does this one compare?

The story rambles and seems to get lost at various points only to be corrected by weak action. Moore is usually quite good at creating a zany well-plotted journey for his characters and while unexpected twists and turns are common, they typically make sense and add to the overall story. I felt like with Sacre Bleu, Moore was constrained by the fact that he's writing about actual people and their history. He wasn't as free to roam as he has been with his other books so the story just felt jumbled and anticlimactic.

What does Euan Morton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Euan Morton's performance is near-perfect for Moore's work. He captures the voices of the of the characters perfectly and delivers their lines just as I imagine Moore has written them. It was challenging in that these characters were predominantly French so Morton seemed to be uncertain as to whether or not to have them all speak with a French accent or just sound French when the words were French. So that could be distracting from time to time but halfway through he seemed to find the right balance and he finished out the book strongly.

Did Sacre Bleu inspire you to do anything?

I wish but no. I was already a fan of the Impressionists so I loved seeing the "alt-universe" type take on men who are otherwise a mystery. But the book did not inspire me to pick up a paint brush or invoke the power of a creative muse spirit.

Any additional comments?

Lots of great art history included here. You can tell Moore did his research in that regard. There main characters were also likeable and engaging. The story just wandered too much and the ending was kind of a let down for me.

Quirky

A very different chris moore book. Starts slow turns out to be a horror/ mystery.

Hard to get into

I thought this one was hard to get into. Perhaps it was the narrator, the names?

The story was fascinating, my degree in Art History helped me follow the story, and my inner nerd totally was having a great time. Fascinating premise, executed in a way only CM can do.

Virgin no Moore!

This was my first Moore book, and I think I am now a diehard fan! This was total, glorious escapist fiction. I have an art background, which is what originally drew me to the story, but I don't think it was really necessary to know anything about art to follow the story. The characters are alive, hilarious, and self-explanatory. I literally couldn't turn it iff until it was over, and I'm sure I will listen again.