Fool: A Novel

This is story of King Lear through the eyes of his fool (court jester) named Pocket. Like his other stories his characters are witty, unique and at times crass. I will warn you that there is colorful language throughout the story. Not the normal language you would hear on cable TV, but new colorful language that only CM could create. There are lots of sexual references as well. If you are not completely opposed to these things you will enjoy this book. If you enjoy witches and potions, knights and wenches, kings that go crazy, dysfunctional families and the occasional shagging then this is the book for you. The narrator does a good job and adds to the story with his appropriate accent. It is a great listen and will have you laughing out loud.

If you don't like bad language, avoid this book. If you don't like hilariously, irreverently, ridiculously convoluted sexual situations, don't read this book.

If you're ok with some major naughtyness and are willing to be transported to a fictional time and place ever-so-loosely based on a number of Shakespearean works, jump in and be prepared to laugh as I did. I got an extra added bonus from this fine piece of "literature" - I now know a few new dog-snoggingly wicked phrases to use in impolite society!

When I received the email from Audible announcing this was on audio I jumped for joy. I started looking last week at the library to see if had been ordered there yet. Thank you audible for making this a special, I am broke and did not want to miss this book. After listening I would have paid full price, it is typical Christopher Moore. Funny, intelligent, brilliant. Everything you expect from him and more. It makes me want to actually read King Lear, but I won't so as not to ruin Moore's version. I just finished it this morning and plan to start it again to catch things I might have missed the first time.
There are quite a few characters to keep track of but the reader does an excellent job with the voices so you can tell them apart. I love Drool, and Pocket. Do not pass this one by, it might just become my favorite!

In preparing to write this review I realized that I've listened to over 170 audible titles. This one stands out for both the narrator and the quality of the writing. The main character is "Pocket" and his jests and insults are extraordinarily creative and laugh out loud funny. Irreverent does not begin to describe his language and behavior.

This was my first Christopher Moore book--I'd give the narrator 5 stars for how hysterically he voices the characters (and tears into Moore's strings of wild invective). You don't do such a book for its plot or its characters---they serve the telling of the story, and it is superbly done.
This version of Lear's plight is recounted by Pocket, the court Fool; here are the king, daughters, witches, bastards, storms and betrayals-but tweaked by Moore's fevered mind. There's also Drool, the beef-brained, sweetly innocent sidekick, and a sympathetic Ghost. Moore's language is so artfully deployed, it's a joy just to listen to the sentences. (The curses alone set a new standard.) There's lots of "shagging" and "rogering", so not for prim sensibilities. (Anachronisms occur, all to humor's end.)

I've been hooked on this author since I started chanting "First we feast then Ikea" after I listened to the stupidest angel...Moore takes his irreverence one step further in this outing. Moore loves words and wordplay and it shows - yes it can be quite vulgar and the F word probably is overused (if I was English I might be a bit offended at the overuse of shag as well). Of course this isn't family reading but a very entertaining twist on the Lear story for (very) mature audiences. Made my commute all the more enjoyable.

I can't remember the last time I've enjoyed a story so much. It's is funny, imaginative and outrageous. Every character is rounded out with a minimum of background work, with the exception of Fool. They just walk in and sit right down - often on your lap. Christopher Moore's storytelling is intimate and familiar with nary a smirk to be heard. Euan Morton's reading makes even the most bawdy language seem as proper as an afternoon tea and brings all the characters to technicolor life. If I have any complaint, it's that it is too short. I could listen to this hilarious tale for days on end. Shagalicious!

Never could get into 'the Bards' work, I can now. Truly hope that Chris Moore 'translates all the Shakespearian greats AND get Euan Morton to narrate. The characters were so vivid, the accents top notch. You can really see the play unfolding. In a word BRILLIANT

I had this book on my iPod and listened to it while at the gym. And it made the time there speed by. I laughed out loud from the elliptical machine throughout the book, making everyone in the place look at me like I was a leper.

The story is a very clever mix of intelligent humor and low-brow humor, with a sprinkling of classical literature. It all mixes together to make a fantastic book!

And the narrator is perfect! It is as if he was created specifically to play the fool, Pocket.

If you are a fan of Christopher Moore, this book is definitely for you. If you've heard of Moore and are curious about his books, this is a great place to start!

This is the funniest book I have read to date. When I got to the end of the book, I flipped back to the front and started again!