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Fool: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 22,553 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
“Hilarious, always inventive, this is a book for all, especially uptight English teachers, bardolaters, and ministerial students.”
—Dallas Morning News
Fool—the bawdy and outrageous New York Times bestseller from the unstoppable Christopher Moore—is a hilarious new take on William Shakespeare’s King Lear…as seen through the eyes of the foolish liege’s clownish jester, Pocket. A rousing tale of “gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity,” Fool joins Moore’s own Lamb, Fluke, The Stupidest Angel, and You Suck! as modern masterworks of satiric wit and sublimely twisted genius, prompting Carl Hiassen to declare Christopher Moore “a very sick man, in the very best sense of the word.”
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"A comedic take on Shakespeare's King Lear, Moore gives us the store through the eyes of the fool, Pocket. The traditional cast of characters is all there, plus a few notable additions: a cameo (or two) by the Wyrd Sisters of MacBeth fame, as well as a few yeomen, servers, and Pocket's apprentice fool Drool, a "Natural" fool who lives up to his namesake. Some lines are conned straight out of the play's text; others, not so much. The plot, while familiar to those who have read the play, centers around Pocket's attempts to right wrongs and cause a war, all the while trying to get himself under the skirts of any willing woman. Just as in Shakespeare, coarse language and bathroom humor abounds (although slightly more recognizable as such to a modern audience than some of the Elizabethan counterparts), so those with delicate sensibilities might want to pass this one by. Personally though, I feel this retelling would have done the Bard proud, he himself not being one to pass up a good dirty joke or three!"
— Alia (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Funny, literate, smart, and sexy, all at once!”
— Jeff Lindsay, New York Times bestselling author of the Dexter series -
“[Moore’s] version of Shakespeare’s Fool, who accompanies Lear on his slide from paternal arrogance to spiritual desolation in the original text, simultaneously honors and imaginatively enriches the character.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“Moore is a very clever boy when it comes to words. There are good chuckles to be had in this tale...Just enjoy.”
— USA Today -
“Often funny, sometimes hilarious, always inventive, this is a book for all.”
— Dallas Morning News -
“[A] riotous adventure.”
— Winnipeg Free Press -
“It’s hard to resist so gleeful a tale of murder, witchcraft, treason, maiming, and spanking...Moore’s deft ear for dialogue keeps the pages turning...Fool is a wickedly good time.”
— Christian Science Monitor -
“A manic, masterly mix—winning, wild, and something today’s groundlings will applaud.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Multimedia entertainer Euan Morton’s energetic narrating talents are on full display...Working with more than a dozen characters, Morton individualizes each to his or her utmost potential...Moore is infamous for tackling ‘untouchable’ subjects with biting humor, and Morton’s whip-smart tongue doesn't waste a line.”
— AudioFile -
“Wall-to-wall, farcical fornicating and fighting…a jolly good time can be had.”
— Booklist -
“Scottish actor/singer Euan Morton does a fine job of voicing the irrepressible Pocket as he plots to save Cordelia from her sisters’ machinations, delivering Pocket’s many playful jibes with effective comic timing. Numerous other characters are also well defined by his reading.”
— Library Journal (audio review)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
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USA Today bestseller
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
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A San Francisco Chronicle bestseller
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A Washington Post bestseller
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Selected for the March 2009 Indie Next List
Fool Listener Reviews
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" Definately a book to read if you understand old english, and love comedy. "
— B.J., 2/18/2014 -
" I've spent a lot of time wrestling with my feelings on this book. What works about it seems to work almost despite the efforts of Christopher Moore. It's always interesting to see Shakespeare reimagined in another context and watching Moore fill in the plot to fit around the play was kind of fun and rewarding. That said, he makes some changes to the characters that I didn't quite understand. I'm not married to the source material, but drastically changing the basic character archetype for Lear kind of debilitates the power of the narrative. Perhaps most damning (and this grieves me to admit) is the fact that Moore's sense of humor may actually be too juvenile for me to appreciate. It's relentlessly abrasive and crass and it lacks any subtlety or wit. He also seems fascinated with the idea that British slang is inherently hilarious, a claim which may only hold true if you've literally never heard it before. As a humorous novel, this book seems to undermine itself on a basic level. No parent would knowingly provide this for their middle schooler and no adult ought to be taken in by its bludgeoning approach to laughter. "
— Ben, 2/10/2014 -
" This is my first book by Moore... And he is a really really funny writer. It was an easy read, but I just couldn't get into it. Just something about the whole thing just made me feel like finishing the book was a chore. It was funny once I got started, but it wasn't enough to pull me in. "
— Latasha, 2/6/2014 -
" Dog-f**ingly funny. Great book that turns Shakespeare's King Lear from a tragedy to a dark comedy. Loved it! "
— Mike, 2/5/2014 -
" Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! If Shakespeare was like this in High School I might have enjoyed English 101! "
— Albert, 1/30/2014 -
" I picked up this book because it was described as a funny read by a reader in a Real Simple Magazine article. I should have been tipped off when one of the blurbs on the back of the book was from Playboy. Fool has an interesting premise, but all the very unsexy sex was off putting. I was prewarned in the 'Warning', though, so I can't say that I didn't know it was going to be a bawdy tale! "
— Patti, 1/28/2014 -
" Despite normally being a fan of Moore, I was rather disappointed with this book. He is so good at thinking up his own strange and funny plots, why use someone else's? This book's plot is based more or less on King Lear, but from the point of view of the court jester. It is funny and enjoyable, but not spectacular. "
— Charlie, 1/18/2014 -
" Maybe the best-written, funniest book I can think of. If you don't appreciate "Fool", I probably don't want to know you. "
— Owen, 1/9/2014 -
" Hilarious as always - not quite as good as the other books though... "
— Susanne, 1/1/2014 -
" My new favorite book. If you like Shakespeare and wit, you will love this book. Moore is a master of the English language. "
— Terra, 12/16/2013 -
" Love Christopher Moore, he can always make me laugh. I found this book very funny considering it the premise. "
— Lynnie, 12/1/2013 -
" Unfunny, unengaging, subtle like a fist to the face and a general waste of time and paper. "
— Joanna, 11/28/2013 -
" Not as good as his others so far. "
— Ashley, 11/15/2013 -
" Mostly a good story - but it's hard to keep the characters straight. "
— Hilary, 11/6/2013 -
" I think Christopher Moore is either a genius or completely off his rocker! If I had to pick only one author whose books I could have on abandoned island; it would be the works of Christopher Moore. "
— Roxy, 10/27/2013 -
" Absolutely hilarious! I'm a Shakespeare fan anyway, and this puts things in a new perspective! "
— Amber, 9/2/2013 -
" Wild, profane and hilarious!! This is a great story told from a very funny point of view! "
— Mallory, 6/19/2013 -
" If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. I laughed out loud so many times that I felt (and looked) like an insane person. "
— Amanda, 6/7/2013 -
" funny but sometimes hard to read because of his use of olde english. "
— Joseph, 3/15/2013 -
" I couldn't get through this one. I really liked Christopher Moore's other books but I couldn't get into this one. It is a satire of Shakespeare and just wasn't interesting enough. "
— Jennifer, 3/8/2013 -
" Couldn't make it past the first chapter, and I usually really like his stuff. "
— Jennifer, 11/25/2012 -
" It had been quite a while since I read King Lear but this re-imagining was extremely entertaining! I was laughing out loud at the language - bravo Mr. Moore! An incredibly creative re-telling of the story! "
— Katie, 11/10/2012 -
" This was not the normal Christopher Moore fast read for me...I had to make three attempts before it turned in to that. I think the issue for me was the character names (Bubble, Drool, Taster), for some reason it took me a while to keep everyone straight. Once I did though, it went by really quick! "
— Theresa, 9/26/2012 -
" I haven't laughed so hard at a book ever! I listened to this on audio book. The humor is biting and constant. "
— Dusty, 9/23/2012 -
" Nothing less than you would expect from Moore. The footnotes were great. Definitely worth the read but it's not my favourite from him. "
— Deidre, 8/20/2012 -
" This is an excellent book if you know King Lear. If you don't know the Shakespeare play I would reccommend reading it before tackling this book. For the senstive there are a lot of sexual references in this book. "
— Kim, 8/10/2012 -
" This was a fun romp but slowed down a little at the end when things got a bit more serious. Nice new take on old tale of Shakespeare's King Lear--the fool did it. No kidding. According to this book, the fool was behind it all. Funny, fun, and the serious bits at the end gave it depth. "
— Jerrie, 7/22/2012 -
" A scream. Even funnier than "A Dirty Job". Pretty risque in places (OK, very risque), but witty dialogue on every page, and the Fool gets the girl. What man doesn't like THAT happy ending? "
— Craig, 1/28/2012 -
" A fantastic retelling of Lear from the Fool's point of view. "
— Matthew, 8/6/2011 -
" Clever, but a bit sophomoric for my tastes. "
— Jennifer, 6/27/2011 -
" The story of King Lear from the Fool's point of view. Have I mentioned that I love Christopher Moore. "
— Cheryl, 6/26/2011 -
" This was the first Christopher Moore book I ever read. I laughed out lound and even snorted a couple of times. A must read!!! "
— Susan, 6/24/2011 -
" Very funny take on King Lear. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. "
— Vicki, 6/21/2011 -
" My favorite author AND my favorite playwright IN ONE!!!! My little eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree "
— Retta, 6/18/2011 -
" Although hilarious, this book fell short; very short to what i expected! <br/>I felt it had no plot line.. All the time i was thinking to myself, "when is this story going to start?" <br/>I stopped at page 132... "
— Charlie, 6/17/2011 -
" Fun. I wish I could incorporate some of the language into my daily office job. "
— Eric, 6/13/2011 -
" I "read" it as an audio book. I had problems keeping focus on the story. It was OK. I may try and find the book and actually read it and hopefully find why people seem to like it. "
— Barbara, 6/7/2011 -
" Hilarious as usual for Christopher Moore. It combines his typical wackiness and silliness with supernatural and religious themes, adding in a little love story and some heart. "
— Christian, 6/6/2011 -
" pee-in-your-pants funny <br/> <br/>woke my wife up because I was laughing so loud, couldn't stop reading even after I was supposed to be sleeping "
— EdgarH, 5/27/2011
About Christopher Moore
Christopher Moore writes satirical fiction. Known for his colorful characters and imaginative story lines, he has gained a cult following for his books, many of which have become New York Times bestsellers.
About Euan Morton
Euan Morton is an Earphones Award–winning narrator. As an actor and singer, he is best known for his role as Boy George in the musical Taboo, which earned him a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. He reprised the role on Broadway, earning him the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut, as well as nominations for the ony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League awards. His other stage performances include Leaves of Glass, Sondheim on Sondheim, and Cyrano De Bergerac.