Fool by Christopher Moore
Age: 17 years +
Fans of Shakespeare and fans of dry, vulgar and sarcastic wit will appreciate Christopher Moore’s Fool. King Lear’s beloved and truthful fool, Pocket, is the narrator of this tale.
King Lear:
Shakespeare’s story of King Lear in a nutshell: King has 3 daughters, Goneril, Reagan and Cordeila. He is dividing up his realm, and asks his girls to tell him how much they love and adore him. Reagan and Goneril lie to the moon and back and are given generous amounts of land. Corderila truthfully answers her father, in that she loves him as a father; no more-no less. The famous like “Nothing comes from nothing” is taken from this scene. Because Cordeila refuses to lie and flatter her father, she is disowned and the king divides his land between the two older sisters. Cordeilia goes to France, and King divides his time between the two sisters.
There is another substory of Edmund and Edgar and their battle of their father’s realm. Edmund is a bastard child and not the true heir, so he plots to get rid of his brother and become heir to the land.
*Side Note* King Lear is my favorite Shakespeare play, followed by The Templest.
Fool is my first venture into the very popular world of Christopher Moore. Christopher Moore is able to really break about the story of King Lear and develop the characters more fully. I’m really at a loss for how to describe this book. I listened to it on audio cd, which I think is the best way to enjoy this story. The narrator, Euan Morton does a fantastic job with all the characters. The pacing is just right, the comedic timing in his voice is perfect. I’m typically not one to laugh out loud when reading, even comedies, but Morton’s high pitched voices for the female characters makes it impossible not to. The only other book that had me laughing hysterically was Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris.
I really recommend this book. And I am intersted in suggestions for other Christopher Moore books you think I might like. I couldn’t get into Lamb, but I’m interested in going through some of his other books.
Use of HarperCollins’ amazing “Browse Inside” feature to get a glimpse of Fool’s beginning chapters here
Fool by Christopher Moore Read by Euan Morton Harper Collins, 2009 7 Cds*************************
Wills Holloway was only three years old when he was first diagnosed with Severe High Autism. Mother Monica, did her best to help her son navigate his way through the intricacies of autism and the real world. Before turning to doctors, psychologists and other specialists to help Wills transition, Monica would stop by a local pet store to purchase small pets, (hamsters, turtles, hermit crabs). Each animal, in its own small way, helped draw Wills out of his shell and overcome very small battles in his life. It wasn’t until Cowboy, the lovable puppy golden retriever was introduced to their lives, that Wills really began to evolve from an introverted boy with autism, to a young child, playing and laughing with friends. Small experiences, such as saying a name aloud, or taking a bath, were battlegrounds for the Holloway family, but Cowboy was a friendly beacon helping bring Wills into a seemingly normal life. Wills would transfer his fears and doubts onto Cowboy, and in turn, help her overcome a fear of hiking, or a fear of swimming or whatever else Wills was fearing at the moment. This form of projection helped Wills feel in control of his life. As therapeutic as Cowboy was for Wills, he still had a full time aide as a school for kindergarten and first grade, a therapist he saw twice a week, an occupational therapist once a week to help him with his motor skills and a specialist trying to diagnose Wills autism and issue a final report. With all the pets the family has collected over the years and two incredibly loving and devoted parents, and Wills has one of the strongest and well built support systems I’ve ever encountered. Although his mother kept discussing how much of a financial strain the therapy and vet bills put on their family, I never got the sense that it was that much of an issue. Monica is a stay at home mother and writer, and her husband Michael is a writer for a sitcom in Los Angeles.
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
The stories are short, simple and each one carries a special message or lesson learned by Aram. His book teaches the simple morals of understanding, not stealing, loyalty and the joys of learning. Aram is an adorable boy, with a mind full of questions and a routine of seeking out new experiences and facing the consequences. I want to compare Saroyan’s work to Steinbeck. As contemporaries in poverty stricken farmlands in California, they both have a similar pool of experiences to share. While both write about small town life of the immigrant worker, Saroyan’s work is more upbeat than Steinbeck’s because Sarayan can make fun of himself in his work.
