The Jester

Rating:
Summary: History completely muddled
Review: Avoid this like the plague unless you have a VERY high tolerance for anachronisms. They fill this novel to such a point that I wanted to throw it across the room. I like playfulness and satire, but I wouldn't characterize this as either. A waste of money and time.

Rating:
Summary: A very fun read that won't dissapoint.
Review: How some of the other reviewers say they could abandon the book midway through is beyond me. Sure some of the jokes in the book are old, but hey they were new back then so what would you expect?
If you like reading of Mid-evil times or just want a fun read pick up this book and enjoy it for what it is.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was the prize drawing insert with the grand prize being a trip to France. Ummm sorry but I think a trip to Iraq sounds better.

Rating:
Summary: Beach reading when the waves are flat.....
Review: Noting this book on the NY Times bestseller list, the setting captured my imagination. I sent for a copy and was surprised and disconcerted by the number of modern slang phrases liberally used throughout. The first person pov was well suited to the mood of the story, but he sounded more like a petulant adolescent than a full grown man. The obvious author switch was also jolting, as their styles jog from chapter to chapter scarcely allowing the reader to catch up. I read "Just Ella" by Margaret Peterson Haddix right after finishing Jester. I was struck by how much better this juvenile fiction piece was written. It is about what happens to Cinderella after the ball. My advice is to save your money and buy the Haddix book.

Rating:
Summary: A Terrific book
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It was a treat for me to open this book and read it every day. I felt like it was a gift and a surprise every day. I loved the story, the characters, the whole mideval thing. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A departure, a surprise, and a good read
Review: This book is NOT what James Patterson is known for in terms of the setting, but at the same time has the suspense he is known for. Like other readers I had trouble getting into the first part of the story, where Hugh is going on the Crusades, but once I got through that it was great. The Crusades were a necessary setup I think and having read other historically based fiction, it could have drug on much longer, but thankfully did not. I did not find the ending expected, though I started to guess at some of the "secrets", but I couldn't guess all of them. I loved that Emilie was NOT a helpless damsel in distress. It's about time! But then again I think Patterson is known for his strong female characters (Lindsay Boxer, Kate in Kiss the Girls). I think this book is well worth wading through the beginning history and getting to the meat of the story: Hugh's time as the Jester.

Rating:
Summary: A definite page-turner!
Review: I normally don't write reviews for James Patterson's books since I think he's a poor writer. However, I do read his books because he sure knows how to tell a story. This time, The Jester, really beat my expectations ~~ it is a fun story and who cares if the story is not historically accurate? It's fun and keeps you guessing throughout the whole book. It is a page-turner and you find yourself rooting for Hugh and the other serfs in this book ~~ you'd find yourself guessing the answers before it comes about ~~ and sometimes you're right, and sometimes Patterson gives you a surprise.

If you are looking for a more accurate historical fiction book ~~ then don't get this one. If you are looking for a good read with a good plot and suspense ~~ get it. Patterson may not be the best writer ~~ but he sure can tell a good story. Also, you can tell that it's Gross that wrote the book with Patterson telling the story because it's written neater and crisper than other Patterson books. I am a snob when it comes to my reading tastes, but this book sure is fun!

4-14-03

Rating:
Summary: desperately seeking a new jester...
Review: so disappointing! Unlike the other readers, I actually finished the book because it was such a quick read. I was totally unimpressed with the attempt at an historical interpretation of these times. It had the potential to be a fascinating tale. A textbook would have kept me more interested.

Rating:
Summary: Jest don't take it seriously
Review: The Jester is a fast-moving adventure tale, undemanding but enjoyable, feeling more like a Robin Hood or medieval Indiana Jones movie than a serious historical novel. While it lacks any unambiguously fantastic elements, it's a pure good-versus-evil yarn of a literate and canny peasant who prevails by using his wits, charisma, acting talent, and street-fighter's combat tactics. There's even a hint of Nazgul or Sith Lord in the novel's black-clad Tafurs, especially in the battle between Hugh and Black Cross. Hugh, Emilie and the other good characters are so likeable, and the villains so self-righteous and cruel, that it's hard not to cheer as Hugh's search for his wife eventually turns into a full-scale peasant uprising with him at the head.

Hugh's narrative is told in thoroughly modern language ("Damn, you're good." "Professional courtesy." "Knock 'em dead." "scorched his own earth"), with occasional bursts of humour, and in chapters so short that the it feels as though the authors had attention deficit disorder. The plot is rather predictable, though not without some diverting twists and surprises on the way. The historical setting, though interesting, is mostly used as a backdrop rather than a real part of the story: while some of the characters are motivated by religious fanaticism, most seem very modern in their attitudes. Hugh himself is particularly cynical (even about himself), with scarcely a trace of superstition.

If you want an authentic and entertaining history of the Crusades, watch the Terry Jones video. If you just want a fast-paced action-packed tale of an ordinary man taking a stand against zealots and tyrants, this is worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: A New Low for Historical Fiction
Review: I've read hundreds of historical novels and this has to be the worst. The book is set during the First Crusade - about 1100 A.D. - but contains dialogue such as "Bug off" and "I guess I have you to thank for these duds [clothes]." The period detail is thin, though not as thin as the characterization. Truly awful.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, Entertaining, and a Pleasant Surprise!
Review: I enjoyed this book although it's unlike anything I've ever read from Patterson before. Set in France in a time of castles, kings, and tyrants (1096), an unlikely innkeeper becomes a jester, a war hero, and a great leader of men. You'll love the main character Hugh de Luc and enjoy all the unexpected twists and turns his life takes. The book is a great adventure.