Rating: 
Summary: Patterson's back on track with this one
Review: After the disappointing FOUR BLIND MICE ,I was looking forward to wrapping my chops around this monster of a book. THE JESTER is an interesting and highly entertaining departure for Patterson, again collaborating with Andrew Gross (2ND CHANCE).
Set in 14th century France, Hugh DeLuc is a peasant whose life is changed when he returns home to find his village razed to the ground, his newborn son sadistically murdered and his wife raped and kidnapped. He sets out on a quest to rescue his wife and exact his vengeance, but in order to do so he must infiltrate the enemy castle to find her. To do this Hugh poses as a jester (ironically after he saves his own skin by laughing at his enemies), but he soon finds himself falling in love with the tyrannical King's estranged wife.
THE JESTER is a novel of epic proportions, intensively researched, masterfully written with Patterson's trademark short chapters and the period and characters practically come to life on the page. This is also Patterson's most violent and gruesome work to date, with some truly unsettling scenes; which include violent rapes and infants being burned alive so it is not recommended to those of a nervous disposition. Moralists will find a lot to rant about here, but Patterson and Gross are simply showing the period as it was, warts and all; so those of you expecting passages including Shakespearian love sonnets sould steer clear. For others THE JESTER should be on your list of must read books for 2003.
Rating: 
Summary: The Characters Drive This Story
Review: In the prolog, a precious religious artifact is discovered in downtown Borée, France during an excavation for a shopping mall. An expert from the Vatican arrives on the scene to determine its authenticity. The reader is left to wonder what is this newly discovered artifact and how did it come to be in this place. The story begins in the year 1096 and tells of the amazing adventures of an ordinary innkeeper during the time of the Crusades and the time after he returns to his home. This is not a detailed historic novel. It is a fairly interesting lightweight read. The pace is fast and is spurred on more by the wonderful characters than by the story line. Every once in awhile a word or phrase would pop up that seemed odd.... too modern for the times. That was a small distraction. There is quite a bit of violence throughout this book, but that is a reflection of the medieval times. This story was a little reminiscent of the movie, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. There was violence in the movie as well, but Indy used a gun most of the time. So much neater than all those swords, arrows and axes.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but overrated....
Review: The Jester is the story of Hugh de Luc, a French peasant/innkeeper who, after deserting from the crusades, returns home to discover his wife has been abducted and a evil lord Baldwin and a villainous gang of thugs on the loose. I listened to the audio version of this novel, and while I enjoyed it, I thought it was overrated and rather predictable. The material (except for the hero's jesting), was really nothing new. The novel read like a typical romance novel, with long excessively gory and violent parts added for shock value (James Axler eat your heart out). The violence, while objectionable, didn't further the plot more than to make us hate the 'evil bad guys' even more. (As if we needed the negative reinforcement, after the opening scene.)The characters were stereotypical, the saintly peasants and 'evil sadistic rich men' and the sociopath "I'm so eeeevvvvillllll" knights impaling and committing all sorts of hideous crimes, made me wonder when Vlad the Impaler was going to be showing up. Unnecessary. Also, Hugh's transformation from humble peasant to a knight-hunting commando was really far-fetched, and had my eyes rolling. Overall, I felt this was an average read, with some likeable characters, and plenty of superfluous gore. I would have enjoyed it much more if Hugh remained true to the premise of the book and relied on his wits and Jester skills to bring about this novel's resolution.
Rating: 
Summary: Phenomenal Read with one minor annoyance
Review: I loved 'The Jester' by James Patterson. It included adventure, revenge, love, heartbreak, history and information on objects lost and sought after surrounding the life of Jesus Christ. My only non-glowing comment is that the use of contemporary foul language didn't fit the context of the book. I've no problem with profanity in books persay, but every time I read a foul word, I felt like Christopher Reeves in 'Somewhere in Time' when he looks at the 1980s change in his pocket while living in the 1800s.
Rating:
Summary: Great Historical Fiction!
Review: This is the first James Patterson I've read, but I will read more. The book was exceptional. I was attracted to the premise as a medieval historian and was gratified by the attention to historical accuracy. Patterson did a wonderful job of mixing a modern tone and pacing with a rich historical context. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Historical Fiction Gone Bad
Review: Pulp romance with beautiful maidens??...an outlaw in the forest whose name is "Shorty"?? This is the Crusades?? Wait, there's more...one jester to another before a gig, "You'll knock em' dead, lad." (Really, on page 183). I threw in the towel on page 296. Two-thirds of the way through and I could not go on. Save your money on this one. There are too many good books out there to waste the time to read a bad one. If you're looking for really good fiction about the Crusades, check out Zoe Oldenbourgh...I read her fiction twenty years ago and remember it still. I won't remember James Patterson past bedtime!
Rating:
Summary: The Jester
Review: After the first 2 chapters, you're hooked. A good entertaining read. A most interesting lead character in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Best Departure EVER!
Review: Ordinarily I do not like the author to depart from his/her norm, but Patterson succeeded in rekindling my interest in the Middle Ages and the crusades. Very picturesque - felt like I was there.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Change of Pace!!
Review: I have listened to many of Patterson's books and this is one of the best! Though a bit on the bloody side, it kept me continually interested and involved in the time period and story line. A touch of romance, lots of "honor", action and challenges and a wonderful narrator that adds the perfect accent to the words. Highly recommend this audiobook!!
Rating:
Summary: Patterson did it again!
Review: Great book! The book sucked me in from the start. I actually felt like I was there with the vivid scenes. A lot of people had a hard time with the violence, but I am afraid that is the way the world was back then. The hero is also great in his adventures. I loved it and hope that he decides to write another in the this era.
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