Rating: 
Summary: Contempoorary lit
Review: not a typo...just another example of what passes for readable literature these days. Any fan of historical novels will be seriously disappointed. Any fan of good writing will wonder what the fuss is about. Fair for a beach read and better than watching a reality show on t.v. but don't expect much from this one.
Rating: 
Summary: WAS THE HERO A FOOL OR THE FOOL A HERO?
Review: In The Jester, James Patterson is taking a totally new direction from his best selling previous novels, which were mostly intriguing suspense novels. My favorite novel by James Patterson is Kiss the Girls a gripping page turner about a pair of psychopathic serial murderers, one on the east coast and one on the west coast who were friends and compared notes. Kiss the Girls was also made into a movie and with the benefit of having my favorite actor(Morgan Freeman) and my favorite actress(Ashley Judd), playing leading roles, was my favorite movie of that year. Well in real life there's only so many serial killers around(one or two a year I guess) and since the market had been saturated by Patterson along with Thomas Harris, John Sanford and numerous other serial killer writers, it was time to look in a new direction. Patterson and Gross not only changed they're direction they went back in time to the late eleventh century and the age of the 1st Crusade. I am, somewhat, a student of history and having read a couple books on the vague but terribly interesting history of the Crusades, I believe the setting for this story seems well researched and very accurate. Now, in addition to being accurate about the setting I'm afraid it is also accurate about brutality and inhumanity of the age as well. If your looking for Damsels in distress and Knights in shinning armor willing to give their life for their beneficent liege lord, go buy King Arthur instead. In this book you're more likely to be killed at the hands of your maleficent liege lord. In fact, as Kiss the Girls had two predators. The Jester also has two main bad guys(two Dukes) and a cast of hundreds of other cruel murderous supporters. These local bad boys used to randomly rape, murder and burn villages in the name of the Duke. And of course that makes you feel good as our hero manages to infiltrate and turn the tables on these evil characters. But it's not that easy, and our hero goes through hell on earth, first venturing off to the Crusades for two years, where he barely escapes death numerous times, while seeing friends get massacred. Then going home only to find out his Inn (Hugh was an Innkeeper)had been burned down and his infant son, which he didn't know he had, had been thrown in the flames and his wife Sophie taken away by the marauders, to who knows where. The consensus among the villagers was that she was dead, however Hugh felt she wasn't and so he starts out on an odyssey of rescue and revenge. Along the way, Hugh manages to get gored by a boar, saved from slow death by the beautiful noble lady in waiting, Emilee, subsequently tutored in the ways of Jestering by her friend, Norbert, so he could infiltrate his perceived enemies court and thats where I need to stop and you need to read the book. I will say this though. There is something Hugh has that he picked up in the Crusades that others want. That is behind all his troubles when he returns. You could ultimately draw parallels between this story and Spartacus but the ending is happier. How does this book compare with Patterson's other books?, Well, I think kiss the Girls was better and Along Came a Spider but I liked it better than the other five or six I read, one or two of which were downright silly. One problem I had with the book was, that while certain events were suspenseful the ultimate end was transparent to me. Because of that this book is slightly below *****, rounded back up.
Rating:
Summary: The Jester by Pattersen
Review: Reads like a Class B Movie, and has no redeeming value.
Much unecessary sick violence and I'm sorry I wasted the money on it. Never buy a book by two authors because they obviously get in each others way as looks like what happened in this book.
Too melodramatic. The whole section on the Crusade could have been shortened to one small chapter. Too many silly improbables.
My advice: Don't buy it. I'll never buy another book by this author. I will also always be susicious of the great positive
reviews........don't you ever report a "negative" review like this ?
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Awful!!
Review: This is the first book by James Patterson that I've read. I like historical fiction but this book was so poorly written it was almost unbearable to read. It was especially disappointing because it was recommended by Book of the Month Club which is generally reliable. Don't waste your time with this book!!
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't believe how bad it was
Review: Reviews here for The Jester have been either "loved it!" or "hated it!" Sad to say, I'm in the second camp. I have read a number of Patterson's Alex Cross books and always enjoyed them; at least they were decently written. Not so this dreck! I don't know who Andrew Gross is or what his relationship to Patterson may be, but he is definitely getting the better part of the deal. The Jester barely qualifies for the beach. Although it's presented as a historical novel, don't expect much. The main character is gone and back from the Holy Land by page 75. The writing waffles between stilted dialogue and anachronistic neologisms. Maybe twenty medieval references are sprinkled in (but inadequately explained), along with such Old French slang as "Whadaya mean?" and "c'mon." I mean, c'mon! The book seems like juvenile fiction, except for the rather sizeable amount of profanity, sex, and gratuitous violence. I kept expecting an N.C. Wyeth illustration on the next page. Robin Hood with an R rating. Funny how something like Harry Potter is considered children's literature and we grownups get garbage like this.
Rating:
Summary: The Jester fails to deliver a punch line
Review: I had never read a James Patterson book before, but I picked up The Jester based on some pretty good reviews. And at the beginning of the novel, I wasn't disappointed. I was taken in by the evident exhaustive research that brought the time period alive. I felt for the characters' frustrations. And the tale of the Crusades was vivid and believable. And then things fell apart for me. As soon as Hugh returns to his village, the whole story started sounding like a Movie of the Week, rather than a story of historical intrigue. Too many convenient coincidences, too much of a 21st Century mentality thrust upon a 12th Century setting. By the end of the novel, I was rolling my eyes in disbelief, thinking, "This would have NEVER happened!" It seemed that the second half of the book was nothing but a lot of hackneyed plot twists and half-baked "surprises" that I could predict from a mile away. I finished the book, only just. I actually skipped quite a bit because I couldn't stand to read it. When I finished, my husband asked me how it was (he was waiting to read it next), and I told him what I'm telling you: Don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Apparently they needed to do more research!
Review: Can anybody tell me how does Turks got into this book in the year 1096? It is a shame that after citing all these history books they will sit and write a book without a factual check. For those who have no idea what I am talking about: Turks got into Asia Minor (Anatolia) in the year 1071 and they were no where near the first Crusaders. They might have been in the Muslim armies fighting against the Crusaders but calling the Muslims "Turks" is a grave error for these authors who claim to write according to historical facts. I am great fan of historical novels but this book definitely doesn't fall into that category.
Rating:
Summary: Great story - Plot and characters are well developed
Review: James Patterson made a great transition to the Middle Ages. His plot and character development were well thought out and very interesting. This book is 180 degrees from Patterson's detective novels. However, he is a master at weaving a story that keeps the reader interested. The one enjoyable trait that Patterson has is to provide insight both from both sides. I felt like I was inside the head of both the villians and the Jester. I purchased the audio unabridged version of this book. It was very well done.
Rating: 
Summary: The Jester is a story about the Crusades (basically).
Review: This is the first book I've read by Patterson, and it's unlike the others he's written, I'm told. If you like historical fiction, you'll love this book. It's also a page turner! The only thing I didn't like about it was the very graphic descriptions of fighting, killing, murdering, etc. The characters are very memorable and it gives a good insight into what it might have been like to live in the year 1096!
Rating:
Summary: What a change...and welcome too!
Review: Wow! After reading many of the reviews of this book, it is apparent that many Patterson fans want him to stay in the crime/suspense/mystery genre. It is also apparent that many have no desire for 'history-based' fiction. Consequently, I fear my review will be quite unpopular as I thought THE JESTER was an outstanding effort by Patterson. However, I must admit that I'm something of a Crusade/Arthurian junkie. Present Day... Dr. Alberto Mazzini, Director of the Vatican Museum is urgently called to the Musee d'Histoire in Boree', France. Renee Lacaze, Director of the Boree' Museum, has summoned Dr. Mazzini to analyze a relic, ostensibly a holy relic from the time of Christ. Ms. Lacaze informs Mazzini that the artifact was unearthed during the excavation for a shopping center when the excavation machinery opened a sarcophagus. Lacaze goes on to say that the grave belonged to a long-forgotten duke who died in 1098. This duke fought in the Crusades and was known to seek out relics from the time of Christ. Lacaze said, "The local lore, it always said a precious relic was here. Just never that it belonged to a duke. But to a man of far more humble origins." "What sort of lowborn man would come into such a prize? A priest? Perhaps a thief?" "No." Renee Lacaze's brown eyes widened. "Actually, a jester." Southern France, 1096... The authors introduce you to their hero, innkeeper Hugh de Luc. He and his wife Sophie own and operate the inn in Veille du Pere, a small French village. This, during a time when land is only owned by nobles and the "lowborns" work the land and pay their masters the assessed taxes. Veille du Pere is under the power of a ruthless and cowardly noble, Baldwin, the Duke of Treille. Fervently desiring to be free, Hugh joins a thrown-together army to fight in the Crusades. Almost two years later, Hugh returns to his village to find that all the homes have burned and the village plundered by Baldwin's knights. It was said they were in search of a precious relic dating back to the Crucifixion and was in the possession of Hugh de Luc. Hugh also learns the knights kidnapped Sophie and murdered their one-year old son, a son he didn't even know he had. Disillusioned and fierily resolute, Hugh sets out to find Sophie and exact revenge on those responsible, an undertaking making him appear quite mad. During his search, Hugh takes on the "pretext" of a jester in an effort to infiltrate Baldwin's castle, where he is certain Sophie is held captive. During the ensuing weeks, Hugh becomes known throughout France, and NOT as a Jester. As I mentioned, this is an era I thoroughly enjoy and find fascinating. There are so many magical moments, characters and events. It is also one of the most Barbaric times in our world's history (in the same fashion as Braveheart). Patterson, and co-author Gross, manage to make this story magical. While most of the events and characters are based in fiction, the storyline manages to engross the history buff in me albeit one taking each sentence with a grain of salt. However, the research performed by Patterson/Gross was fairly prodigious as evidenced by the historical references provided. Bottom line, this is an enjoyable, well-written book. Sure, it is not historically accurate but then again, it is a work of fiction. I applaud Mr. Patterson for taking the risk of moving into unfamiliar territory and challenging himself and his readership. It is my hope we will see more of this type of work although I have no interest in losing the "Cross" novels for historical fiction. A great read. Open your mind and you'll enjoy this offering.
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