“Everyone knows how fond the king is of his dark little fool…”

Dear Becca, 

Despite the fact that I was English major, I got through college without taking a course specifically on Shakespeare. I have read several of his plays, but I would not saw that I have extensive Shakespearian knowledge. King Lear is one of the ones I missed and I have to say, I felt at a terrible disadvantage while reading this book. The Sparknotes helped, but I always felt a little in the dark…like when someone tells a joke and you mostly get it, but it’s just not as funny because you know you’re missing something. In order to fully appreciate this book, I think I should have read the play first but unfortunately I just did not have the time or desire to do so.

Christopher Moore, author of FOOL (Photo Credit)

That said, it was still a very funny book. As you mentioned, there was lots of raunchy humor! I read this primarily on my BART rides to and from work and often hoped that no one was reading over my shoulder. I wish that I knew more about the Fool’s story line in the original play so that I could compare it to this adaptation. I assume the ending isn’t the only thing that’s changed.

I particularly enjoyed the footnotes, an appropriate touch since Shakespeare plays always have a lot. Taking something so familiar and making it silly was such an easy way to create humor in the story. For instance: “2. The dog’s bollocks!–excellent! The bee’s knees! The cat’s pj’s. Literally, the dog’s balls, which doesn’t seem to be that great a thing, yet, there you are.” The Fool’s narrative voice is great and I love that the story is so clearly his. I especially liked all the references to “perfect f***ing French”. These comments seemed to capture the spirit of this character exceptionally well for me.

I wish that I could have sat down and read this book in one day. I feel like it’s a one-sitting kind of book. It would have helped me stay in that world and mindset a little easier, especially since it was a little more difficult for me to get there without having read the play.

One thing that I would be interested to discuss with you is the “future” of this blog and our exchanges. I have a stack of books at home that have been on my shelves for years going unread and I thought I might try to burn through some of those and include one as a blog book. However, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a bad idea. Those books have gone unread for years because I’m not very excited about them. Personally, I want to focus on sharing books that I’m really excited about or books that other people are really excited about. I’d like to focus on “buzz” books. (Books that are creating a buzz. Was that obvious?) We are both looking toward careers and futures that center heavily on books so it seems appropriate. I will really have to consider my next choice… 

Til we read again!
Megan