Holy Fools [Paperback]

Joanne Harris (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Black Swan (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965848531
• ISBN-13: 978-0552151405
• ASIN: 0552151408
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,125,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joanne Harris is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Blackberry Wine and Chocolat, which was nominated for the Whitbread Award, one of Britain's most prestigious literary prizes. Half French and half British, Harris lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "You wanted me dead, so I decided to live.", April 19, 2004

By 

S. Calhoun "rhymeswithorange" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holy Fools: A Novel (Harris, Joanne) (Hardcover)

I have a weakness for quality historical fiction and HOLY FOOLS certainly satisfied my cravings. Set on the remote rocky seashore near Brittany, France in 1605 this novel tells the story of a young woman and her child who have taken refuge from her past in a dilapidated abbey. After five years of posing in her new identity as Soeur Auguste she begins to believe that she has escaped her former life as a member of a traveling carnival that often flirted with the law. But the past comes to haunt her as her former lover and nemesis Guy LeMerle under a new disguise has arrived at the abbey with his own plans for sweet revenge.

Joanne Harris successfully brings to life the superstitions and witchcraft of early 17th century Europe. I enjoyed the rustic setting: unpredictable weather and the forces of Mother Nature along with the force of wind and rain that has beaten the alley over the decades.

HOLY FOOLS is a suspenseful book that contains plenty of plot twists and turns. I surely didn't know how it was going to end until the last couple pages. While I question some of the historical details I managed to look past them and enjoy it without picking it apart. It's a good and satisfying book. Enjoy!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing characters, August 14, 2004

By 

Amazonbombshell (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holy Fools: A Novel (Harris, Joanne) (Hardcover)

Set in 1600s Brittany, HOLY FOOLS is principally the story of two engaging characters: a gypsy-born nun with pagan ideas, hiding behind her veil the secrets of her adventuresome past as a famous acrobat, and a consummate actor who wears many faces -- even to himself -- and to whom all of life is but a high-stakes game.

The two of them, incredibly well-drawn, carry the story, narrating it alternately in shorter and shorter chapters, as the plot unfolds with increasing urgency, mirroring the events it details. They tell a tale of secrets and revenge, of religious zeal and the ways it can be corrupted, of intrigues that grow into accusations, cruelty that cuts more subtly than any knife, kindnesses that carry a terrible price, and -- the thread that binds it all together -- of the caprice of love, which cannot always be defined -- or denied.

The book is poetic, and I feel inclined to review it as such, but here is the short version: HOLY FOOLS is very, very good. I have yet to read Ms. Harris' famous CHOCOLAT or FIVE QUARTERS OF THE ORANGE, but it is evident from this novel that her writing talents extend far beyond food and love and forgiveness, and far into the darkness and mystery of what it means to be human.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best since Chocolat, December 19, 2004

By 

ellen close (Pomfret, Vermont) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holy Fools: A Novel (Harris, Joanne) (Hardcover)

Having read all the books by this author, I consider Holy Fools to be her best effort since Chocolat. This work has all the intensity and mystery of the earlier bestseller: the disdain for religious hypocrisy, the secrets of the past, and the uncertainty of malicious intent. The delicious sensuality and humor are replaced by aerial acrobatics and macabre apparitions. The story takes place in 1610, and is recounted by a gypsy named Juliette. (Are we surprised that she reads tarot cards, creates herbal charms, and brews medicinal concoctions?) She recounts her previous years as a traveling performer in a troupe led by the charismatic Guy LeMerle; haunted by memories of his ultimate betrayal, she seeks refuge and anonymity in a forgotten abbey. When a disguised LeMerle unexpectedly turns up there, the intrigue, and battle of wits and wills begins. The writing is wonderful, evoking strong images. And the characters are complex, torn between warring loyalties. As we have come to expect from Harris, this is a compelling tale, told in her trademark style.