Holy Fools [Kindle Edition]

Joanne Harris (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Love not often, but forever" is an adage with dangerous implications for Juliette, a gypsy acrobat in 17th-century France who strives to balance her wild yearnings with her hard-won wisdom in this passionate novel from the author of Chocolat and Five Quarters of the Orange. Harris gave hints in the latter novel of a darker sensibility, and she fully indulges that inclination here, broodingly exploring the mechanics of mass hysteria and the clash between the desires of the flesh and spiritual cravings. Juliette's involving narration alternates with the amoral reflections of her rogue lover, Guy LeMerle, the Blackbird ("He lived on perpetual credit and never went to church"). LeMerle is the leader of Juliette's troupe, which is disbanded after a clash with a town's authorities; at the same time, LeMerle abandons the pregnant Juliette, who is persecuted as a witch. Five years later, Juliette, now called Soeur Auguste, and her daughter, Fleur, have found refuge at the Abbey of Sainte-Marie-de-la-mer on the Brittany coast. Then LeMerle arrives at the abbey disguised as Father Confessor to the newly appointed abbess, Isabelle, a preternaturally severe girl of 12 whose uncle happens to be LeMerle's nemesis, the bishop of vreux. Isabelle causes Fleur to be removed from the abbey, and while Juliette struggles to get her back, LeMerle manipulates the nuns into believing Satan has their convent in thrall, in a complicated plot to revenge himself on the bishop. This fictional cassoulet suggests Aldous Huxley's nonfiction work The Devils of Loudun, with "demonically" possessed nuns caught in a web of sexual repression and political and religious oppression during an era of upheaval in France. Harris adds spicy characterizations, tart dark humor and seductively pungent prose, and poses some provocative questions: can 65 nuns be so easily misled? why does Juliette find herself drawn to such a selfish man? The title supplies an answer with almost unholy glee.
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From Bookmarks Magazine

With few exceptions, critics agree that Harris's new novel is just as sumptuous as Chocolat, Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, and Coastliners. Much more than a tale of revenge and redemption, Holy Fools delves into maternal bonds, love and betrayal, 17th-century politics, and the abusive power of the church. Harris varies her theatrical retelling of Juliette's story with flashbacks, journal entries, and even LeMerle's own voice, giving the novel depth but some unwelcome frenzy. LeMerle is especially captivating; after all, who isn't attracted to oozing charm? If the novel tries too hard to be both a historical and romance novel, so be it. Overall, Holy Fools is as dazzling and dramatic as the tightrope act itself.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 271 KB
• Print Length: 386 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0552770019
• Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 13, 2009)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000W5MIGM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,014 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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.