Customer Reviews

Jester

5 star:		(120)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(39)
2 star:		(29)
1 star:		(74)

 

 

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.

I believe that the mark of a truly great storyteller is one who can captivate and enthrall outside of his "genre;" and James Patterson has done that and more in The Jester.

Set in medieval times during the Crusades, this is the story of a poor innkeeper named Hugh De Luc--whose life consists of simple pleasures...his village, his friends, his inn, and the great love that he has for his wife Sophie. All is well until Hugh decides to join the fight for Christianity and freedom--and finds only death, carnage and evil. He returns to his village several years later to discover that everything that he held dear had been stripped away from him; his inn burned to the ground, and his beloved Sophie abducted by the evil knights of his liege.

This is truly an epic love story--of love lost, found, and lost again; only to be rediscovered in another. All I could think of while reading this story was what a wonderful movie it could make if done right!

I've yet to read a book by this author that I did not enjoy. True Patterson fans will not be disappointed!!

Wonderful reading! In 1096, French innkeeper Hugh de Luc joins the Crusades in an effort to obtain his freedom from his nasty overlord Lord Baldwin. However, he finds the war not to be anything like he expected as he witnesses atrocities on both sides as they crazily trek for seemingly endless miles towards Jerusalem with no end in sight. Unable to cope, Hugh deserts.... He returns home with some treasures he took from the Holy Land only to learn that Baldwin abducted his beloved wife and murdered his son. Wanting to liberate his spouse and avenge his child's murder, Hugh masquerades as a JESTER to gain entrance into his enemy's castle. However, he meets a noblewoman, who he begins to love, which sidetracks Hugh from his quest. Meanwhile his foe seeks him out based on a rumor that Hugh brought back the holiest of relics. As his village is ravaged by Baldwin's thugs who search for him, Hugh starts a counterrevolution to destroy the noble or die trying....

The JESTER is entertaining very colorful historical fiction that vividly brings to life the late eleventh century. The last books from Amazon that excited my interest were, 'Unconventional Flying Objects' by Paul Hill, 'Alien Rapture' by Brad Steiger, and 'Alien Agenda' by Jim Marrs. I highly recommend all these books and you should read the reviews.. I can't recommend them enough. Everybody I have lent them to loved them.

Hugh De Luc is an adventurous man so it does not come as a surprise to his wife when he goes off to fight in the First Crusade.

Hugh, discouraged from his experience in the Crusade, returns home to find villages torched, dozens of towns people slaughtered, his home ransacked and his wife missing all by knights in search of a precious relic.

Refusing to believe his wife is dead, Hugh sets out to find her and the only way to do that is to infiltrate the castle where he believes her to be by pretending to be a jester.

How do I describe `The Jester'...well, let's start by saying it's unlike anything James Patterson has written before; it's a historical action/adventure. I will list the good parts first; the pacing of `The Jester' is fast, the action scenes are exciting and filled with brutal violence, and as always in a Patterson novel the chapters are short and punchy. Now, the bad things; the short and punchy chapters get in the way of the story developing in certain parts, the fast pace makes the story feel rushed at times, there is romance that gets in the way and parts of the book are laughable when meant to be serious. All this mixed together makes for an unsatisfyting read, one that is very disappointing considering James Patterson's previous novels. Readers of this type of fiction might enjoy 'The Jester' for Mr. Patterson's easy to read style of writing, but fans of his previous novels should think long and hard before picking up this one.

Nick Gonnella

I've read hundreds of historical novels and this has to be the worst. The book is set during the First Crusade - about 1100 A.D. - but contains dialogue such as "Bug off" and "I guess I have you to thank for these duds [clothes]." The period detail is thin, though not as thin as the characterization. Truly awful.

If you picked up this book thinking you were going to get an engrossing mystery, you didn't read the front cover. This "historical novel" from Patterson was just what I expected. Brutally graphic, a plausible plot, characters that you want to remember, and a great way to spend a few hours of escape from current events. Patterson has a way with keeping the reader involved. While I will agree with another reviewer that the chapters were sometimes too short to maintain a good pace, it didn't keep me from being entertained. The desciptions of the difficulties facing the average person in that time period were perfect for this read. If you want to spend all your time with Alex Cross or the girls in the Murder Club, so be it. But if you want to take a welcome respite from the usual serial murderer that tends to permeate a Patterson novel, then pick this book up. You may just learn something about history while enjoying a good story.

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.

I can think of few things I've read in the last several years that were quite this bad. I commend my fellow reviewers who made it through 100 or even 200 pages of this [book] before giving up. I survived only 80.

I can't find adjectives extreme enough to explain how hideous this book is. I am prompted to write a review because I found it insultingly bad. The writing doesn't even approach a 4th grade level. Each chapter consists of only two or three pages. And there are dime-store romance novels on the market that capture a historic setting better than "The Jester." Does "What flashed through my mind was..." strike you as an authenic phrase coming out of the mouth of a French inn-keeper in the year 1100?

If you want a great historic fiction set in the middle ages, you must read Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. If you want a fun, quick, action-filled story for the beach try the new Da Vinci Code. Just avoid "The Jester" like....the plague.

I am an absolute fan of James Patterson and have read every book written by him. As with many popular authors, once they reach a certain popularity level, where every book published hits the Top 10 list just by association of the author's name, Mr. Patterson has begun to publish absolute rubbish all in the pursuit of more money. I suspect this was a book written very early in his career, before he became true story teller that could mesmerize the reader. The writing is horrible! It is truly a shame that popular authors continue to dupe their avid fans by publishing poorly written works. Older works should be advertised as such and be less expensive to purchase. As an fan, I probably would have ignored any bad book reviews and taken the chance on reading this. However, I don't think I will ever pay full price for anything he publishes again - provided I can bring myself to waste good time as well as good money!! Please do yourself a favor, don't buy the book, and send a message to these authors that their name alone should not justify the expense of a book!

Patterson and co-author Gross have certainly crafted an unexpected offering, set literally 1000 years before Alex Cross, Lindsay Boxer, and the gang come along. A French innkeeper, and our leading man, Hugh de Luc, leaves his wife Sophie and his hometown to seek ultimate freedom from his life of servitude. He joins the Crusades in 1096; then we wade through many chapters of violence and gore as men on both sides of the argument die brutal deaths. Using laughter to save his life, and precursoring his role as a Jester (hence the title) through much of the book, Hugh returns home (actually as a deserter) only to discover his wife was abducted by the evil duke. He sets out for revenge and eventually assimilates into the staff of the evil lord. He is helped along by a noblewoman named Emilie, itself an unlikely scenario, only to stir feelings in both akin to his love for his own wife. This lack of fidelity (although not consummated until after his wife's ultimate death) seemed incongruous with the undying love expressed throughout the first half of the book -- yet these feelings rapidly transfer right onto Emilie with little further provocation.

Before it's over, Hugh "the fool" leads a ragtag band of farmers and other common folk to overthrow not one but two fiefdoms, with such total success that he becomes the darling of the people and starts a movement toward the abandonment of the serf system.

What's tough to accept out of all this is the odds against which this lowly guy survives and flourishes, his role in finding a cherished religious relic, the love affair with the noblewoman, his success against organized armies (and other evils), etc. While Patterson's usual story-telling abilities are in full evidence, the early-on gore and the relatively unbelievable premises we are asked to swallow, one after another, make for a quick but only mildly entertaining read. While we applaud the author's departure from the norm, we need about half of the unbelievable wrinkles removed to give this book a facelift worthy of a more serious look.