Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art (P.S.) [Kindle Edition]

Christopher Moore (Author)

Book Description

“Christopher Moore is a very sick man, in the very best sense of that word.”
—Carl Hiassen

“[Moore’s novels] deftly blend surreal, occult, and even science-fiction doings with laugh-out-loud satire of contemporary culture.”
—Washington Post

“If there’s a funnier writer out there, step forward.”
—Playboy

Absolutely nothing is sacred to Christopher Moore. The phenomenally popular, New York Times bestselling satirist whom the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls, “Stephen King with a whoopee cushion and a double-espresso imagination” has already lampooned Shakespeare, San Francisco vampires, marine biologists, Death…even Jesus Christ and Santa Claus! Now, in his latest masterpiece, Sacré Bleu, the immortal Moore takes on the Great French Masters. A magnificent “Comedy d’Art” from the author of Lamb, Fool, and Bite Me, Moore’s Sacré Bleu is part mystery, part history (sort of), part love story, and wholly hilarious as it follows a young baker-painter as he joins the dapper  Henri Toulouse-Lautrec on a quest to unravel the mystery behind the supposed “suicide” of Vincent van Gogh.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Exclusive: Christopher Moore on Writing Sacre Bleu

I suppose it started when I learned the circumstances of the suicide of Vincent van Gogh; how he had finished a painting, then walked into a corn field and shot himself, and not in the manner one thinks of a suicide. He shot himself in the abdomen, then walked over a mile on a rough trail through the woods above the village of Auvers, France, to the home of his friend, Doctor Gachet, for help. It seemed clear to me that this was not the behavior of a suicidal man. (Particularly when you see how well he was painting at the time.) Vincent had been murdered, and for some reason, I guess from looking at his paintings, I thought that the color blue might be a clue to the circumstances of his murder.

So I decided to write a novel about the color blue.

When it first occurred to me, I had no idea what a can of paint of I was opening. I’ve written historical novels before, but I’d always picked periods and stories that had huge blank spots in them, spots that I could fill in with my story. But I was about to write about the period in which the French Impressionists rose to prominence, and unlike the life of Jesus or the court of King Lear, where very little was known about what actually happened, I could pretty much look up what each of the Impressionists had for breakfast every morning. It was a curse of riches. There was more material than I could ever cover in a single story, unless I found a way to constrain it.

So, to pursue my murder mystery, my tale of an art movement, my portrayal of the Bell Epoch in Paris, I had to find a point of view that would help me cover the time period, from 1863 to 1891 and beyond, so I invented, Lucien Lessard, the baker of Montmartre, Paris—the baker who wants to be a painter, whose father was a patron of Monet, Renoir, and Cezanne when they were at their poorest, and who attended art school with Vincent van Gogh and his best friend, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Lucien and Henri would be my detectives, and with them, we would discover not only Vincent’s killer, but the secret and magic behind the mysterious shade of “sacred blue” (Sacré Bleu), and how it had inspired and haunted artists all through history.

Four years after the notion first occurred to me, I turned in the manuscript to Sacré Bleu, and I think it is what I had hoped it could be: a mystery, a fantasy, a romance, a comedy, a history, and an appreciation. I didn’t have an art education going into this book, but I certainly do coming out, and I hope that the reader will painlessly and joyfully, share some of the enthusiasm I have for the subject.

Or, as it says in the prelude:

“Blue is glory and power, a wave, a particle, a vibration, a resonance, a spirit, a passion, a memory, a vanity, a metaphor, a dream.

Blue is a simile.

Blue, she is like a woman.”

Review

“I can’t emphasize enough how funny BITE ME is.” (Bookreporter.com )

“[H]ilarious, educational, and original. . . . [I]t is difficult to put the book down, for there are astonishing new developments on every page.” (BookPage )

“A page-turner…. Your ‘Lear’ can be rusty or completely unread to appreciate this new perspective on the Shakespearean tragedy. That is if you enjoy a whole lot of silly behind the scenes of your tragedies.” (Valdosta Times (Georgia) on FOOL )

“If there’s a funnier writer out there, step forward.” (Playboy )

“[W]all-to-wall, farcical fornicating and fighting…a jolly good time can be had.” (Booklist on FOOL )

“A laugh-a-page novel that’s raunchy and irreverent.” (USA Today )

“A raunchy slapstick comedy of young vampires in love . . . Moore is in top form, and this reviewer laughed all the way through this page-turner. Enthusiastically recommended.” (Library Journal )

“A vampire comedy that’s witty, bright and funny.” (People )

“An instant classic . . . terrific, funny and poignant. (Rocky Mountain News )

“Funny, literate, smart and sexy, all at once!” (Jeff Lindsay, author of the Dexter series, on FOOL )

“In transforming “King Lear” into a potty-mouthed jape, Moore is up to more than thumbing his nose at a masterpiece. His version of Shakespeare’s Fool, who accompanies Lear on his slide from paternal arrogance to spiritual desolation in the original text, simultaneously honors and imaginatively enriches the character.” (San Francisco Chronicle on FOOL )

“It’s hard to resist so gleeful a tale of murder, witchcraft, treason, maiming, and spanking. . . . Moore’s deft ear for dialogue keeps the pages turning . . . Fool is a wickedly good time.” (Christian Science Monitor on FOOL )

“Less may be more, but it isn’t Moore. Wretched excess doth have power to charm, and there are great reeking oodles of it strewn throughout these irreverent pages.” (Kirkus Reviews on FOOL )

“Moore has produced eight books that deftly blend surreal, occult and even science-fiction doings with laugh-out-loud satire of contemporary culture. Powered by engines of the abnormal and unlikely, his tales feature eccentric lowlifes who find their desperate existences hilariously remade by intrusions from other spheres.” (Washington Post Book World )

“Moore is a very clever boy when it comes to words. There are good chuckles to be had in this tale. …Whether you need to read the original King Lear before you read Moore’s Fool is debatable. Seems a fool’s errand to us. Just enjoy.” (USA Today on FOOL )

“Moore turns things on their head with an edgy 21st-century perspective that makes the story line as sharp, surly and slick as a game of Grand Theft Auto… It’s a manic, masterly mix-winning, wild and something today’s groundlings will applaud.” (Publishers Weekly on FOOL )

“Often funny, sometimes hilarious, always inventive, this is a book for all, especially uptight English teachers, bardolaters and ministerial students of the kind who come to our doorstep on Saturday mornings.” (Dallas Morning News on FOOL )

“Mingling comedy and mystery, Moore crafts an intricate story that teases the reader with numerous twists and bawdy humor.…[T]his is an imaginative and amusing look at the Impressionist era, and Moore’s prose is fresh and engaging.” (Booklist on SACRE BLEU )

“Art history is playfully--and perilously--rewrtitten in this ambitious novel....fans of Moore’s mix of wit and slapstick will be pleased.” (Publishers Weekly on SACRE BLEU )

“Moore’s humor is, as ever, sweetly juvenile, but his arty comedy also captures the courage and rebellion of the Impressionists with an exultant joie de vivre.” (Kirkus Reviews on SACRE BLEU )

“[A]surprisingly complex novel full of love, death, art, and mystery....Don’t let Moore’s quirky characters and bawdy language fool you. His writing has depth, and his peculiar take on the impressionists will reel you in....this is a worthy read. ” (Library Journal (starred review) on SACRE BLEU )

“[A] marvelous, tongue-in-cheek, mythical explanation of the artistic urge... brought vividly to life.” (The Oregonian (Portland) on SACRE BLEU )

“Can Moore find the funny in gloomy Van Gogh? If anybody can-can, count on Moore.” (USA Today on SACRE BLEU )

“Sacré Bleu is a consistently compelling blend of love story, mystery, and ‘what if?’ art history lesson.” (Entertainment Weekly on SACRE BLEU )

“Captivating . . . Those familiar with Moore’s work will love this rich story, which is full of gleefully anachronistic behavior and language--often pun-based--coming from artists we ordinarily revere.” (Houston Chronicle on SACRE BLEU )

“[A] delightfully ribald romp.” (Washington Post Book World on Sacre Bleu )

“The true joy in Sacré Bleu stems from Moore’s writing....His writing contains the rare combination of poetry and humor; where one moment you find yourself rereading a passage for its sublime imagery, and the next, you are grinning over a well-placed wisecrack....an excellent novel.” (Dallas News on Sacre Bleu )

“[A]nother exceedingly bizarre, often raucous, and consistently delightful journey into the sweetly demented mind of novelist Christopher Moore.” (Philadelphia Inquirer on SACRE BLEU )

“Sacre Bleu is big fun.” (St. Paul Pioneer Press on SACRE BLEU )

“Christopher Moore’s new novel blends diligently researched art history smoothly with his fevered, fiendish imagination.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on SACRE BLEU )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1592 KB
• Print Length: 421 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0061779741
• Publisher: William Morrow; Reprint edition (April 3, 2012)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005UD1GQY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,007 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #57 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult
  • #62 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult
  • #85 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Humor

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

182 of 197 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark little fairy tale of the color blue January 21, 2012

By Maine Colonial TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

That's how Christopher Moore characterizes Sacré Bleu. It's also a mystery, a comedy and a dizzying, dazzling trip through the art world of fin-de-siecle Paris.

I read somewhere that every single one of Christopher Moore's books has been optioned but not one has ever made it to film. I think it must be because producers eventually realize that it's just too much of a challenge to translate the sheer lunacy and demented sweetness of Moore's books to the screen.

The book begins on the day of Vincent Van Gogh's death in Auvers, a village near Paris. Vincent has gone to a crossroads to paint. The history is that Van Gogh there shot himself, then walked a mile to the home of his doctor to seek treatment. Moore wondered if it made any sense that an artist at the height of his powers, even one as tormented as Van Gogh, would shoot himself at that point. And then, why would he walk a mile to his doctor's place rather than just lie down and die? Moore appoints baker-turned-painter Lucien Lessard, and famed painter and libertine Henri Toulouse-Lautrec as his alter-ego detectives to pursue the answer to this puzzle. The pursuit involves Renoir, Manet, Monet, Whistler, Pissarro, Gaugin, Seurat, a menacing character called the Colorman, the artists' muses, a few side trips through time and space, and lots and lots about the color blue.

It's been a long time since I read a book in one afternoon, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Now, here I sit with my eyes burning and my head filled with whirling images of the adventures of the naive young Lucien and his usually drunk and lubricious but always endearing friend, Toulouse-Lautrec.... In the Afterword, Moore writes, "I know what you're thinking: 'Well thanks loads, Chris, now you've ruined art for everyone.'" Far from it. He's definitely made it a whole lot weirder, but isn't that what you're looking for from one of his books?

Moore always travels to the settings of his books before he writes and, in this case, that means France, mainly Paris. If you visit his blog. he has included a chapter guide where, as he says, "you'll find some photographs, a little background on the geography, history, and art featured in the book, as well as observations and musing I had while researching and writing the book that just wouldn't fit in the story, but I hope will give some perspective on it." Before, during or after you read the book, I highly recommend a visit to the blog and the chapter guide. Among many other items of interest---and more extensive attempts to ruin art for everyone---there are photographs of Auvers, the village where Van Gogh was living at the end of his life, including the real-life settings of several Van Gogh paintings, juxtaposed with the paintings themselves.

In addition to being a flat-out joyride of a novel, this is a beautifully produced book, with typefaces evocative of its 19th century Parisian setting and reproductions of artworks of Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and many other luminaries of the period. Recommended. Read more ›

81 of 92 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Irreverent Art History March 22, 2012

By Jennifer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Set primarily in Montmartre, Paris in the 1890s, this is a book about artists, muses and the color blue. Of course, being written by Christopher Moore, you can expect everything to be skewed to the absurd, a bit bawdy, irreverent and playful. Moore inhabits his book with figures real (Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet and Renoir) and unreal (Bleu--a body-jumping muse, the Colorman--a gnome who can create the otherwordly shade of blue known as Scare Bleu, and Lucien Lessard, a baker/painter who is obsessed with Juliette).

While reading, I was always curious about what was real and what wasn't. Perhaps the most interesting part of the book for me was Moore's Afterword ("So, Now You've Ruined Art), which provided a breakdown of what was based on fact and what wasn't. Surprisingly, quite a bit of "realness" snuck into a book that is quite fanciful and absurd. It was interesting to learn that Monet really did paint his wife Camille on her deathbed, the puzzling circumstances of Vincent Van Gogh's death, and the ungodly amount of artists who died of syphilis. Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed were the images of the real paintings that are discussed and play a role in the book. I thought it was an ingenious way to make art history come alive in a way that would even seem palatable to ... say ... teenage boys.

However, I just didn't fall in love with the book (despite my deep and abiding adoration of several of Moore's other books). Part of it was the goofy sophomoric humor that runs throughout the book (I guess boobie and penis jokes just don't do it for me) and the other part was the fractured nature of the tale that just didn't draw me in.... The real problem, perhaps, is that I just didn't care about any of the characters too much so I never got all that invested in the book or what was happening. Still, if you're a fan of Moore, it is worth checking out even if it fell a bit flat and wasn't his best work. (If Amazon would allow me to give half stars, I would rate it a solid 3.5 out of 5.) Read more ›

54 of 63 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Moore's Latest Is An Absurd And Clever Treat, But Is Especially Geared Toward Art Lovers February 2, 2012

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I suppose it's fair to say that I'm an avid Christopher Moore enthusiast having read every novel from 1992's "Practical Demonkeeping" through 2010's "Bite Me: A Love Story." So the release of his latest, "Sacre Bleu," was the cause of great excitement and anticipation in my world. While I have certainly enjoyed the whimsical supernatural tales that are often Moore's specialty, I find the books that step out of this comfort zone equally (if not more) intriguing. "Sacre Bleu" is one of Moore's most offbeat offerings to date, and for this I am grateful, but it might also be one of his most specialized titles. To fully enjoy the comedic flavor and intricacies of the book, one must have a reasonable knowledge of the art world and its masters. Well known personalities such as Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Whistler, and Gauguin (among many others) populate the pages of Moore's twisted tome as actual characters. If you have no idea of who they are, the book may still be an enjoyable romp but you'll miss much of the tale's cleverness. It's comparable to reading "Fool" without being familiar with King Lear or "Lamb" without a working knowledge of its Biblical references. This is just a word of warning for those uninitiated with Moore's absurdist view of the world, the book will have much greater appeal to those with a familiarity to its subject.

I'd like to offer up a brief synopsis of "Sacre Bleu," but it's almost impossible to adequately make sense of the delightfully convoluted plot. The story revolves around Lucien Lessard, a baker by trade and an aspiring painter in late nineteenth century France. Lessard is on the periphery of the art world and is best friends with diminutive and randy Toulouse-Lautrec.... Upon the untimely demise of Vincent Van Gogh, the pair start to investigate a number of strange phenomenon surrounding a disturbing paint purveyor, a series of artist muses, and an otherwordly blue paint. It seems that Lessard's on-again, off-again paramour may be the key to unraveling a bizarre mystery that involves some of the biggest names in the art community. The book plays on several levels. There are satiric elements about the principle topic, absurd humor, a supernatural aspect, and the aforementioned mystery that ties it all together. It's a bold and ambitious adventure, and one that I thought was a lot of fun.

Here's my qualifier: If you love Moore, I'd say this presents an interesting new addition to his oeuvre. But as I said, if you don't know anything about the artists represented--it may be a bit tricky getting involved and appreciating the in-jokes. If you don't know Moore, this might not be the place to start (unless, of course, you are an art aficionado and a fan of the ridiculous). If you don't connect with the subject, I think it's possible that you may absolutely loathe this book. I found "Sacre Bleu" to be a fitfully funny romp and a very fast read. At the end of the day, is it my favorite Moore? Perhaps not. (The unapologetically profane "Fool" or the subversively brilliant "Lamb" might share that distinction for me) But it's smart, crisp, and undeniably wacky with characters that you want to stick with. I suspect the book will be somewhat divisive, but the right audience should appreciate the amount of research and reality that went into this strikingly odd and fantastical tale. KGHarris, 2/12. Read more ›

More About the Author

Christopher Moore is the author of eleven previous novels: Practical Demonkeeping, Coyote Blue, Bloodsucking Fiends, Island of the Sequined Love Nun, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Lamb, Fluke, The Stupidest Angel, A Dirty Job, You Suck, and Fool. He lives in San Francisco.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#76 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror

#76 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror