The story of King Lear rendered comedically (shut up, it's possible...surprisingly) through the perspective of Lear's sharp-tongued, foul-mouthed (but mostly basically decent) fool. I *hated* reading Lear in school (even though I generally enjoy Shakespeare), but I had fun with this comedic prose version. Not least because Lear's fool often reacts to the big-shots' occasional overblown soliloquizing much the same as we all did in school ("Oh, for f*^#! sake!"), at least in our heads ;) Fast and entertaining read, without going overboard or forced-humour like some rewrites do and ruining the serious main storyline. Includes a few sly inside-joke references to a few other famous Shakespeare plays including cameos of the three witches better known from 'Macbeth'.

This truly is a bawdy tale! Take heed of the warnings on the front flap - they are extremely accurate. You don't have to be familiar with King Lear to enjoy the book, but it helps to have some idea of the original story - especially when other Shakespearian characters from other plays make brief appearances. It's crued and rude and not for the faint of heart. But it's also hilarious and well worth reading. You'll pause to ask yourself: Should I be offended, or should I laugh out loud? I chose to laugh.

Moore poses the question on everyone's minds in "You cheeky git - an author's note," which serves as a sort of afterword to Fool: "I know what you're thinking: 'Why, are you, an American comic novelist, thrashing around in the deep end of genius with the greatest artist of the English language who ever lived?'" Because he can, of course, and with pretty enjoyable results. Fool is Moore's tragicomic retelling of the story of King Lear, interwoven with elements of many other Shakespeare works. Moore does a respectable job of riffing on the Bard's ability to integrate tragic characters, bawdy humor, and clever turns of phrase. Having taken on the Bible in Lamb, and now having reconstructed Shakespeare, I don't know what Moore's next project will be, maybe "Rocinante," a retelling of Don Quixote from his horse's point of view? I hope his next book is a return to his original stories and his enjoyable characters. While I enjoy the intellectual whimsy of Lamb and Fool, my favorite Moore books are still his twisted takes on contemporary pop culture. Regardless, though, anything he writes, I will certainly read!

I didn't give this a star rating because I couldn't finish it - blah ! just a little too much gutter for me. I liked Lamb by the same author and got through some of the others but this one just didn't seem worth the effort. good luck.

Awesome. Never read King Lear, but you don't really need to have to enjoy the book. Very funny, good story, plot was a liiiiitle complicated, but I imagine if you have read Lear it would be quite easy to follow. Great book all in all, going to have to read some more Moore

The book seems to be getting mixed user reviews. I'm a fan of Moore, and I enjoyed this one too. The crassness and sex didn't put me off, as I could easily believe that this behaviour was probably not far from the truth of the time. (note I said "I could easily believe" ... your mileage may vary)

If your'e easily offended, stay clear of this book. It is crude, rude and somewhat disgusting. It is also very witty and entertaining. Moore's satirical take on Shakespeare displays his quick mind and great (if not crasse) sense of humour. I thought the dialogue in this book was so cleverly written and I really enjoyed the discussions between the characters. This is certainly not a book that everyone will like, but if you appreciate very witty humour, and can tolerate the constant off-colour dialogue, than this is a great book to sit down with.

Shakespeare is rolling in his grave - laughing his beard off. Another good review of it: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/fool-by-christopher-moorebr-the-final-act-of-mr-shakespeare-by-robert-winder-1923471.html

I was drawn to this book because a) I'd read <i>Lamb>/i> by the same author about a year and half ago and b)this is supposed to be based on Shakespeare's <i>King Lear</i>. Well, if you're contemplating reading this book, you need to get used to three things quickly: 1) the footnoting of English slang, which is meant to be amusing and helpful (one supposes) to American readers but ends up being a little precious and irritating; 2) the constant shagging; and 3) the anachronisms and questionable geography. Oh, and it has very little to do with Shakespeare. Get used to that, and it's an entertaining, if occasionally disgusting read. Come to think of it, Shakespeare wasn't that particular about his historical and geographical accuracy and besides, Moore freely acknowledges his deliberate mucking about with time and space in the afterword. Maybe it should have been the foreword.

I've read nearly all of Chris Moore's other novels and loved them, but this one didn't really do it for me. I found myself constantly conscious of the fact that he's trying really hard to be clever, especially in the use of British slang. His other works, while madcap and outrageous in their own right, seem to flow better. Perhaps this is because they are wholly the product of his imagination, and Fool is a reinterpretation of King Lear. Overall a bit of a disappointment after having looked forward to this a great deal.