Holy Fools - Hardcover

Harris, Joanne

3.6

8,707 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385603649 ISBN 13: 9780385603645

Publisher: Doubleday, 2003

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Signed Books.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Holy Fools is Joanne Harris's most enjoyable novel yet, a beautifully detailed and sharply observed piece that emotionally moves the reader unlike anything she has tackled before. The immense success of Chocolat and Coastliners has made Harris one of the most cherished authors at work today, and each new book is something of an event.

Holy Fools is set in 17th century France, and the central character is Juliette, a former actress and rope dancer who has given up her travelling life to become a teaching nun at a remote abbey. Juliette has settled with her young daughter into an existence very different from that she knew, and she finds comfort from the advice of the wise and friendly abbess.

Harris brilliantly delineates both phases of her heroine's life: the colourful earlier era and the new demands of the semi-cloistered life. Things change radically when the abbess dies and her place is taken by an 11-year-old girl whose appetite for reform quickly destroys much that Juliet has come to love in her new life. What makes the book so refreshingly original is not just the unusual structure (the heroine's dual life alone is handled with radiant detail), but the surprising new trajectory the narrative takes after the death of the abbess, as everything Juliette was used to begins to go wrong.

We become involved in every minor crisis, however much we question that the religious life is the answer to her problems. Juliette is a brilliantly drawn character, and the plotting of this ambitious novel is both thoughtful and invigorating, while the basic theme--the ploys we all use to distract ourselves from the painful realities of existence--is handled with subtlety. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

'A tale of 17th-century witch trials might not sound like your usual read, but just try and put this down' -- Company

'Brilliant...An imaginative, colourful page-turner' -- Choice

'Her writing is as wonderful as ever...You won't be able to tear yourself away' -- Glamour

'Highly enjoyable' -- Independent on Sunday

'Hugely enjoyable' -- Observer

'Hugely enjoyable...Both consoling and wise' -- Amanda Craig, New Statesman (novel of the week)

'Truly sensational' -- Sunday Express

'With this bold, inventive book, Harris confirms her position as one of Britain's most popular novelists...Fresh and compelling' -- Daily Mail

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.