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The Jester
The Jester
Author: James Patterson, Andrew Gross
#1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson brings his masterful powers of suspense to a historical thriller set amidst the life-or-death drama of the Crusades. Hugh, a poor French innkeeper, leaves home and family to join an army of peasants bent on reclaiming the Holy Land. In a horrifying battle, Hugh is about to be slain when, with...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9781586214142
ISBN-10: 1586214144
Publication Date: 3/2003
Edition: Unabridged
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 38

3.9 stars, based on 38 ratings
Publisher: Warner Adult
Book Type: Audio Cassette
Other Versions: Paperback, Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Mac1973 avatar reviewed The Jester on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
One of my favorites - set in the medival times and the Crusades. Great character development - great plot with twists and turns to keep you on your toes. GREAT.
MaGee avatar reviewed The Jester on + 43 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I was plesently surprised to find that this was NOT just another cookie cutter book by James Patterson and one of his numerous co-writers. Although not a "great" book, it is a well written story and an easy read.

Taking place in the eleventh century with the dark side of the Crusades as background Hugh de Luc, the Jester, fights for such timely issues of rightness, morality, justice, freedom, and, of course, love. Above all, it is a book of hope. The phrase "That may be, but it will not always be" repeated throughout the story gives hope to what seems impossible then and now.
reviewed The Jester on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Great book about treasure from the Crusades. Time setting goes back and forth between present day France and 1096 France.
reviewed The Jester on + 35 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Historical fiction. A story about medieval France and the era of the Crusades with a different point of view. I really liked it.
reviewed The Jester on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Very different for Patterson, but still riveting in a historical sort of way.
Read All 105 Book Reviews of "The Jester"

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Bikerbob avatar reviewed The Jester on + 14 more book reviews
This was a really fun read. I could not put it down and finished it in less than a full day. By far his best book.
reviewed The Jester on + 204 more book reviews
I found this book quite entertaining. The jokes that the Jester comes up were quite entertaining. If you want a book that is historically correct and fact ridden this is not the book for you, but if you are reading to be entertained this is not a bad read. The characters are well developed and believable which mad the book a pleasure to read.
buzzbee avatar reviewed The Jester on + 17 more book reviews
Not one of my favorite James Patterson Books.
reviewed The Jester on + 10 more book reviews
This is a very poorly written book. if you write a book that takes place long ago, you can't use language that wouldn't take place during that time. I can't recommend this book at all.
mrrob avatar reviewed The Jester on + 83 more book reviews
If you're a fan of Mr. Patterson's Alex Cross, Lindsay Boxer, Michael Bennett and others of the same genre, be prepared to forget that type of story!
Written with author Andrew Gross, I can't help but wonder if most, if not all, of the book was written by Mr. Gross & Mr. Patterson just put his name on it!
I had a bit of trouble getting into the story at first, due to being used to Mr. Patterson's crime thrillers. However, once I figured out this wasn't one of them, it didn't take long to get interested.
This is a really good story, urging the reader to just keep reading to find out what will happen!
I highly recommend this book. If for no other reason, because it is quite a ride, and very different from all the other Patterson books I've read.
reviewed The Jester on + 3 more book reviews
This book was quite different from normal books by James Patterson. I truly enjoyed it :-)
sharrona avatar reviewed The Jester on + 207 more book reviews
Well-told story, lots of action & intrigue. An innkeeper returns home from the first Crusade to find that his son has been killed and his wife abducted. He poses as a jester to infiltrate the court where she's being held. The reader's voice and diction are a good match for the setting of this novel.
reviewed The Jester on + 211 more book reviews
I haven't listened to this abridgement of the novel, but the novel itself was very good. I wish Patterson were to write more in this vein.
ladycholla avatar reviewed The Jester on + 2081 more book reviews
Different for Patterson, okay.
canders avatar reviewed The Jester on
Kind of out of character for James Patterson but it was a good book. I enjoyed it greatly.
reviewed The Jester on + 2 more book reviews
This book started out kind of slow but once I continued I was totally into it and couldn't wait to read more.
reviewed The Jester on + 35 more book reviews
Tale of good and evil set in the time of the first crusade. Similar to Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.The story is character driven. You can guess most of the plot before itis handed to you. I put it in the car and listened to it from Greenville, SC to Salina, Ks. It suited my purposes in that regard very well.
jennypooh avatar reviewed The Jester on + 4 more book reviews
I was into the story but it was kinda graphic.
reviewed The Jester on
I love this audio book. I bought it on audio book because I found the pronunciation of so much of the written book was difficult, hearing it read by a professional allowed me to enjoy the story much more.
For those of you not familiar with audio books, the are read by talented actors and so well directed they have really come a long way since being read into a tape recorder by some basement dweller. I find them great to listen to at my desk while I am doing something monotonous, it really makes those boring jobs fly by.
GrannyGamer avatar reviewed The Jester on + 153 more book reviews
This is richly drawn historic novel full of action, suspense and romance. I loved the book and I grew to care about the main characters. The writing was good, although without any great literary pretensions.

That is not to say it was without faults. If anything, it leaned too heavily on the romance angle and I half expected to hear some over-baked "Harlequin" type hyberbole along with the sometimes graphic (though never vulgar) sex scenes. And the protagonist was SO good and SO lucky (I mean, would anyone really be able to survive everything from the Crusades to a wild boar attack????) that I thought he should be addressed as Saint Hugh.

In the audio version, there were two additional weaknesses. One was the use of strong Welsh and British accents for the main characters who are, after all, French. I am glad they didn't opt for phoney French accents, but it was disconcerting nonetheless.

The other, albeit even more minor, distraction was that the narractor called off each chapter number and, given that there were more than 140-something chapters (some very very short) this quickly became annoying.

Still, when the only faults you can find in a book are such minor ones, that says a great deal about the book!
reviewed The Jester on + 54 more book reviews
Abridged - 4 cassette tapes - 6 hours - read by Cary Elwes
Dimples avatar reviewed The Jester on + 47 more book reviews
James Patterson and Andrew Gross
4 cassettes/6 hours Read by Cary Elwes
Classic tale of good against evil and the search for love
great adventure set during the times of kings and jesters
Even my husband enjoyed listening to this one.

Book Wiki

People/Characters
Hugh de Luc (Primary Character)
Emilie (Major Character)
Sophie (Major Character)
Anne (Major Character)
Stephen (Major Character)

Genres: