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Des Königs Narr = Restoration by Rose Tremain

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sawyerbell's review against another edition

5.0

Meet Merivel, 17th century physician and fool, seeking love and happiness in the ‘restoration’ era of Charles II :“A year passed most profitably and pleasurably. My nature, I quickly understood, was in every particular well suited to life at Court. My fondness for gossip and laughter, my brimming appetites, my tendency to sartorial chaos and my trick of farting at will made me one of the most popular men at Whitehall.”
This is the story of a foolish yet endearing man whose vast enthusiasm for life and thirst for love become his undoing and then, after many trials, his salvation. I adored this book and was tempted to start re-reading it as soon as I'd read the last paragraph. It's story that makes you laugh at the same time as it makes you reflect on on its deeper questions on the meaning of life, love and happiness.

dixiemac's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

msjoanna's review against another edition

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4.0

This was historical comedic fiction. The main character was surprisingly interesting and developed over the course of the book in a believable and lovable way from a shallow court onlooker to a more thoughtful adult. The historical setting was believable and detailed and made the book thoroughly enjoyable. Reading about the medical beliefs of the time was particularly interesting and I think the author did a fair job keeping with the beliefs appropriate for the setting (e.g., whether or not spontaneous generation was a valid theory). The reader for the audiobook tried a little too hard to create voices, which sometimes actually made the characters hard to understand or annoying to listen to rather than merely differentiated. Still, I'm glad to have read this one. It's my final audiobook of 2014!

ironsandwine's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

hankmank's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective

5.0

notgracious's review against another edition

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reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

stuffandwhatnot's review against another edition

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4.0

Absolutely delightful.

elittle's review against another edition

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challenging tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

gilroi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A lovely novel, there's really nothing negative I can think to say about it. It only missed out on a full five star rating because I didn't find it a transcendent life experience or something with a massive amount of staying power (for me, personally, at least; I know the book is nothing new and stays beloved in the minds of many). I personally found it very touching and heart-warming, and am glad I read it, but if not for its fame I'm not sure I'd remember it. Then again, if not for its fame, I wouldn't have read it in the first place.

Content Warnings

pyrdek's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

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