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Fools and Mortals Bernard Cornwell 9780007504114 Books

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Fools and Mortals Bernard Cornwell 9780007504114 Books

When I saw this book and Bernard Cornwell's name, I was perhaps a little surprised. I love Cornwell and have long considered him the best historical fiction writer available. But his work always is action-adventure and for the most part military. I value his concerns about historicity, accuracy, and authenticity. And I love Shakespeare. So the chance was worth it.

Bernard Cornwell does not need a battle or sailing saga to work his craft. He creates worthy characters - his Richard Shakespeare is as good as any other he's crafted - and meaningful plots against the rich background of real history.

The twists of plot here involve sibling rivalry versus the real rivalries of acting companies in Elizabethan London. The story moves and the characters grow.

I recommend this to anyone interested in Shakespeare or in the beginnings of the English theater.

If, on the other hand, a reader really needs flintlock firings, long sword slashing, long bow battles, or sea-born suspense, stick with Cornwell's other works. But this book is a wonder.


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Fools and Mortals Bernard Cornwell 9780007504114 Books Reviews

I'm an avid reader of historical novels and most of them center on warfare - monumental battles that changed the course of history. "Fools and Mortals" depicted a moment where the course of entertainment was changed. The battles were not bloody, but no less hard fought. As always in Bernard Cornwell's novels, an air of authenticity permeated every page, and the creation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as seen through the eyes of Richard Shakespeare, a brother, gave depth and meaning to this most frivolous of Shakespeare's works.
I'm an enthusiastic Cornwell fan, so perhaps my expectations were too high, but this seemed very slightly bland by comparison...AND, because I am an enthusiastic fan of Shakespeare, I was a bit bored by the rehash of the play's plot (sprinkled throughout the book)--it was clunky ("OK, I'm going to tell you about the Wall scene now.") The characters (of the book) were not fully realized, a bit two-dimensional--This seemed to be an homage to the stage, to Shakespeare, to "players"--all good!--but in the process of creating that, some of the lively tension that typifies Cornwell's writing got mislaid. I certainly finished it--it's just fine--but if this were a series, I would not be waiting anxiously for the next installment...although I'd probably read it when I got around to it. Does that translate to three stars? Four?
As several people have noted, the first half of this book drags rather badly. Fortunately, however, the story then picks up and leads to a lively and entertaining ending. The descriptions and characters are terrific, and it would be great fun to have a sequel to continue the story. Readers should be at least a little fond of Shakespeare to best enjoy the novel.
I am a huge Bernard Cornwell fan. This was admittedly a departure from his norm. I was not a fan of this book. The eagerness to read on to the next page was there as the story evolved. And I learned quite a bit about Shakespearean times. But then the story went no where! -( It just got to a point and stopped. And, unlike his books in the archer series, the Saxon tales, and the Sharpe series, I feel no real compulsion to know what happens next. It was a disappointment although his storytelling ability is still alive and well.
Started slow and it was a bit difficult to get into the tale (perhaps I was expecting Saxon warlords to come charging out of the mist) but by the time i was thirty pages in I was mesmerized. For the first time I felt I knew Shakespeare as a person, not just as The Bard. Fascinating book about a fascinating period.
I don't even read historicals, but I am a thespian (or at least I used to be) and love Shakespeare, so I thought I'd try this one. I loved it! If you would like to be plunked into the middle of the players in those days and hear all about the staging of plays, including the debut of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and ROMEO AND JULIET, this book is for you. You should be a bit familiar with the plays in order to really enjoy it and chuckle. I was in MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM as a kindergarten kid, playing one of the nameless fairies, but I got to see the play over and over and I sort of imprinted on it.

The outward plot is Shakespeare's company being joined by his brother Richard. Richard did exist, but probably was not an actor who ran away to join William's company. Anyway, this was a romp that put you into the lives of the actors of the time and the playhouses and the world. I really enjoyed that. People who are used to "fast action" books and movies think it is "slow" to begin, but it is a normal book with setup of what happens later. Not slow at all if you consider it is not an action book, but the tale of how Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet were first staged and how other groups of players tried to steal your plays (and then they were out in the open for anyone.) I never realized the problems that could ensue if someone stole the only copies of your plays! And by mid-book, Richard gets to go rescue some plays and there is sword action and some of that bang-zoom stuff that modern readers love. Pretty cool.

Lately, I've been on a kick of reading Shakespeare-themed books. I had already read Gary Blackwood's cool YA novels, Shakespeare's Spy, The Shakespeare Stealer, and Shakespeare's Scribe. I really loved all of those. They are more at a YA level of detail, but perfectly enjoyable by grown-ups. I am not sure I qualify as a grown-up, but whatever. You could try those before diving into this one, which is considerably longer. Again, people who say it "drags" are not used to the way books used to be before action flicks and Netflix and first-person shooter games became the stuff you teethed on. The classics will be at about this pace.

If you enjoyed Shakespeare in Love, you are a fanchild and will like all these books. Recommended!
When I saw this book and Bernard Cornwell's name, I was perhaps a little surprised. I love Cornwell and have long considered him the best historical fiction writer available. But his work always is action-adventure and for the most part military. I value his concerns about historicity, accuracy, and authenticity. And I love Shakespeare. So the chance was worth it.

Bernard Cornwell does not need a battle or sailing saga to work his craft. He creates worthy characters - his Richard Shakespeare is as good as any other he's crafted - and meaningful plots against the rich background of real history.

The twists of plot here involve sibling rivalry versus the real rivalries of acting companies in Elizabethan London. The story moves and the characters grow.

I recommend this to anyone interested in Shakespeare or in the beginnings of the English theater.

If, on the other hand, a reader really needs flintlock firings, long sword slashing, long bow battles, or sea-born suspense, stick with Cornwell's other works. But this book is a wonder.