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Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d'Art

by Christopher Moore (Goodreads Author)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 10,702 ratings · 1,977 reviews

Absolutely nothing is sacred to Christopher Moore. The phenomenally popular New York Times-bestselling satirist, whom the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls “Stephen King with a whoopee cushion and a double-espresso imagination,” has already lampooned Shakespeare, San Francisco vampires, marine biologists, Death... even Jesus Christ and Santa Claus.

In his latest novel, th...more

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published April 3rd 2012 by HarperCollins

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Mar 16, 2013 Patrick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-would-blurb

Y'know, I could give a damn about painting. Van Gogh, Manet, Monet. I'm dimly aware of them, I know they're somehow culturally important, but I'm just not interested. It's not my cup of tea.

Similarly, I *really* don't give a damn about the lives of said painters in Paris in the 1800s. Just don't care.

It says a lot about Christopher Moore that he can write a book centering around these things, and with a slight splash of the fantastic make a story that holds my interest, engages my curiosity, a...more

89 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Kemper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, historical-fiction, humor, spooky-powers

Ever wonder why all those 19th century European painters were so batshit crazy? According to Christopher Moore it wasn’t just the absinthe, lead poisoning and/or syphilis.

Lucien Lessard is a talented painter who also makes a mean loaf of bread in his family’s bakery. One of Lucien’s best friends is another artist named Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec who doesn’t let his short stature stop him from drinking constantly while trying to sleep with every whore in Paris. Lucien and Henri are saddened by the...more Ever wonder why all those 19th century European painters were so batshit crazy? According to Christopher Moore it wasn’t just the absinthe, lead poisoning and/or syphilis.

Lucien Lessard is a talented painter who also makes a mean loaf of bread in his family’s bakery. One of Lucien’s best friends is another artist named Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec who doesn’t let his short stature stop him from drinking constantly while trying to sleep with every whore in Paris. Lucien and Henri are saddened by the news of the suicide of their friend Vincent van Gogh. Lucien’s world is rocked even more by the return of his old flame Juliette who vanished two years earlier.

Juliette wants to pick up where they left off and insists that Lucien do a nude painting of her, but unbeknownst to him, Juliette is actually a supernatural entity linked to a special shade of blue that she makes with a gnome-like paint supplier known only as the Colorman. Through the course of the book, we learn the long history of Juliette and the Colorman and discover that they’ve inspired and destroyed many an unsuspecting artist.

Moore’s created a historical fiction with a supernatural twist as he uses many real artists as characters. As you’d expect with Moore, it’s got plenty of bawdy humor with just enough heart to keep it from spinning off into complete absurd nonsense. All in all, it’s a fairly entertaining mix of history, fantasy, mystery, romance and humor.

However, this ended up in the second tier of Moore books for me, behind ones like Lamb or Fool. While there are plenty of laugh out loud lines, he didn’t hit the consistent tone of hilarity that he’s managed in his best work.

The structure is a bit of a puzzle because there’s so much time jumping done in the story. No only do we get many flashbacks to Juliette and the Colorman’s past, there’s also lots of inserts to Lucien’s past, and then there’s all the random trivia about the color blue in the art world. At the end, most of this has added up to a complete story, but for the first half of the book it felt like we were just kind of wandering around and looking for random bits of story to piece together.

Not bad, but not my favorite Christopher Moore. I think it might have been more entertaining if he had just written his version of the art scene at the time and left out the supernatural stuff because that part of it felt like the same kind of plot he’s delivered in his other books like Bloodsucking Fiends or Coyote Blue.(less)

50 likes · like · see review

Apr 27, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: art, historical-fiction, humor, 2012

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art is heavy on the blue and the art, but light on the comedy.

The book is set in the art scene of 19th century Paris, a fascinating time for the art world. Every artist of this era makes an appearance in Sacre Bleu, Mr. Moore did a ton of impressive research for this book.

The book begins with the end of Vincent Van Gogh’s troubled life, an apparent suicide by gunshot. But somehow Vincent gets himself to his doctor before his death for treatment, where he raves about the...more Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art is heavy on the blue and the art, but light on the comedy.

The book is set in the art scene of 19th century Paris, a fascinating time for the art world. Every artist of this era makes an appearance in Sacre Bleu, Mr. Moore did a ton of impressive research for this book.

The book begins with the end of Vincent Van Gogh’s troubled life, an apparent suicide by gunshot. But somehow Vincent gets himself to his doctor before his death for treatment, where he raves about the color blue. Lucien Lessard (fictional) a baker and aspiring painter and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (real artist, fictionalized) become detectives into Van Gogh’s death, because it is odd that he tried to save himself right after trying to off himself, no matter how crazy he’d become.

It turns out there is a pattern. They find that almost all of their fellow artists have at one point been obsessed with a model, or muse, to the point that they have lost time and paintings. This includes Lucien who’s obsession is Juliette and for Henri it’s a beautiful laundress with red hair, whom you will see in Henri Touluse-Lautrec’s actual paintings. These muses are more than just beautiful people, they are one supernatural being called Blue. Blue and The Colorman, a troll like creature, make ultra marine blue (sacred blue) through a ritual that involves an artists painting, love, pain and sacrifice. This can leave the artist mad, or even dead like Vincent.

Here are a couple of passages I loved.

“An artist cannot let madness stop him from making art; he simply has to channel it.”

And

“They are not whores as they would be if they took a step outside, or as they will be when they are called down stairs by the madam, but they are nothing else either. They are between. Not what they used to be and not what they’ve become.”

I feel “between” all the time.

A thought I had as I read this. I make my living as an artist (I am not even close to the level as the artists portrayed in this book) and I draw people from life on a daily basis. One of the comments I get all the time is “this (talent) must be a gift from God.” This is always said in the spirit of good will, and is meant only in the most complementary way, but it has always bugged the crap out of me. What I do has nothing to do with some magical being in the sky sticking his finger into my brain and flipping some switch. It’s genetic and hard work, not magic. Shoot, I’d rather be really good at something more lucrative, truth be told.

But this book makes art into magic, the magic of the color blue. I wonder if Christopher Moore was playing with the idea that most people (who can only draw stick figures) look upon those with talent as if they have some magic, or does he himself feel that way.

I am pleased he wrote this book about these artists, the impressionists, that's rare to find.
(less)

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Jan 10, 2013 Marvin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor

Sacre Bleu is a bit different than the usual Moore novel. While it can be hilarious and probably beats the record for the gratuitous use of the word "penis", it does not rise to the continuous hurts-to-laugh level as his Pine Cove books. I also think it is safe to say the novel is not the equal of Lamb or A Dirty Job but it is not minor Moore neither. Sacre Bleu is perhaps a more serious effort on his part. He clearly did a lot of research on the Impressionist artists of France in the late 19th...more Sacre Bleu is a bit different than the usual Moore novel. While it can be hilarious and probably beats the record for the gratuitous use of the word "penis", it does not rise to the continuous hurts-to-laugh level as his Pine Cove books. I also think it is safe to say the novel is not the equal of Lamb or A Dirty Job but it is not minor Moore neither. Sacre Bleu is perhaps a more serious effort on his part. He clearly did a lot of research on the Impressionist artists of France in the late 19th century and one can learn a great deal about this historical period in art from reading this book. I love Moore's use of illustrations of the various art works that are referenced in the book. There is also some excellent characterizations throughout, especially with the fictional baker/artist Lucien and his not so fictional friend Toulouse Lautrec. Pretty much every important artist and their models turn up in the book somewhere. The novel starts with the death of Vincent Van Gogh and then follows Lucien and Henri (Toulouse Lautrec)) as they question the conventional verdict of death by suicide. What follows is the nice blend of factual information with fantasy. I happen to know a lot about the Impressionists so I could easily follow and enjoy the author's playful manipulation of fact and fantasy. But I also suspect this may have turned off other readers who like their Moore books overflowing with slapstick humor. While reading this book, I wondered if the author is upping his game by going for a more epic type of tale...or perhaps he just made up a good idea and went with the flow. Either way, I found this is be quite entertaining and place it in the upper middle of Moore's already impressive repertoire. Three-an-a-half stars teetering into four star territory.

Update: (as of 1-10-13) I wrote this review in April of 2012 and, since then, I've been recommending this novel quite a lot to my friends. That and the fact that I can't get these characters out of my head causes me to move the ratings to four stars.(less)

21 likes · like · see review

May 11, 2012 Dani Peloquin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Let me get this out in the open first, I love Moore. I think he is hilarious and, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, ahead of his time. It is for these same reasons that I love the Impressionists. However, the coupling of these two together does not seem to work.

In this novel, Moore attempts to understand why van Gogh would attempt to kill himself and then walk a distance to seek a doctor. In order to get to the bottom of this, detectives Lucien Lessard Henri Toulouse-Lautrec take on the case....more

25 likes · like · see review

Jul 15, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are those who love Christopher Moore for his bizarre, irreverent wit. And there are those who love him for his ability to create portals into absurd realities, and his ability to make those absurd realities seem almost plausible. For the first group - this book is not for you. For the second set - you're gonna love it.

Moore really did his homework, when researching for this novel. My mother has a degree in Art History, and believe me, I've seen some things about all my favorite painters! (...more

17 likes · like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Skip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, humor

Give Moore top marks for creativity as he weaves a story around a muse who inspires the Impressionsists, with a young baker-painter and bon vivant Henri Toulouse-Lautrec as the main characters in a farcical romp. My favorite lines are an exchange between these two as they enter the Catacombs in Paris: T-L "it follows the streets as if on the surface" Lucien "Yes, but with fewer cafes, more corpses and it's dark, of course" T-L "Oh well then, we'll just pretend we're visiting London" :-)

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2012 JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, fiction, own, received_for_review, 3_stars, author_american, covers_i_like, read_in_2012, setting_france, gave_away

I have mostly been able to follow Christopher Moore into his craziness with success. He makes a joke and I laugh. It might be the weirdest thing ever (Humpback whales with "Bite Me" on their tails?), but I get it. But then there was Fool. And now there is Sacre Bleu.

I got so tired of having absolutely no freaking idea what on earth was going on. I mean, zero idea. You probably have a better idea what's going on than I did. Notice that I didn't write a synopsis? There's a reason.

Individual eleme...more I have mostly been able to follow Christopher Moore into his craziness with success. He makes a joke and I laugh. It might be the weirdest thing ever (Humpback whales with "Bite Me" on their tails?), but I get it. But then there was Fool. And now there is Sacre Bleu.

I got so tired of having absolutely no freaking idea what on earth was going on. I mean, zero idea. You probably have a better idea what's going on than I did. Notice that I didn't write a synopsis? There's a reason.

Individual elements worked well for me. I liked coming across all these painters and seeing them...misbehave. Especially Monet. I read a book about him once. I liked Lucien and Henri a lot. They had been left a little broken by the women in their lives, but they were still young painters (Or bakers. Or counts.) out on the town having a little fun. And sex. And alcohol.

Paris is always a good location to read about. I'm not sure how much I really want to go, but reading a book set in the city always has me ready to pack my bags. And then I think that I would stand out like a sore thumb in chic Paris. And I mentally unpack them again.

I loved that the ink of the book is blue and that so many prints of paintings were included. In color no less! I hate reading a book that talks about a real work of art and there's no print in the book. Call it laziness. It just seems like it should always be included.

I really appreciated that there is a section at the end explaining what is fact and what is fiction. I was a little surprised by what bits fell under which heading. I knew about van Gogh's ear. I did not know that he shot himself in the chest on purpose and then walked a mile to the doctor for help. That truly is some craziness.

But then there's the whole thrust (hee hee! Are you proud, Mr. Moore?) of the story that centers around The Colorman and Bleu. Who the hell are they and what the hell are they doing? I didn't know. I have a better idea now, but I'm still confused. Maybe my sense of humor is broken at the moment. Maybe my attention span is about as long as that of the hummingbirds that are starting to show back up at my house. But I just couldn't follow anything about them. And they really are the entire point of the story.

I have a feeling that if you liked Fool, you'll understand this better than I did, so go ahead and give it a try if you're interested.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy for review.

Cross-posted to my book blog, The Introverted Reader.(less)

7 likes · like · see review

May 12, 2012 Audrey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012_publish, art, audrey-s-2012-books

I need to start my review by describing what I brought to this book, and what was at stake for me as an individual reader. I studied art history in college; I have both a B.A. and an M.A. in art history. That is to say, I have a deep personal interest in art and the story behind its creation and place in history, but I don't think this really affected me much with this book, since I went in knowing it is fiction. I also have read Christopher Moore books in the past and enjoyed them. I do think t...more I need to start my review by describing what I brought to this book, and what was at stake for me as an individual reader. I studied art history in college; I have both a B.A. and an M.A. in art history. That is to say, I have a deep personal interest in art and the story behind its creation and place in history, but I don't think this really affected me much with this book, since I went in knowing it is fiction. I also have read Christopher Moore books in the past and enjoyed them. I do think this affected my reading of this book, mainly because I went in expecting to enjoy his writing style and humor.

Sacre Bleu was a tough read for me. It took me longer than usual to get through, mostly because I was often bored while reading. Moore has a humorous, irreverent style, but for me, the jokes in this book just weren't funny. It's a very dialog heavy book, but I felt like most of it was throw away dialog. The jokes are mainly having to do with some combination of bonking, shagging, and/or penis, and this kind of humor really ran thin pretty quickly. I wanted more substance behind the jokes, more wit. Instead, it was as if Moore had a post-it on his computer that said, "When in doubt, type 'penis'."

I thought the story itself had a lot of promise. The mystical source of ultramarine, the most expensive and dear of all colors, associated with the Virgin herself. A Colorman and Muse that transcend time to bring both inspiration and destruction to artists. There was a lot of potential there. I never felt the story delivered, though. It felt meandering, and kind of dull. After thinking about it for a while, I decided that this was the result of a combination of lack of character development and just too many things going on in the plot. I'd love to see another writer take on this story, to see what it could have been when delivered with more seriousness and exactitude.

One of the positive attributes of this book is the design. The physical volume is absolutely beautiful. I love the rich blue of the cover, and the design that integrates Toulouse-Lautrec and the Eiffel Tower. There are color illustrations of famous Impressionist paintings throughout the text, which relate back to the story. And the text of the pages itself is blue. Altogether, it's really nicely done and in the spirit of the story.

Sadly, Sacre Bleu is the weakest Christopher Moore book I've read. It lacked the spirit and true humor of his past writing, and struggled with character development and focus. I hope his next endeavor is more successful.(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Apr 13, 2012 Madeleine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: head-in-the-clouds-nose-in-a-book, our-libeary, mmxii

I used to know a lot about art.

Since my oh-so-understanding parents never saw the value in letting me take art lessons as a kid (but, gosh, did I ever learn a lot from five years of having softball forced on me, letmetellyousomething), my education was chock-full of all the art electives I could get my hands on. I even added a fine-arts minor to my collegiate studies, which really meant that I stuffed my five-pound schedule with ten pounds of art-history classes. As much as I love art and talkin...more I used to know a lot about art.

Since my oh-so-understanding parents never saw the value in letting me take art lessons as a kid (but, gosh, did I ever learn a lot from five years of having softball forced on me, letmetellyousomething), my education was chock-full of all the art electives I could get my hands on. I even added a fine-arts minor to my collegiate studies, which really meant that I stuffed my five-pound schedule with ten pounds of art-history classes. As much as I love art and talking about it, I don't have many opportunities to flex my art-education muscles nowadays, so I'd assumed that I'd forgotten a lot more than I'd retained.

But maybe I ought to give my memory more props because the art jokes that Christopher Moore liberally sprinkled throughout "Sacre Bleu" made one of my favorite author's newest offering even more hilarious than any story with an impressive body count has any right to be. Or maybe my rusty recall was beneficial in that I wasn't getting all offended by Moore's creative liberties? Either way, gems like "Hey, Whistler, how's you mother?" and a chapter titled "The Last Seurat" had me trying to hide my snorts of laughter, lest my coworkers wonder if my brand of crazy is as harmless as it appears.

One of my favorite things about Moore is his ability to combine lowbrow humor with high-level thinking. His novels are peppered with profanity and penises, which is understandably off-putting to people who don't embrace the joys of crassness as warmly as I do. His writing has gotten a little less zany and a little more focused (but no less original) over the years; the restraint and subtlety he exercised in books like "Lamb" and "Fool" is not unlike the approach he takes with this novel. There isn't an unnecessary detail to be found here: Every seemingly insignificant detail ties into something bigger later, every joke is either another art allusion or some well-camouflaged misdirection.

Moore respects his subjects when they have some real-life inspiration (be it reality itself or reality as it relates to the Shakespearean canon). In this case, it manifests itself with a pretty solid (if not well-researched) understanding of the 1890s art world and the parade of personalities populating it.

I just wish van Gogh was as much of a presence as the synopsis made it seem like he'd be. He was an interesting cat.

Bonus fun fact: This is the second book I've read this year that typo'd "pastries" into "pasties." Take from that what you will.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Debby Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

So why four instead of five stars? The resolution doesn't sit quite right with me. For me, the distinguishing difference btw CM and Hiaasen.
-----
Bravo. The violence done to history is well outweighed by the writing. (Angie, listening to it will work, but the book uses art as punctuation)

p 268: Sometimes, during the day, when there are no men here, and it's just the girls, they forget I'm (Henri Toulouse-Lautrec) here. They brush each other's hair, or whisper about times when they were young, or...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Algernon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, favorites

[9/10]
Blue is the sky, the sea, a god's eye, a devil's tail, a birth, a strangulation, a virgin's cloak, a monkey's ass. It's a butterfly, a bird, a spicy joke, the saddest song, the brightest day.
Blue is beauty, not truth.
Blue is glory and power, a wave, a particle, a vibration, a resonance, a spirit, a passion, a memory, a vanity, a metaphor, a dream.
Blue is a simile.
Blue, she is like a woman.

Yes it's true, this book is about the colour blue. And about a mystery woman called Bleu, and Juliet...more

11 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This was a fun read during the most busiest time of the year.

Between cooking, shopping, and hanging out with family and friends, oh yeah and work; I found the time to plow through this book.

This one read similar to Moore's previous novel FOOL, but instead of Shakespeare, it's about my most favorite time in Art History, The Impressionists. I could tell Moore did his homework on this one because it was a fine blend between real artists, their works, and a fun fictional mystery.

I must admit here...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Regine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Theoretically I should have fallen in love with this book. I love art. I love books. I really love 19th century French painters, I kill that category on Jeopardy. I also love Christopher Moore. So yes, this book should have got me straight through the heart.

Okay, the book was well researched. Yes Toulouse-Lautrec really was a womanizing, alcoholic dwarf, yes there really is a lot of mystery concerning Van Gogh's apparent suicide, and yes Gauguin did really have a thing for young Tahitian girls....more

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Feb 11, 2012 Eris rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are those who love Christopher Moore for his bizarre, irreverent and slicing wit. There are those who love him for his ability to create portals into absurd realities, and his ability to make those absurd realities seem almost plausible. For the first group - this book is not for you. For the second set - you're gonna love it.

There are slices of Moore's strange humor throughout, but this book leans more heavily towards a fusion of fantasy, historical fiction and satire. The tale begins wit...more

27 likes · like · see review

Jul 04, 2012 Carol Apple rated it 4 of 5 stars

I know it is out of fashion (by more than a century or so) to read a book for its moral and ability to edify one’s character. That would be very Victorian, which happens to coincide with the period in which the bulk on Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d’Art by Christopher Moore takes place; but Paris France in the community of Montmartre is definitely not Victoria’s England. But if I could draw a moral from this book it would be this: It’s not that art is sacred but if evoking the sanctity of art will get y...more I know it is out of fashion (by more than a century or so) to read a book for its moral and ability to edify one’s character. That would be very Victorian, which happens to coincide with the period in which the bulk on Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d’Art by Christopher Moore takes place; but Paris France in the community of Montmartre is definitely not Victoria’s England. But if I could draw a moral from this book it would be this: It’s not that art is sacred but if evoking the sanctity of art will get you what you want – sex, immortality, whatever – what the heck, use it. I don’t say this to dismiss the value of the novel but to say up front that I find its foundation a bit unsavory. Nevertheless, there is much to make Sacré Bleu well worth reading. The art history alone is fascinating and I love historical fiction that brings those static old pictures from history books to living breathing life.

The novel begins on July 29, 1890, the day Vincent van Gogh died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. History tells us that van Gogh shot himself in a cornfield and then walked a mile to the home of a doctor where he died. However, the gun was never found and some people have found it strange that van Gogh walked a mile to a doctor’s house with a gunshot wound to the abdomen – it’s not how you would expect a suicidal person to behave, leaving the incident wide open to suspicion and speculation.

In Sacré Bleu Moore takes full advantage of the mystery and offers an alternative and rather outlandish version: van Gogh does not shoot himself but is shot by a strange twisted little man who has been wandering the earth, accompanied by a beautiful woman, distributing or selling magical blue paint since the Stone Age. The supernatural nature of Moore’s explanation has the added credence that if it did happen this way it would be too bizarre for the historical record and we would probably be stuck with the suicide story. This strange character calls himself “The Colorman.” When someone asks his name he tells them “Colorman.” When they ask his first name he says “The.” Only the beautiful woman has a different name for him: “Poopstick” – and eventually we find out why.

To be honest, I am a little torn about whether I am really crazy about this book or not. It is certainly creative, witty, fast-paced, and entertaining. And because inspired me to research the impressionists more deeply, it was also educational. I love that the book is beautifully designed and includes color pictures of many of the referenced paintings. (The downloadable audio book comes with an Adobe .pdf file that has pictures of the paintings.) But the magic, the murder, the excessive sex, the bizarre farfetched plot line are not really my cup of tea. The conjoined desires to create art and have sex seem to be the main and only motivations of most of the characters to do what they do. I guess I ask a lot, but I prefer that at least the major characters in a novel to be a more emotionally revealed. The story features lots of snappy dialogue but we don’t really get inside the characters’ heads. But then, it’s not that sort of novel, and I suppose for the sort of novel it is, it is very good.

More about this book at: http://www.carolsnotes.net/2012/04/ar...(less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Foxthyme rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-general, humour, sf-f-spec-h

Vincent van Gogh, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Monet, Bazille, Renoir, Pissarro, and more are key characters in Sacre Blue. I can no longer think of these painters and the time they lived without bringing Moore's perspective along with. Through time these artists have been alive in their paintings, and now, via Moore, they are alive as themselves.

Lucien Lessard, aspiring artist from a family of bakers, begins each day taking a baguette to the head as his Maman tests for doneness of crust. She...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: humorous, literary-genre-fiction, fiction, best-books-of-the-year

"Sacre Bleu" is the best Tom Robbins novel since "Half-Asleep in Frog Pajamas." Of course, it was written by Christopher Moore, not Mr. Robbins.

If you are looking for a typical Moore laughfest like "You Suck" or "Fool", you might be disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised. "Sacre Bleu" is beautifully, carefully, and intelligently written. It's set in the late 19th Century, and follows some very real people (the Van Gogh Brothers, Monet, Manet) as they paint and live. The main characters are Luc...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Marnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sacre Bleu By Christopher Moore
4 Stars

First, I have to say that I love authors like Moore and Gaiman. They are so versatile. Every book I've read from both of these authors has been uniquely theirs, but oh so different from one book to the next. And that is what really draws me in. I am late in discovering and loving these authors but they have a lot more in store for me.

I have read three by Moore so far and have many more on my radar. The first of his that I read was Blood Sucking Fiends and h...more Sacre Bleu By Christopher Moore
4 Stars

First, I have to say that I love authors like Moore and Gaiman. They are so versatile. Every book I've read from both of these authors has been uniquely theirs, but oh so different from one book to the next. And that is what really draws me in. I am late in discovering and loving these authors but they have a lot more in store for me.

I have read three by Moore so far and have many more on my radar. The first of his that I read was Blood Sucking Fiends and have the rest of that series to go. Next was The Stupidest Angel which I found hilarious and that doesn't happen often for me.

Then we have all that is Sacre Bleu. I had to get this book last year on principle alone. It was a book with an awesome cover that I just had to get to see for myself. It had Impressionist paintings throughout and was written in Bleu type!! How can you resist that?? Type, page cut, unique layouts etc. are big draws for me. Other examples of my love of this sort of thing would be Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf where the page edges are a deep purple, Anne Rice's rough page cuts, which The Twelve Tribes of Hattie also has so that got points immediately, and The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx - amazingly put together book.

So, once I got past just enjoying the aesthetics of the book, I got down to actually reading it. I like this type of book from Moore and will now move Fool up on my list to enjoy more of this style.

Sacre Bleu involves the lives and dalliances of many of your well known Impressionist painters and their paintings which are also incorporated and interwoven within the story. Van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, Monet and the list goes on. I LOVE these painters so the historical aspect was awesome for me and seeing how Moore utilized the paintings themselves. Girl With A Watering Can painted by Renoir is my favorite painting period. I could stand for hours looking at the original in D.C. The story revolves mainly around Lucien who is a baker's son but has apprenticed and trained under famous painters. Who during the setting of the book are Master's but not quite what they are today. Lucien and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec start out wanting to know if their friend Van Gogh really shot himself in the middle of a corn field. That leads them to many discoveries about all of their painter friends and themselves and how their lives are more interwoven then they ever could believe. There is comedy, debauchery, and a little raunchiness thrown in for good Moore measure. Lucien is up against serious foes; Sacre Bleu and the Colorman are everywhere.

The reason this rated only a 4 from me would be that I really liked it but I didn't love it quite enough. I have picked this up twice. The first time I got about 100 pages in and it had to go back to the library so I let it go. I was intrigued with the story but not enough to fight for it per se. This tag prompted me to get it and try again. Moore's style is to throw things at you that you wouldn't expect and be truly unique, which is what he did in the beginning of this book. So much so that the supernatural aspect of the book was totally out of place for me at first to the point that is was jarring to me. However, with the second attempt as I got further in it all was perfectly sensible to me and the story and I enjoyed it immensely.

The historical aspect and research on Moore's part is wonderful. If you like history or art particularly Impressionist art then I encourage you to try this one out. This is one to obtain the actual book and hold it and marvel at it. If you must then at least get the ebook on a color device which is what I did this second go round. (less)

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Nov 30, 2012 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts, fantasy, fiction, humor-humorous

I feel a little blue right now. Not that of depression, but a glowing amethyst hue of fulfillment after having finished the delightfully humorous historical-fantasy crafted (or should I say painted) by Christopher Moore, his recent gift, Sacre Blue. His convoluted story follows the long existence of gnome-like hellion Colorman and his sidekick, a devilishly beautiful muse with the ability to shift time as she inspires, who together stalk artists in order to create a special blue material used in...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Krom999 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ironia senza tregua così come il ritmo. Incessante. Tanto da divorare la trama fitta e intricata in poco tempo. Irriverente e dissacrante storia di mistero amore e arte intorno ad un'ambientazione molto azzeccata, quella degli impressionisti a Parigi negli ultimi anni dell'ottocento.
Potrebbe essere il migliore di Moore, ma forse a pari merito con Biff. Decidete voi.

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Oct 07, 2012 Rachel C. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: art, supernatural, paris, pop-fic-scifi-fntsy

Sort of like a Thursday Next book, but with art instead of literature. Reading this book really made me want to hop a plane to Paris and spend a week solid in the museums. (Or even better - hop a time machine to 1890 and just hang out in Montmartre cafés.)

The parts I liked the best were the parts involving the real artists, as opposed to the stuff with Lucien, Bleu or the Colorman. But I guess that's what makes it a Christopher Moore book.

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Apr 07, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

I really wish there were half stars...because I'm more of a 3.5 on this one. It took me a while to get into it, and I'm glad it was a book club book for me because the obligation to finish it kept me from giving up and I would have missed out. Moore's voice is pretty hilarious and I was enamored by how he brought these painters to life. I had studied many of these artists for a French class project in high school, so that background helped me appreciate those details more than if I had come into...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Erin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-setting

I got this as an advance reader's copy and was really excited to start reading it because I have liked several of Moore's previous books. However, I just did not enjoy it. I did force myself to keep going until I'd read 100 pages, in case it got better, but it didn't. The story jumps around a lot, and I had a hard time following that, which was made more difficult by the fact that I don't particularly like any of the characters so far. Theoretically it's supposed to be about Vincent Van Gogh's d...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Nari (The Novel World) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, historical-fiction, fiction, paris-france

Longer than necessary, not laugh out of funny. Its not the best introduction to Moore's inappropriate and off-beat comedy and sarcasm, but it does highlight his way with words and the level of research he puts into his books. I studied art in college, the Impressionists are my favorite group of artists from France, so I really appreciated and loved the attention to detail Moore gave to the artwork. There is also the added bonus of colored prints of various art throughout the book.

http://thenove ...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Thais rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

La cosa che non mi piace dei romanzi di Moore è la presenza del soprannaturale. Voglio dire, la ricostruzione storica è vivida, i personaggi simpatici e ben costruiti, che bisogno c'è di infilarci ogni volta una trama talmente intricata che per l'85% del tempo il lettore non può capire nulla perché gli mancano quasi tutti gli elementi del mistero? Certo, alla fine vengono tirate tutte le fila, ma chissà quanti accenni ci si perde perché incomprensibili, nelle duecento pagine precedenti.
È un libr...more La cosa che non mi piace dei romanzi di Moore è la presenza del soprannaturale. Voglio dire, la ricostruzione storica è vivida, i personaggi simpatici e ben costruiti, che bisogno c'è di infilarci ogni volta una trama talmente intricata che per l'85% del tempo il lettore non può capire nulla perché gli mancano quasi tutti gli elementi del mistero? Certo, alla fine vengono tirate tutte le fila, ma chissà quanti accenni ci si perde perché incomprensibili, nelle duecento pagine precedenti.
È un libro piacevole, non dico di no. Tre o quattro volte ho anche riso di gusto, ma so che puoi fare di meglio, caro Chris. La ricostruzione di un gruppetto di celeberrimi pittori nella Parigi ottocentesca (per non parlare dei salti temporali in epoche precedenti) è molto ben riuscita e fa venire voglia di studiare meglio la storia dell'arte, e di andare a guardare tutti i quadri di cui si parla. A questo proposito, mentre lo leggete vi consiglio di fare riferimento all'ottimo sito
http://guide.sacrebleu.info/
che illustra tutti i quadri citati e che purtroppo io ho scoperto solo dopo aver letto più di metà libro.
Dicevo, la ricostruzione è notevole, vivace, spiritosa, e i pittori diventano magicamente umani sotto la penna di Moore: perché cacciarsi sempre in queste trame complicate con magie, misteriosi incantesimi, apparizioni e così via?
Detto questo, il romanzo si fa leggere e riesce anche ad appassionare a tratti, ma nel complesso mi ha lasciata tiepidina. Peccato, perché un libro che ti fa venire voglia di andare a vedere una mostra e di perderti nei quadri di Van Gogh, di cercare quelli di Toulouse-Lautrec, di immaginare le storie dietro quelli di Monet, di approfondire lo studio di Pissarro, avrebbe tutti i numeri per diventare un'ottima lettura.
Ma a mio avviso Moore si perde un po' per strada. Peccato, Chris, ora mi prendo una pausa e poi ci riprovo con un altro dei tuoi libri, anche se ormai con la consapevolezza che il mio adorato Biff non tornerà mai più. (less)

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Apr 02, 2013 John Goode rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are times the mystery is so much better than the solution. The question far outshines the question. In my opinion this is only fault with this book.

It starts off incredible, the first 100 pages or so I was transfixed. Moore seems to be writing on a whole other level here, and it is so much better than his normal stuff. But it is not the writing that fails here it is the actual plot. Though weaving 19th century Paris culture with famous painters flawlessly, the only problem I had was with t...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Diana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: really-liked

I confess, I’m having a rough time lately and suffice it to say: I needed Moore. Fortunately for me, he published Sacre Bleu. (Thanks, Chris.)

I don’t know why I’m attracted to Christopher Moore’s books. His humor is often 3rd grade. His hapless male characters’ relationships to women are cute and clever little power struggles. I’m not usually a fan of cute, clever little power struggles. The friendships between his male characters? Strong and 3rd grade too, at least from my point of view.

Yet, I...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Marjorie Hakala marked it as unfinished · review of another edition

I didn't finish this book.

1) The humor is mildly funny at best, offensively lazy at worst. It's fine to write bawdy humor; it's also fine to write a book in English that takes place in France, and have all the dialogue sound completely unrelated to how those conversations would go in French. But Sacre Bleu's frenetic overuse of the word "bonking" did both these things in such a tone-deaf, uncreative manner that I couldn't look past it.

2) The story makes no sense. I am willing to concede that it...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Ricki Treleaven rated it 5 of 5 stars

This week I read Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore. If you love French Impressionists, you will enjoy this book!

Sacre Bleu is about the color blue....the same ultramarine blue used on the Virgin Mary's cloak. The Church dictated in the thirteenth century that the Virgin Mary's cloak would always be depicted using "sacred blue." This ultramarine blue was made from lapis lazuli from the deepest mountains of Afghanistan; it was rarer and more expensive than gold.

So imagine a world where a demented, h...more This week I read Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore. If you love French Impressionists, you will enjoy this book!

Sacre Bleu is about the color blue....the same ultramarine blue used on the Virgin Mary's cloak. The Church dictated in the thirteenth century that the Virgin Mary's cloak would always be depicted using "sacred blue." This ultramarine blue was made from lapis lazuli from the deepest mountains of Afghanistan; it was rarer and more expensive than gold.

So imagine a world where a demented, hunchback wee man has cornered the world's supply of this ultramarine, sacred blue. Imagine that "The Colorman" might have shot Van Gogh over his use of Sacre Bleu. And what if the models (muses) from the world's greatest masterpieces were in reality one woman. Yep that's right....a real muse.

The novel's protagonist is fictitious painter Lucien Lessard. He lives on Montmartre with his family, and works as a baker. They feed many of the starving impressionists, and Lucien has tutored under Renoir and Pissarro. His best friend is the novel's other wee man, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. When Lessard finds Juliette, his muse, he is heart-broken when she mysteriously disappears. Three years later she returns bearing the Colorman's ultramarine, and Lucien paints his masterpiece: a nude portrait of Juliette. When Lucien and Henri begin solving mysteries involving time travel, lost time, so-called suicides and missing paintings, the one constant is the Colorman and his ultramarine blue.

I enjoyed Moore's stories surrounding the paintings in the book: They truly added to the story. I also love Moore's witty dialogue. I was laughing out loud during most of the book! An example is this exchange between Henri and Lucien while they are in the catacombs beneath Paris:

Toulouse-Lautrec unfolded the map until he had revealed the seventh level below the city, then looked to Lucien. "It follows the streets as if on the surface."
"Yes, but with fewer cafes, more corpses, and it's dark, of course."
"Oh, well then, we'll just pretend we're visiting London."
Sacre Bleu, pp. 344 - 345

I don't like some of the adult language (way too many f-bombs). Why do male authors do this? :/
(less)

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About Christopher Moore

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Christopher Moore (born 1957 in Toledo, Ohio) is an American writer of absurdist fiction. He grew up in Mansfield, OH, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.

Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters...more

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Quotes from Sacre Blue

“Enchantment and seduction were fine means of persuasion, but when time is short, an awkward but quick concussion could better serve a girl's purpose.” — 8 people liked it

“Whistler,' Manet called. 'How's your mother?” — 8 people liked it

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