Stolen from Gypsies

by Noble Smith

Stolen From Gypsies is a Shakespeare-meets-Monty Python historical comedy by award winning playwright Noble Smith. A bedridden English lord narrates a magical tale to his story-loving servanta tale involving a kidnapped Gypsy babe, a tongue-tied accountant, a rich merchant, the merchant's ravishing daughter; magicians, spells, contracts in blood; pirates, rubes, fops, purloined estates; demons, transformations, duels, carnal temptations, imprisonment and redemption. It is illustrated with twenty beautiful pen and ink drawings. A fascinating glossary of words and personages from the era is also included.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor

279 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

I am an award winning playwright, documentary producer, and former Franchise Narrative Director of the Xbox video game series Age of Empires.

My latest novel Draxinger is a paranormal spy-thriller set during The Great War and available as a Kindle exclusive.

My nonfiction book The Wisdom of the Shire is published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, and has been translated into 8 languages. Kirkus Reviews praised it as "A life-affirming, must-have morsel for Tolkien's colossal fan base."

My historical fiction action/adventure The Nikias of Plataea Trilogy is published by Macmillan. NYT bestselling authors Michael and Kathleen Gear described it as having "Terrific action, with a wickedly brilliant plot, visceral combat, and nail-biting treachery."

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bawdy, kicky little fantasy.

This is another "boy meets stranger, sells his soul to Satan (kind of), and then gets away with his soul *and* the girl" story.

It's almost like a parody: a dirty, bawdy, naughty parody of a fairy tale.



The narrator in the story is a hypochondriac British nobleman who escapes his family & England and is in Italy. He's obsessed with gypsies and after hearing a story about gypsies from a traveller, he decides to write down the story. He then starts to tell the story to his servant. The main story is broken away from several times as nobleman and servant go off on different tangents.

The story being told is about a physically warped man named Godfrey who meets a magician (a demon, actually) and sells his soul to look like a gorgeous Gypsy man with a gorgeous Gypsy voice. We find out that this demon actually stole the looks and voice from Godfrey and then sold it back to him for his soul later. Godfrey does this all to try to win the love of his adopted father's daughter. The downside is that every time she looks at Godfrey, he turns back into a his former twisted visage, unable to speak coherently. The tale has the father dying in a great sea storm, the father's half-brother as a greedy, witless man, a dispicable suiter for Godfrey's love, a wicked demon-ness, and a bevy of servants.

Framing (and interrupting) this novel is also the story of the nobleman telling it, his life in Tuscany, the treatments he endures, his half-wit servant Antonio and Napoleon as the boogeyman that the nobleman fears above all else.

As Godfrey conquers the demon's attempts to entrap his soul and learns to flower, so does the nobleman, who by the end of the book, has given up his illnesses, seized the day and is running off to India with his servant and his cook, turned fiancee.



The story is decent and is kicky-fun, but is mercifully short (after a while the jokes and humor start to wear thin, if the author didn't wrap it up quickly, it wouldn't have been as good). I have to admit, I think a stereotypical teenage boy would enjoy the story more, with its "potty humor." Don't get me wrong, I love a fun and silly story, and I enjoy a good dirty joke, but there was something in this book that was just lacking. So it gets an "ok" from me. It's not terrible in the least, the plot is good, the research into the history surrounding the story (and the glossary) is solid, the writing just fell a wee bit flat for me.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful, funny, entertaining romp with wonderful use of language and characters you won't soon forget. I've read it more than once and enjoy it each time. It's both serious and silly, would make a great film and deserves many more readers than it's had to date. I think it's best read out loud to get full benefit. The Blackstone Audio book is highly recommended if you are too lazy to read it aloud yourself. Frederick Davidson is a consummate actor/book reader who really gets this tale and brings it totally to life.

I expect that when Smith's new book Wisdom of the Shire is published that Stolen From Gypsies will be rediscovered. Highly recommend.

[Bayneeta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too convoluted and farcical for my tastes. Ribald in the way of the earliest English novels. Shades of Tom Jones, Shakespeare's comedic plots, and The Princess Bride. For me the only laugh-out-loud moment came when the narrator of the audio suggested that if I'd enjoyed this book I might like to try Erma Bombeck.

[Renae Laneer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The vocabulary used is why books are important.

[Aloha4Ever · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 A mix between an Arabian Nights story and Monty Pythonesque hijinks, with bawdy humor sprinkled liberally. Witty word-play adds to the fun of the narrative. Enjoyable, with some reservations at the occasional crass joke.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

silly adventure that is not unlike *the princess bride* only with more colorful language. fun glossary in the back to explain terms and provide historical narrative. a book to read if you enjoy elizabethan swear words (google it if you are clueless).

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable, lighthearted, endlessly witty entertainment, sharp as the sword of the podesta's pasty and villainous son.

[BowbytheBay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vocabulary great and story very humorous. A little hard to keep track of the characters in the story and the characters in the story within the story, but maybe it's just me. Highly recommend.

[Kristie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was eh. Most of the time it reminded me of he hunchback of notre dame. Ending was predictable too.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in a day, seriously, I couldn't stop laughing. It was like Mel Brooks got on cahoots with Eric Idle. Ridiculously silly, bawdy, entertaining to the last.

[Honeycarmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this this book on MP3. It was hilarious!!! I kept bursting out with laughter.

[H.L. Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, laugh-out-loud tale in the style of The Princess Bride. A story within a story, memorable, outrageous characters, most useful glossary of terms that serves to enhance the plot!