Monday, June 4, 2012

Dark Romance #5 ~ Christopher Moore's "Sacré Bleu"

Sacré Bleu et moi.
Y'all, in this brief study of dark romance I will shamelessly pimp the recent release of one of my favorite authors, Christopher Moore. Because I really think you should all pick up this New York Times Best Seller (#3!) tout de suite, this will be the first study I'll post sans spoilers (which pains me like you'd not believe, but damn it - it's for art!).

Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d'Art  is about the color blue. And Impressionism/Post-Impressionism. And lots of shagging.

There, I bet that last part got your attention. (It always gets mine.)

Specifically, it's a bit of whimsically comical weirdness which follows young baker/painter Lucien Lessard and his BFF Henri Toulouse-Lautrec as they bumble about late 19th century Paris in search of answers to various questions: did their buddy, Vincent van Gogh, really kill himself? Why did the love of Lucien's life disappear and then reappear, seemingly out of the blue (if you'll pardon the pun)? Why are so many other artists dying of "locomotor ataxia" (a 19th C. doctor's euphemism for syphilis)? And what's up with the mysterious (and creepily annoying) Colorman, who keeps pushing them to buy his ultramarine paint?

Well, I promised to avoid spoiler-land, so I'm damned if I'll tell you - you'll just have to buy this kooky exploration of art, love, inspiration, and madness to find out. (Click here to read the first few chapters.)

The dark romance of it all: for Lucien and his beloved Juliette to enjoy a happily-ever-after, they have to do some bad, bad things...like, the things which led to all of the mysteries Lucien sought to uncover in the first place. And that's the rub in this terrific tale - Moore writes so richly of Lucien's boyhood and quirky family life, of his aspirations and passions, that I desperately want things to end well for Lucien. Only, the price which must be paid for his happiness is steep. By the time I finished the book I found myself wondering if I would be able to resist sacrificing my principles for love. And shagging. (It's the shagging that really shakes my conviction.) (Oh, right; like it doesn't shake yours.)

Monsieur Moore, Barnes & Noble Union Square, April 18, 2012.
If you ever get the chance, get yourself to one of Chris' book-signings - you can't call it a reading, 'cause Author Guy don't read. Instead, he treats his fans to a bit of literary/pop-culturey stand-up and sometimes talks about the book he's just published. I'd also suggest you follow him on the Twitter (@TheAuthorGuy). But be warned - his tweets'll have you snorting cafe au lait out your nose on a regular basis, so invest in tissues.

20 comments:

  1. well it doesn't get better than that does it - lots of post impressionism, existential, blue period shagging etc. Off to a book shop, if I can find one still open. Although as an American you are obviously talking about the dance as opposed to the British use of the word in relation to gratuitious sex etc.

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    1. Sure! Dancing! (Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.) :-D

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    2. lol - well locomotor ataxia certainly sounds a bit more exotic and arty than um syphilis...

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  2. I haven't heard of this book, but it sounds interesting!

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  3. The book sounds interesting, and I love snorting coffee. Although my monitor isn't found of it. I'll check both out. :)

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  4. Christopher Moore is awesome. I have several of his books on my bookshelves. If you like him, have you ever read any of Tom Robbins' books? He's weird, quirky, deep, and hilarious.

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    1. The name definitely rings a bell...he's a Brit? Name one of his you really dig, so I can check it out?

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  5. Sounds intriguing, Mina. I'll have to check it out!

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    1. It's definitely worth checking out the (free!) chapters on the Sacre Bleu site (I linked it, above). :-)

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  6. This sounds awesome! I'm definitely checking it out.

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  7. I've never heard of the series. Sounds cool. Love the title Sacre Bleu too. Thx.

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    1. Me likey, too! Sacre Bleu's a single-title work; the "Dark Romance" series is a feature I started on my little bloggy-blog (though Chris Moore does have a formal trilogy, with vampires, and three books set in the same fictional town of Pine Cove, CA, which a shared cast of characters).

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  8. Shagging? I'm sold! hehehe. His book signing sound like a lot of fun.

    :)

    Andrea

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