Review of Fool by Christopher Moore

It's Monty Python meets William Shakespeare in Fool, a novel by Christopher Moore (Harper Collins 2009).  Moore retells the story of Shakespeare's King Lear from the perspective of Lear's court Fool, Pocket.  In doing so, Moore takes certain liberties with the plot, making the erstwhile insignificant Fool into a scheming behind-the-scenes political conspiratorial starter of wars and maker of kings.

The narrative style chosen by the American-born Moore is filled with amusing pseudo-British slang and spoof in addition to over-the-top lewdness bordering on outright pornography.  Shakespeare would have had a good laugh, though, I am sure--he was equally bawdy if much more subtle and witty.  Moore also mixes in some hilarious anachronisms and parts of the plots of other Shakespeare plays.

If you chose to read Fool, do not skip the informative Author's Note at the end entitled "You Cheeky Git."  There is some fascinating reading there about the history of King "Leir" (as the name was historically spelled) and the anachronisms to be found in the Shakespeare version of the story.  The Note also may make some readers feel better about the happy (well, happier) ending of the Moore version, as apparently there are other extant versions of the Lear/Leir story that share that particular plot point.

Review of The Tempest by William Shakespeare

I recently had the displeasure of reading a previously undiscovered (for me) Shakespeare play that was, to be charitable, subpar for the Bard (The Winter’s Tale, see my review http://stevesofgrass.blogspot.com/2016/03/review-of-winters-tale-by-william.html).  So, it was with a healthy bit of skepticism that I picked up yet another previously undiscovered (again, for me) Shakespeare play, The Tempest.  My edition was published by the Folger Shakespeare Library, edited by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine.

While not a complete stinker like The Winter’s Tale, I still found The Tempest disappointing--certainly not Shakespeare’s best effort.  The main character, the betrayed and exiled Duke cum sorcerer Prospero, is the main source of this disappointment (all plays-on-words intended).  Shakespeare could not seem to make up his mind about Prospero’s motivation or basic character, and the play really does suffer as a result.

Prospero does not hesitate to use his own beloved daughter to the furtherance of his vengeance, even though it causes her psychological torment--this does not do much to make him loveable.  Using his magical powers, he enslaves an innocent island native, Caliban (an anagram cannibal--well, almost), as well as an innocent spirit and makes them do his bidding--the former hard labor, the latter paranormal pranks against his enemies.  This makes him unlikeable, even despicable, despite any sympathy for his unjust betrayal and banishment.

There might have been a chance for Prospero to become a sympathetic anti-hero or even a likeable villain, but then, bafflingly, Shakespeare has Prospero abandon all of his revenge schemes, forgive his betrayers, allow plotting assassins to go unpunished, and tops this off by having him marry his daughter literally to the first man she meets.  Pick a side, Shakespeare! 

Anyway, if you have a chance to see this one, it might not be worth your time.  I’m not sure it would have been worth my time to read it, but for my son having to read it for a college lit course.

Review of Melting the Ice King by Gerard Sarnat

I published a review of Melting the Ice King by Gerard Sarnat in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review today http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-editors-review-of-melting-ice-king.html.  I enjoy reading and reviewing modern poetry collections.  All I ask for is an autographed copy of the collection.  I do not promise a favorable review, but do not publish unfavorable ones.

Review of The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

Until now, I had never before read The Winter's Tale or seen it enacted.  As a lover of Shakespeare, picking up The Winter's Tale was like discovering a previously unpublished book by a favorite author.  How thrilled I was as I glossed over the introduction in my Folger Shakespeare Library edition and plunged into the play!  In my gloss over of the intro, I learned that the story is an adaptation for the stage of a novel, Pandosto the Triumph of Time by Robert Greene (1592).  What an honor for Mr. Greene, thought I.

(I would say "spoiler alert" at this point were not The Winter's Tale already spoiled to begin with.  After reading this review, I doubt anyone will want to waste his time reading the play.  However, if you must, as my son had to do for an English lit class, you may want to stop reading here).

The play begins with King Leontes of Sicilia confiding in his servant Camillo that he suspects that his best friend King Polixenes of Bohemia has impregnated Leontes' wife, Queen Hermione.  I greedily turned the page in anticipation of the beginning of an interesting investigation ala Hamlet.

Alas, there was to be no investigation, no communion with ghosts, no play-within-play.  No.  Instead, Leontes orders Camillo to poison Polixenes.  Camillo informs Polixenes and escapes to Bohemia with him.  Leontes sees this as further proof of Hermione's guilt and imprisons her.  In a nod to the gods, he orders two servants to travel to Delphi to consult the oracle.  This painfully predictable, boring, and spoon-fed plot takes two entire snooze-festival acts!

In Act III, Leontes ignores the oracle that exonerates Hermione.  Predictably, Hermione dies in childbirth and, learning of this, Leontes' son dies of grief.  The baby, a girl, is declared a bastard by Leontes and sent to Bohemia to be abandoned in the wilds.  Predictably, the girl, Perdita (lost one) is found by shepherds and saved.

In Act IV, Father Time introduces a sixteen-year time skip and reminds the reader that King Polixenes has a son, as though a reminder were needed.  Guess who falls in love with whom and must run away to Sicilia?  Ho hum.

Having put up with all this disappointment, I was at least somewhat looking forward to the inevitable resolution in Act V.  The prodigal daughter returns!  The prodigal best friend returns!  What a scene this will make!  Nope!  The whole reunion--the best part of the plot--takes place off stage and is related to the hapless reader second hand through the conversation of three unnamed court gentlemen.

Then, in a final barf, Perdita et al go to the garden to pay homage to her wronged and deceased mother.  There, a just completed statue of Hermione awaits.  Much is made of the skill of the sculptor, how life-life the statue is, how the artist made the statue appear sixteen years older than the subject was at her untimely death.  Cheesily (and creepily), the statue comes to life to make the ending extra happy and extra sappy.

Predicable, boring, hackneyed, melodramatic, and poorly scripted, The Winter's Tale will be a big disappointment to anyone familiar with Shakespeare's more well-known works.  And heaven preserve the unfortunate reader for whom the Tale serves as an introduction to the otherwise great Bard.

Review of Superfood Swap by Dawn Jackson Blatner

One of my favorite things to do is to snuggle up on the couch with my wife and/or children and/or dog and munch away on a heaping bowl of high-fat snacks while watching a weight loss reality program on television.  The irony is just too delicious.

Recently, in the aforesaid manner, I watched My Diet Is Better Than Yours on ABC.  The winner, a plucky young lady with about 100 pounds to lose, followed the Superfood Swap diet.  The diet really sang to me.  So, when my wife ordered the complete starter kit, Superfood Swap by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, I decided to read it.  It is more of a magazine than a book and about fifty pages in length.

Blatner boils down (pun intended) her weight loss program into three steps, which one is required to go through before preparing every meal.  

Step one is to ask oneself, "What do I need?"  Last night, the answer was, "I need a cheesy pizza."

Step two is "balance."  One tries to envision the coming meal as made up of 50% vegetables with a little healthy fat or dressing, 25% protein, and 25% whole grain/high fiber carbohydrates.  One must also remember portion sizes.  I envisioned a small cheesy pizza with no meat toppings.

Step three is the "swap."  Blatner stresses avoiding C.R.A.P., which I prefer to think of as P.A.R.C.:  preservatives, additives, refined sugar and starch, and chemicals.  I envisioned a bunch of little "pizzas" that I would create using high fiber English muffins for the crust; a chunky, low-fat tomato sauce kicked up with some dried oregano and drizzle of olive oil; and two or three low-fat mozzarella balls per crust.

I ate five of my little "pizzas" and did not gain weight!  On days that I make better swaps, I have lost weight--ten pounds in my first two weeks so far!  Another twenty-five pounds of loss will cut my risk for diabetes in half.  Take that, diabetes!

One fascinating aspect of Blatner's advice is that she admits that exercise plays just about no role at all in weight loss.  She cites "tough love" statistics that show that thirty minutes of exercise six times a week--about two to two and half more hours of exercise than I usually do--is good for disease prevention only.  Exercise "only" that much, and you will continue to gain weight.  That is depressing!  Double that amount of exercise to maintain a weight loss, and triple--yes, triple--that amount of exercise to get a slight "weight loss boost."

It is too early for me to recommend Superfood Swap definitively, but I appear to be disappearing at a good pace so far.  One word of caution--the book is ridiculously overpriced at $69.00 (my wife wisely did not tell me the price beforehand or you would not be reading this review).  The book may be purchased at www.DawnJacksonBlatner.com.  However, I would advise waiting until the price goes down before doing so.