Holy Fools by Joanne Harris

Author: Joanne Harris
ISBN: 0-552-77001-9
Genre: Fiction
Pages:383
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Black Swan


"Set in seventeenth-century France against a backdrop of witch trials, regicide and religious frenzy, this is the story of Juliette, one-time actress and rope-dancer. Forced by circumstance to seek refuge with Fleur, her young daughter, in the remote abbey of Sainte Marie-de-la-Mer, Juliette reinvents herself as Soeur Auguste under the tutelage of the kindly Abbess. But times are changing: the murder of Henri IV becomes the catalyst for massive upheaval in France. A new appointment is made, and Juliette's new life begins to unravel. For the new Abbess is Isabelle, the eleven-year-old child of a corrupt, noble family. Worse, Isabelle has brought with her a ghost from Juliette's past, masquerading as a cleric, a man she has every reason to fear..."

Being a Joanne Harris fan, I was really looking forward to reading this book. One of the things I like in her books is she writes about paganism. She is my most favourite author of pagan fiction. However, this is not one of my favourite books.

I liked the main character Juliette, I felt for her at times and was enjoying her story. I felt like I could connect with her and visualise what was going on around her. I really liked her.

Lemerle, I didn't connect with. I found his part in the story interesting and wanted to read more, but he didn't 'grab' me.

The abby with the other Nuns, I didn't really feel I could connect with. I found this part of the story hard to get into.

Basically the story is set in the seventeenth century when witch trials were taking place. Juliette who is part of a traveling circus, is forced to take cover in an Abby with her daughter Fleur. Lemerle a man, from her past turns up and he takes Fleur away from her mother. Juliette's struggle to get her daughter back begins.

I'm glad I read this book, there were times I felt it was boring in places and hard to get into, and so I didn't feel like carrying on with it. But, there was something there that made me want to pick the book up to find out more. So I kept with it.

So to sum it up, it was an OK read. Not one of my favourites. One that will sit on my shelf till I read it again. I sort of feel like this is the sort of book I'd enjoy more the second time around.