This book is just beautiful -- physically beautiful, and I'm sorry that anyone who reads this in paperback will likely miss the experience. Sacre Bleu is a novel about the color blue, and the text is printed entirely in blue ink. The Paris setting is reflected in the antique map of the city that's used as endpaper.


Best of all, are the paintings; because Sacre Bleu is a story about art, and you can't tell a story about art without artists. The plot weaves through the lives of real-life artists: Renoir, Manet, Pissarro, Toulouse-Lautrec... When the characters talk about a painting, there's a full-color reproduction right in the book. The way that each real work of art is tied in to the novel's plot adds to the immersive atmosphere. I especially liked seeing Berthe Morisot as a character here. (Just for reasons, I have a special attachment to her.)


Sacre Bleu is somewhat different from Christopher Moore's previous books, less silly and more heartfelt. I like it. (Though don't worry, he still makes plenty of penis jokes.) ( )

Christopher Moore has an uncanny way of taking a serious topic and turning it into an hilarious work of fiction. Sacre Bleu is another excellent example of this . This time around Moore tackles why many of the worlds greatest artists have suffered from varying degrees of mental instability . Well, in Moore's typical bawdy fashion, it turns out that the very same muse that inspires their artistic genius, also drives them to the depths of despair. The genius in this novel is that such a serious topic can be so incredibly funny. I can't help but wonder what the muse behind Moore must be like. She must be fascinating ! ( )

While I enjoyed the art history tidbits in the novel, I don't think this was his best. ( )

Just not into it. ( )

[b:Sacre Bleu|7743117|Sacre Bleu|Christopher Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1326422106s/7743117.jpg|17836362] by [a:Christopher Moore|16218|Christopher Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1200095788p2/16218.jpg] is a wonderful comedy/mystery set in the artist's community of late 1800's Paris. Lucien Lessard and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec work to uncover the mysterious Colorman, a twisted little man who is inexplicably proud of a certain shade of blue he sells, and of his ability to frighten housekeepers with his penis. This is an entertaining book containing equal amounts of humor and mystery mixed together with a blend of some wonderful personalities. The dialog is often quite funny, and the mystery is blended with hints of a supernatural danger. All together this makes for a very fun tour of world of Paris' artists. ( )