Purchased this jewel the day it came out...Those Twihards ain't got nothing on nothing on me...I pitched a tent in front of Books A Million, put on my ugliest sweats and beanie hat, and tinkled in an orange juice container for...Oh, I don't know...20 minutes...:) Anyways, this is another fine piece of work from the WAY overrated *Totally kidding* Christopher Moore...This is not a laugh a minute like most of his novels but a book that will actually teach you while entertaining you...I'm not big into art but after reading and learning of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec I had to research more...Lautrec plays a prominent role in the novel and he is hilarious...I have a feeling that he would have been much like Moore portrayed him in real life...The research that Moore put into this work of fiction is amazing...Well worth picking it up and giving it a good read...Like another reader has stated I am now in a slump waiting for Moore to release another book...Too bad the guy has to sleep and eat and stuff...He should write 24/7 with breaks only to use the facilities...:)

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While this novel is NOT one of the laugh-a-minute books that I've come to epxect from Christopher Moore, it is indeed a work of art.

With a smattering of historical facts interwined expertly with an imagined place in time, Sacre Bleu takes you deep into the world of the artists (and bakers, and hookers (oh my!)) of Paris in the late 1800s. It will open your eyes to a new way of viewing the masterpieces when next you walk into the local Art Museum.

Also, it has some very funny parts... I mean come on, it's Christopher Moore. He's often funny by accident. It can't be helped.

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I've read several of Moore's novels. They're always fun romps through various subject matter and usually include elements of the supernatural or other somewhat astonishing events. In SACRE BLEU, Moore takes us into the world of late 19th century art and sets his story in the Paris of 1890 (and other time periods) where artists such as Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro, and others are working to hone their craft.

From Kirkus reviews:
"The story surrounds the mysterious suicide of Vincent van Gogh, who famously shot himself in a French wheat field only to walk a mile to a doctor's house. The mystery, which is slowly but cleverly revealed through the course of the book, is blue: specifically the exclusive ultramarine pigment that accents pictures created by the likes of Michelangelo and van Gogh. To find the origin of the hue, Moore brings on Lucien Lessard, a baker, aspiring artist and lover of Juliette, the brunette beauty who breaks his heart. After van Gogh's death, Lucien joins up with the diminutive force of nature Henri Toulouse-Lautrec to track down the inspiration behind the Sacré Bleu. In the shadows, lurking for centuries, is a perverse paint dealer dubbed The Colorman, who tempts the world's great artists with his unique hues and a mysterious female companion who brings revelationâand often syphilis (it is Moore, after all). Into the palette, Moore throws a dizzying array of characters, all expertly portrayed, from the oft-drunk âlittle gentlemanâ to a host of artists including Ãdouard Manet, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and Pierre-Auguste Renoir."

I really enjoyed this journey into the art world that I really knew little about. As usual, Moore's story was full of humor and very over-the-top situations. He provided a lot of history along the way including various stories about the impressionists of the times as well as information about how various colors were derived through history including the rare and costly Sacré Bleu. The novel also included many reproductions of artists' works which added to the overall story. I'll be looking forward to reading more by Moore!

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