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Fortune's Fool
Vintage hardcover
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 1922
13 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Rafael Sabatini
703 books541 followersRafael Sabatini (1875 - 1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages. By the time he was seventeen, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language - English - to his linguistic collection. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English. " In all, he produced thirty one novels, eight short story collections, six nonfiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play. He is best known for his world-wide bestsellers: The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Other famous works by Sabatini are The Lion's Skin (1911), The Strolling Saint (1913) and The Snare (1917).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 22, 2021
This is a great story of love and adventure, villainy and swashbuckling set in London with the threat of the plague and the Dutch looming. The story itself is good, but it was the description of the precautions set to stop the spread of the plague that caught my attention. Sabatini took pains to get historical details correct and comparing his description with modern day measures against Covid 19 were really interesting.
January 19, 2015
It's hardly my favorite Sabatini, but even an iffy book from him has a lot of good qualities. The heroine has some really great scenes. The plot could be tighter, and I found it harder to forgive the hero than his lady-love did. It was interesting to read a book centered on such a flawed character though.
September 16, 2025
This is a very entertaining and well-written historical adventure novel set in 17th century England. I enjoyed it.
[Spoilers about plot abound here. Skip ahead if you prefer.]
The story of a mercenary soldier with bad luck his whole life, it tells about a particularly tough period in the main character's life. Returning to England to try to find work, Randal Holles struggles to overcome forces arrayed against him. His father was a famous traitor, making his very name an enemy to luck. Old friends try to entice him to join their rebellion, and even though he doesn't take them up on it he becomes a known associate and at risk of arrest. One acquaintance with a title and pull tries to get him a position overseas, but a nobleman of higher rank forwards his own candidate instead, and he has almost no way forward. In addition to all this, the plague returns, gates are closed, and he has no way to get out of the city.
[Most critical spoiler. Jump down if you want to avoid it.] The biggest turn of bad luck is when another noble acquaintance--Lord Buckingham, a man who had been a boy when Holles saved him--offers him work, but it requires him to help kidnap an actress Buckingham has a fancy for. Holles refuses, but worsening circumstances eventually force him to do him this service, the worst thing he's ever done, over the objections of his pride and conscience. And the woman turns out to be his lost love, a girl from his youth, the woman he searched for and couldn't find.
[That's the end of the spoilers.]
The rest of the novel deals with Holles working through the consequences of his actions, and I feel like the author does a good job of showing us how he changes course, leading to a satisfying and reasonable ending.
Sabatini is, to me, like Sir Walter Scott translated to English a century nearer our own time, with a lot of the digressions and authorial intrusions cut out. I love Scott, but Sabatini writes something closer to the "good parts" version of Scott's historical adventure stories. This book is from 1923, but I feel like a new edition with a decent cover would get people in 2025 and beyond reading his books like they were new, because it reads very modern overall. IMO, obviously.
Good book. Lots of fun. I recommend it for people who enjoy historical adventure novels.
[Spoilers about plot abound here. Skip ahead if you prefer.]
The story of a mercenary soldier with bad luck his whole life, it tells about a particularly tough period in the main character's life. Returning to England to try to find work, Randal Holles struggles to overcome forces arrayed against him. His father was a famous traitor, making his very name an enemy to luck. Old friends try to entice him to join their rebellion, and even though he doesn't take them up on it he becomes a known associate and at risk of arrest. One acquaintance with a title and pull tries to get him a position overseas, but a nobleman of higher rank forwards his own candidate instead, and he has almost no way forward. In addition to all this, the plague returns, gates are closed, and he has no way to get out of the city.
[Most critical spoiler. Jump down if you want to avoid it.] The biggest turn of bad luck is when another noble acquaintance--Lord Buckingham, a man who had been a boy when Holles saved him--offers him work, but it requires him to help kidnap an actress Buckingham has a fancy for. Holles refuses, but worsening circumstances eventually force him to do him this service, the worst thing he's ever done, over the objections of his pride and conscience. And the woman turns out to be his lost love, a girl from his youth, the woman he searched for and couldn't find.
[That's the end of the spoilers.]
The rest of the novel deals with Holles working through the consequences of his actions, and I feel like the author does a good job of showing us how he changes course, leading to a satisfying and reasonable ending.
Sabatini is, to me, like Sir Walter Scott translated to English a century nearer our own time, with a lot of the digressions and authorial intrusions cut out. I love Scott, but Sabatini writes something closer to the "good parts" version of Scott's historical adventure stories. This book is from 1923, but I feel like a new edition with a decent cover would get people in 2025 and beyond reading his books like they were new, because it reads very modern overall. IMO, obviously.
Good book. Lots of fun. I recommend it for people who enjoy historical adventure novels.
May 6, 2021
One of Sabatini's best. For once, he's written a flawed hero, one who isn't calculating and scheming, but rather is, as the title says, a fool living at fortune's whim. It makes for a nice change. Throw in a more capable female lead and it's a winning combination. Sabatini's used his usual generous sprinkle of deus ex machina, and the plot does take a dark turn that I really wish it hadn't, but at the end of the day this book leaves a tear in my eye and a grin on my face - and that's what it's all about.
October 16, 2018
A flawed hero, a likeable heroine who was able to hold her own against the events around her, the danger of plague and survival for a Republican in the time of Restoration. The plot may not be as tight as for his better novels but this is enjoyable nevertheless
April 15, 2020
Read this years ago, but was just remembering it because it is set in England in the 1600s and deals with (among other things) the plague. Sabatini is really only secondary to Dumas in spinning a good swashbuckling yarn.
March 26, 2012
I loved it but, I always enjoy Sabatini. I especially enjoyed the heroine who was to hold her own against the Lord. The heroine is as good as the ones in Scarmouche and The Lion's Skin. One note I did get mixed up that there were two Lords which caused some confusion till I got that fact straight. Don't what to give anything away but, I especially like the plague part.
One factor that made the book so enjoyable was the hero's stubborn will to to keep trudging on even though it seemed pointless. I have felt a bit like that myself which is what make me such a Sabatinni fan.
One factor that made the book so enjoyable was the hero's stubborn will to to keep trudging on even though it seemed pointless. I have felt a bit like that myself which is what make me such a Sabatinni fan.
April 8, 2016
Good escapade set in London during 1665 Plague. Hero has much adversity - innkeeper wants to marry him at first, sinks low enough to abduct actress for Duke of Buckingham. She was his first love. He makes amends, nurses her through plague, no escape from London during the plague. Happy ending, good well written.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews