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Simon the Jester
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1910
3 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
William John Locke
305 books9 followersWilliam John Locke was a British novelist, dramatist and playwright, best known for his short stories. His works have been made into 24 motion pictures, the most recent of which was Ladies in Lavender, filmed in 2004 and starring Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. Probably the most famous of Locke's books adapted to the screen was the 1918 Pickford Film Corporation production of Stella Maris starring Mary Pickford. In addition, four of his books were made into Broadway plays, two of which Locke wrote and were produced by Charles Frohman.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 26, 2014
When Simon de Gex, wealthy and successful MP, finds he has six months to live, he embarks on a quest for "eumoiriety".
In the words of Marcus Aurelius, " Let death surprise me when or where it will, I may be eumoiros, or a happy man, nevertheless. For he is a happy man who in his lifetime dealeth unto himself a happy lot and portion...in good desires, good actions."
So in the matter of a few months, Simon disposes of his wealth in handouts, charities, in hefty tips etc. After all, what good is money when you're six feet under? If Simon can "fix " the universal woes by dipping into his pockets then by all means live, laugh and be eumoirous!
But doctors can be wrong, one can meddle where one is not desired, and what does one do when there is a return from the grave but its a return to a bleak world? No money. No society friends. No real skills. No desire? It is a quest for eumoiriety all over again. But this time, perhaps this time, Simon returns a wiser man...
I really liked this. What Ive summarized seems pretty straightforward and tame, but there are a lot of twists and turns along the way and interesting characters to spice things up. There's Lola the lion tamer, an eccentric dwarf "Mr. Anastasius Papadopoulos"; Simon's young friend Dale, and Eleanor Faversham, Simon's finance, about whom he admits:
"There seemed a whimsical attraction in the idea of marrying a girl with a thousand virtues. Before me lay the pleasant prospect of reducing them, say, ten at a time, until I reached the limit at which life was possible, and then one by one until life became entertaining."
CONTENT: G
PROFANITY : A few D's
In the words of Marcus Aurelius, " Let death surprise me when or where it will, I may be eumoiros, or a happy man, nevertheless. For he is a happy man who in his lifetime dealeth unto himself a happy lot and portion...in good desires, good actions."
So in the matter of a few months, Simon disposes of his wealth in handouts, charities, in hefty tips etc. After all, what good is money when you're six feet under? If Simon can "fix " the universal woes by dipping into his pockets then by all means live, laugh and be eumoirous!
But doctors can be wrong, one can meddle where one is not desired, and what does one do when there is a return from the grave but its a return to a bleak world? No money. No society friends. No real skills. No desire? It is a quest for eumoiriety all over again. But this time, perhaps this time, Simon returns a wiser man...
I really liked this. What Ive summarized seems pretty straightforward and tame, but there are a lot of twists and turns along the way and interesting characters to spice things up. There's Lola the lion tamer, an eccentric dwarf "Mr. Anastasius Papadopoulos"; Simon's young friend Dale, and Eleanor Faversham, Simon's finance, about whom he admits:
"There seemed a whimsical attraction in the idea of marrying a girl with a thousand virtues. Before me lay the pleasant prospect of reducing them, say, ten at a time, until I reached the limit at which life was possible, and then one by one until life became entertaining."
CONTENT: G
PROFANITY : A few D's
March 22, 2015
Why did this title put me off?
I think it was because I kept picturing a clown, and I don't like clowns. But, folks, rest easy. There are no clowns here, although we do have a retired horse trainer who worked with a circus, and her name is Lola. We also have her dear friend, a midget, no less, with a parcel of cats in tow. While that's all very amusing, Simon himself is the most humorous, he laughs at life in general and generally takes every situation as a joke. Except when his friend Dale makes the mistake of falling in love with this circus performer, Lola.
That's really when the story takes off, Simon feels he must save Dale from himself, set the world at rights, free his fiancée and truly live, all within six months. He has it all planed out. Every I is doted and every T is dashed, but he figured without the cat-like Lola, and without his former Fiancée, Eleanor, the lady of a thousand virtues. Really this book has two Heroines. Maybe I did think Eleanor a bit on the angelic side, a little too perfect but none the less likable, and yes, Lola is magnificent, (looks and cat/horse training skills), but both were remarkably human. That is what I loved about this book. The characters are people.
In fact, Simon is now one of my all time favorite narrators, he made you fit your opinion to his, even when he was a bit odd ball.
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I recommend to you this delicious book? We have a story that is bound please in Simon the Jester. I admit I was skeptical, a former politician with six months to live? A little upstart named Dale who has the misfortune of falling in love with an unsuitable circus performer? A fiancée of a thousand virtues? Sounds rather deadly to me. But it all went wonderfully together. It has even made it to my Top-2014-Reads. That is how much I enjoyed it.
G One murder, (well, two if you count animals) not shown. A few mild swears and nothing else.
I hope my review makes some sense, later I will come back and touch it up.
I think it was because I kept picturing a clown, and I don't like clowns. But, folks, rest easy. There are no clowns here, although we do have a retired horse trainer who worked with a circus, and her name is Lola. We also have her dear friend, a midget, no less, with a parcel of cats in tow. While that's all very amusing, Simon himself is the most humorous, he laughs at life in general and generally takes every situation as a joke. Except when his friend Dale makes the mistake of falling in love with this circus performer, Lola.
That's really when the story takes off, Simon feels he must save Dale from himself, set the world at rights, free his fiancée and truly live, all within six months. He has it all planed out. Every I is doted and every T is dashed, but he figured without the cat-like Lola, and without his former Fiancée, Eleanor, the lady of a thousand virtues. Really this book has two Heroines. Maybe I did think Eleanor a bit on the angelic side, a little too perfect but none the less likable, and yes, Lola is magnificent, (looks and cat/horse training skills), but both were remarkably human. That is what I loved about this book. The characters are people.
In fact, Simon is now one of my all time favorite narrators, he made you fit your opinion to his, even when he was a bit odd ball.
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I recommend to you this delicious book? We have a story that is bound please in Simon the Jester. I admit I was skeptical, a former politician with six months to live? A little upstart named Dale who has the misfortune of falling in love with an unsuitable circus performer? A fiancée of a thousand virtues? Sounds rather deadly to me. But it all went wonderfully together. It has even made it to my Top-2014-Reads. That is how much I enjoyed it.
G One murder, (well, two if you count animals) not shown. A few mild swears and nothing else.
I hope my review makes some sense, later I will come back and touch it up.
February 10, 2017
An excellent read. Simon is a sceptic humorist, who laughs at the world, thinks he has everything, and that life has no meaning, but when he has nothing, he finds that life is more serious than he first thought.
The style is rather in the vein of H. Ryder Haggard's Quatermain books, first person autobiographical, with a dash of Dickens and Edgar Rice Burroughs thrown in to flavor the characters.
The style is rather in the vein of H. Ryder Haggard's Quatermain books, first person autobiographical, with a dash of Dickens and Edgar Rice Burroughs thrown in to flavor the characters.
February 3, 2018
The Jest is in the Jester
Great, fun read. I was totally lost starting out but by the climax, all was revealed. Twists and turns abound. The reader really doesn’t know where they will end up. It’s an entertaining roller coaster of forbidden love, , murder, insanity, and career changes.
Great, fun read. I was totally lost starting out but by the climax, all was revealed. Twists and turns abound. The reader really doesn’t know where they will end up. It’s an entertaining roller coaster of forbidden love, , murder, insanity, and career changes.
July 13, 2021
There are some ire ties to resent past world happenings that make the book so believable. The tragedies that people face and how they adapt to deal with their losses.
February 27, 2015
I read this just a little at a time, and as a result didn't get into the story as much as I might have otherwise, but it was pretty good. Simon de Gex has been informed that he will probably die within the next six months, so he determines to chuck his political career and do some good deeds while he still can. This mainly takes the form of trying to separate his friend from a woman reputed to be a gold-digger seductress. This proves possible, but complicated. The novel veers between farce and seriousness, but I think that's probably just a reflection of the main character's frame of mind: he is upset about a lot of things in his life, but tries to carry it off lightly. The most unusual events have to do with Anastasius Papadopoulos, a midget cat trainer with a few screws loose. While he provides lots of humor, he (and later his cats) also precipitate the dramatic confrontations of the story.
March 11, 2015
This is an eccentric book. It is a first-person narrative where we follow the life and thoughts of Simon, a wealthy British politician who is diagnosed with a fatal illness. It is not gloomy, on the contrary, the first half where the hero expects to die in six months, is very amusing. Simon meets Lola, a horse-trainer performer, presently without occupation and a Greek dwarf named Anastasius Papadopoulos, moves from London to Algiers and back, all these in search of "eumoiriety", a Greek word for good fate. I will not reveal his fate but I will say that the second half of the book was the reason that I removed one star.
May 25, 2015
Simon de Gex M.P. has been diagnosed with a terminal illness (that he has conveniently forgotten the name of) and at best has just six more months to live. He decides to use his time left to give away all his money, resign from his job and meddle in other people's lives under the mistaken belief it is for their own good.
But miracle of miracles, Simon encounters a doctor who knows how to cure him. He's going to live! Of course by now he's broke, unemployed, and alienated from society. The only thing left to keep him warm is his extensive vocabulary.
Seriously, this novel gave my ebook dictionary a workout, and even then sometimes Merriam-Webster was just plain stumped.
But miracle of miracles, Simon encounters a doctor who knows how to cure him. He's going to live! Of course by now he's broke, unemployed, and alienated from society. The only thing left to keep him warm is his extensive vocabulary.
Seriously, this novel gave my ebook dictionary a workout, and even then sometimes Merriam-Webster was just plain stumped.
April 29, 2014
Must a man think he is dying to really go out and experience life? This is the dilemma that is lived by the main character Simon. Simon is a popular and up-and-coming Member of Parliament when a doctor turns his life upside with a fatal diagnosis.
Simon sets about 'fixing' life for his friend and ends up wrecking havoc upon everyone around him.
The story is a journey through the emotions surrounding mortality and Simon's quest to 'put things right' before he dies.
I really enjoyed this story.
Simon sets about 'fixing' life for his friend and ends up wrecking havoc upon everyone around him.
The story is a journey through the emotions surrounding mortality and Simon's quest to 'put things right' before he dies.
I really enjoyed this story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews