What do you think?
The Shame of Motley
The Court of Pesaro has a certain fool ? one Lazzaro Biancomonte of Biancomonte. 'The Shame of Motley' is Lazzaro’s story, presented with all the vivid colour and dramatic characterisation that has become Sabatini’s hallmark.
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1908
About the author
Rafael Sabatini
836 books563 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).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 24, 2022
Clothes make the man or: Narry a swash gets buckled
As an off and on reader of the prolific Raphael Sabatini, this outing-The Shame of Motley: being the memoir of certain transactions in the life of Lazzaro Biancomonte, of Biancomonte, sometime fool of the court of Pesaro was a let down. Our protagonist is the only child of a once noble house that was literally un-housed by the machinations of the lord of Pesaro. His quest is to restore his House (capital H) and bring down that of Pesaro. Instead, he finds himself wearing the motley of that same establishment. Sabatini is reliable family friendly and there is not that much violence .
Motley refers to the costume and everyday wear of the house fool, or jester. About ever 3 pages we will be reminded that Lazzaro is wearing motley, that for a man of his high-born blood it is a great shame but that the exigencies of the situation leave him little choice.
In the opening pages of the book he has just completed a mission that has him in Rome finishing a secret mission that leaves him in good stead with the man on the rise: Cesare Borgia. His hope, to find a soldiers position with the House of Borgia is immediately squashed. Instead, he is giving a new assignment, again secret and again in his despised motley.
The book follows many of the conventions of this kind of romance. He meets and immediately falls for the then very young daughter of another House. He saves her several times, only to be disregarded because he is a fool and not noble.
Several years pass, in fact a lot of this book is time passing.
While the reader whiles away time, Sabatini introduces an interesting variation on the romance in Cyrano de Bergerac. style Our hero must help his enemy pitch woo to Lazzaro’s love interests of the moment. You remember her- she already jilted him, but he still loves her, if for now only as a friend. Sorry if this sound kind Junior High School. It is, but still kind of endearing.
While there is a tad of sword play and knocking of heads, mostly the fool wins by being wiser than his many foes. In fact, Lazarro may be the only nice guy, baring the rare helpful servant, in the book. The twist here is that there will be much waiting for the cavalry, in the form of the aforesaid Cesare Borgia and his armed retinue to arrive. Why is this a twist? CB as his friends would never call him, is also something of a bad boy.
Over all a light read as is the case for most books by Sabatini. Maybe a fair to decent summer read, of the old school variety. Just not the author at his hero, sword drawn, swinging from the rafters, as played by Errol Flynn, best.
As an off and on reader of the prolific Raphael Sabatini, this outing-The Shame of Motley: being the memoir of certain transactions in the life of Lazzaro Biancomonte, of Biancomonte, sometime fool of the court of Pesaro was a let down. Our protagonist is the only child of a once noble house that was literally un-housed by the machinations of the lord of Pesaro. His quest is to restore his House (capital H) and bring down that of Pesaro. Instead, he finds himself wearing the motley of that same establishment. Sabatini is reliable family friendly and there is not that much violence .
Motley refers to the costume and everyday wear of the house fool, or jester. About ever 3 pages we will be reminded that Lazzaro is wearing motley, that for a man of his high-born blood it is a great shame but that the exigencies of the situation leave him little choice.
In the opening pages of the book he has just completed a mission that has him in Rome finishing a secret mission that leaves him in good stead with the man on the rise: Cesare Borgia. His hope, to find a soldiers position with the House of Borgia is immediately squashed. Instead, he is giving a new assignment, again secret and again in his despised motley.
The book follows many of the conventions of this kind of romance. He meets and immediately falls for the then very young daughter of another House. He saves her several times, only to be disregarded because he is a fool and not noble.
Several years pass, in fact a lot of this book is time passing.
While the reader whiles away time, Sabatini introduces an interesting variation on the romance in Cyrano de Bergerac. style Our hero must help his enemy pitch woo to Lazzaro’s love interests of the moment. You remember her- she already jilted him, but he still loves her, if for now only as a friend. Sorry if this sound kind Junior High School. It is, but still kind of endearing.
While there is a tad of sword play and knocking of heads, mostly the fool wins by being wiser than his many foes. In fact, Lazarro may be the only nice guy, baring the rare helpful servant, in the book. The twist here is that there will be much waiting for the cavalry, in the form of the aforesaid Cesare Borgia and his armed retinue to arrive. Why is this a twist? CB as his friends would never call him, is also something of a bad boy.
Over all a light read as is the case for most books by Sabatini. Maybe a fair to decent summer read, of the old school variety. Just not the author at his hero, sword drawn, swinging from the rafters, as played by Errol Flynn, best.
August 9, 2017
This is Sabatini’s sixth novel. It takes place in the late 1690s in Italy. Cesare Borgia is aligning his forces to take over the country.
Our protagonist is Lazzaro Biancomonte. However he is known throughout the country as Boccardo, a court jester of refined wit and expostulations. The costume that he wears, including the little bells ot the ends of his headgear, is the motley he despises. The Lord of Pesaro, Giovanni Sforza has taken his land and home from Lazzaro leaving him with few choices other than to don the motley so that he can send his widowed mother the funds to keep her from starvation. Lazzaro detests Sforza. Sforza has directed that a relative be brought to live within the palace. This young woman, fresh from a convent, is innocent and of exceeding beauty and Sforza’s design is to marry her.
Through happenstance, Lazzaro travels a great distance with her and quickly falls in love with her. But she is out of his reach as he is a court jester and she is a member of a rich and powerful family.
This is the setup for this swashbuckler. There is less swordplay than most of Sabatini’s novels, but this is a rich and elegant story of historical romance that is top drawer.
Our protagonist is Lazzaro Biancomonte. However he is known throughout the country as Boccardo, a court jester of refined wit and expostulations. The costume that he wears, including the little bells ot the ends of his headgear, is the motley he despises. The Lord of Pesaro, Giovanni Sforza has taken his land and home from Lazzaro leaving him with few choices other than to don the motley so that he can send his widowed mother the funds to keep her from starvation. Lazzaro detests Sforza. Sforza has directed that a relative be brought to live within the palace. This young woman, fresh from a convent, is innocent and of exceeding beauty and Sforza’s design is to marry her.
Through happenstance, Lazzaro travels a great distance with her and quickly falls in love with her. But she is out of his reach as he is a court jester and she is a member of a rich and powerful family.
This is the setup for this swashbuckler. There is less swordplay than most of Sabatini’s novels, but this is a rich and elegant story of historical romance that is top drawer.
October 23, 2010
This book might have been fun if the narrator, who is also the main character, wasn't so insufferably full of himself. He is a young nobleman - nicknamed Boccadoro due to his quick wit to the displays of which the readers are treated quite scrupulously - who lost his inheritance and status, and nearly his life, and is forced by his enemy, the tyrant of Pesaro, to serve him as a court jester. Luckily enough, after being driven out of Pesaro, he is employed as a secret messenger by no one else than Cesare Borgia, and entrusted with a mission to return to Pesaro with letters to Lucrezia Borgia, who is the wife of the tyrant. On his way Boccadoro meets the beautiful Paola di Santafior fleeing from one of the Borgias, and falls in love with her.
From this point, everything is much or less predictable, which wouldn't be that much of a problem if not for the narcissism of the main character, a complete lack of humor, and inconsistence in portraying all the other characters, especially the villains. Those who hate the hero, seem to cling to him for no apparent reason, and despite their anger cannot bring themselves to get rid of him and his irritating antics. The lower classes don't exist. The historical details are few and far between. The author and the hero are united in their fawning over Cesare, who was an interesting historical figure, but also clearly a psychopath. I'm all for revisionism, but come on, it could be done in a more subtle way.
From this point, everything is much or less predictable, which wouldn't be that much of a problem if not for the narcissism of the main character, a complete lack of humor, and inconsistence in portraying all the other characters, especially the villains. Those who hate the hero, seem to cling to him for no apparent reason, and despite their anger cannot bring themselves to get rid of him and his irritating antics. The lower classes don't exist. The historical details are few and far between. The author and the hero are united in their fawning over Cesare, who was an interesting historical figure, but also clearly a psychopath. I'm all for revisionism, but come on, it could be done in a more subtle way.
April 3, 2013
"no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt.
My major problem with book was I couldn't warm up to the hero Lazzaro. The hero allows his enemies to make him feel inferior which is quite unlike a Sabtini hero. Even as slaves Peter Blood and Oliver fought against their fates. Lazzaro's thoughts go like this:
"Fate was against me. I had fallen too low to ever rise again, and no dreams indulged in a sunset hour, and inspired perhaps, by a child who was beautiful as one of the saints of God, would ever come to be realized by poor Boccardo."
I had also trouble understanding Lazzaro's reasoning in helping the vilian fool the heroine. The heroine bought Lazzaro's excuse but, I couldn't. Lazzaro pales in comparsion to the noble Randal (Fortune's Fool) who does wrong out of despearation but, then also makes up for it.
PS There is also a shocking sequence that came out of no where because there had been no hint that the story was going to get so grim. Unwind had a equeally shocking moment but the tone of the novel clue you in that it could happen.
My major problem with book was I couldn't warm up to the hero Lazzaro. The hero allows his enemies to make him feel inferior which is quite unlike a Sabtini hero. Even as slaves Peter Blood and Oliver fought against their fates. Lazzaro's thoughts go like this:
"Fate was against me. I had fallen too low to ever rise again, and no dreams indulged in a sunset hour, and inspired perhaps, by a child who was beautiful as one of the saints of God, would ever come to be realized by poor Boccardo."
I had also trouble understanding Lazzaro's reasoning in helping the vilian fool the heroine. The heroine bought Lazzaro's excuse but, I couldn't. Lazzaro pales in comparsion to the noble Randal (Fortune's Fool) who does wrong out of despearation but, then also makes up for it.
PS There is also a shocking sequence that came out of no where because there had been no hint that the story was going to get so grim. Unwind had a equeally shocking moment but the tone of the novel clue you in that it could happen.
August 18, 2026
Love me some Sabatini! Danger, romance, honour, villainy.
I listened to the LibriVox edition by Amy from New Zealand (KiwiReader24). It was well read; she didn't get in the way of the story.
I listened to the LibriVox edition by Amy from New Zealand (KiwiReader24). It was well read; she didn't get in the way of the story.
December 19, 2016
Es una lectura entretenida, que cuenta una historia de estilo caballerezco ubicada en un ambiente italiano.
Las historias son más que inverosímiles pero que logran atrapar al lector pensando en la belleza de la protagonistas (Madonna Paola).
Cada peripecia del protagonista es resuelta más por la fortuna, que por las propias habilidades, cosa que por momentos resulta monótono.
Las historias son más que inverosímiles pero que logran atrapar al lector pensando en la belleza de la protagonistas (Madonna Paola).
Cada peripecia del protagonista es resuelta más por la fortuna, que por las propias habilidades, cosa que por momentos resulta monótono.
October 8, 2015
The Shame of Motley is a swashbuckler romance first published in 1908, set in Italy at the turn of the 16th/17th century. The main character, Lazzaro Biancomonte, is of noble birth but now reduced to the role of a court fool. His redemption comes in his part in an adventure involving the Madonna Paola, with whom he becomes besotted. This is fine, my only issue with this is that she is so stupid at times that it beggars belief, but then again love is blind isn’t it? This great plus in my eyes is featuring Cesare Borgia as a good guy, that is just amazing. A really enjoyable swashbuckler in the end, fans of Sabatini will be impressed.
May 6, 2011
Sabatini rarely fails to please with adventure, romance, humor and history. The Shame of Motley is not as good at Captain Blood, Scaramouche or The Sea Hawk, but it's a fun story with plenty of tension and action. I'm surprised it wasn't made into a movie. While not his best work, it lends itself to interpretation and improvement in adapting to the big screen.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews