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  • Shakespeare for Squirrels

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Christopher Moore
  • Narrated by: Euan Morton
  • Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (47 ratings)

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Shakespeare for Squirrels

Written by: Christopher Moore
Narrated by: Euan Morton
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Publisher's Summary

Shakespeare meets Dashiell Hammett in this wildly entertaining murder mystery from New York Times best-selling author Christopher Moore - an uproarious, hardboiled take on the Bard’s most performed play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring Pocket, the hero of Fool and The Serpent of Venice, along with his sidekick, Drool, and pet monkey, Jeff.

Set adrift by his pirate crew, Pocket of Dog Snogging - last seen in The Serpent of Venice - washes up on the sun-bleached shores of Greece, where he hopes to dazzle the Duke with his comedic brilliance and become his trusted fool.

But the island is in turmoil. Egeus, the Duke’s minister, is furious that his daughter Hermia is determined to marry Demetrius, instead of Lysander, the man he has chosen for her. The Duke decrees that if, by the time of the wedding, Hermia still refuses to marry Lysander, she shall be executed...or consigned to a nunnery. Pocket, being Pocket, cannot help but point out that this decree is complete bollocks, and that the Duke is an egregious weasel for having even suggested it. 

Irritated by the fool’s impudence, the Duke orders his death. With the Duke’s guards in pursuit, Pocket makes a daring escape.He soon stumbles into the wooded realm of the fairy king Oberon, who, as luck would have it, IS short a fool. His jester Robin Goodfellow - the mischievous sprite better known as Puck - was found dead. Murdered. Oberon makes Pocket an offer he can’t refuse: he will make Pocket his fool and have his death sentence lifted if Pocket finds out who killed Robin Goodfellow. But as anyone who is even vaguely aware of the Bard’s most performed play ever will know, nearly every character has a motive for wanting the mischievous sprite dead.With too many suspects and too little time, Pocket must work his own kind of magic to find the truth, save his neck, and ensure that all ends well. 

A rollicking tale of love, magic, madness, and murder, Shakespeare for Squirrels is a Midsummer Night’s noir - a wicked and brilliantly funny good time conjured by the singular imagination of Christopher Moore. 

©2020 Christopher Moore (P)2020 HarperAudio

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What listeners say about Shakespeare for Squirrels

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting, but not his best.

Like throwing any Monty python movie in a room with Beevis & Butt-head.
It's funny for sure, but a bit repetitive in the jokes.
This is only my second Moore book (Lamb being my first) and I look forward to reading more of his work!

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Christopher Moore always delivers an awesome story

This was a wonderful addition to the Pocket saga. I am guardedly hopeful that Pocket has finally found a partner who can put up with his antics. Only sad that Drool wasn't more present; he is my favourite character.

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Love the Fool / Shakespeare books!

A fantastic adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and very very funny! As usual per Christopher Moore.

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  • 2020-09-07

Bloody brilliant!

Hilarious, witty and entertaining. Loved it and all the books in this series. Thank you!

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Loved it!

Christopher Moore is one of my favorite authors and he does not disappoint with his latest offering, and I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a witty, ribald and irreverent take on Shakespeare

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hilarious!

I've read every single other Moore book and this one definitely delivers! what a hilarious book!

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good

In this unique parody of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, many of the characters are immediately identifiable, and there are even some rhyming couplets included to make Shakespeare enthusiasts (like myself) feel right at home.

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A Cracking Good Tale of magic and mystery

Pocket's third adventure was great. Felt both familiar and mysterious, as we go through a classic story with a great twist.

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  • Thelighta
  • 2020-05-21

Pocket of dog sniffing

Lots of f bombs, so if that’s offensive probably not for you. I chuckled, giggled, rolled my eyes and laughed so hard I woke people up. Nothing like a good snog!

57 people found this helpful

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  • Jim SutherlandMoore
  • 2020-05-21

Hienous boredom most foul!

My fave author besides Tom Robbins and I feel cheated waiting so long for Moore’s next book and then being so disappointedUnfortunately it was a third installment of Pocket’s adventures. But besides the witty banter I grew tired of waiting for an actual plot and decided to exchange this book.

37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • R. Stearns
  • 2020-05-14

More than what I expected

Shakespeare for Squirrels is not just what I have come to expect and enjoy from a Christopher Moore novel, but it is a literary comedic marvel. Writers will enjoy the retelling and Easter eggs throughout of A Midsummer Night's Dream and non Shakespearean readers will fall gleefully into the mayhem of the forest as Pocket goes on an adventure like no other.
I found myself laughing and shouting along with this tale. Like other Moore novels this is a story that will stay with me. It is one that will be talked about with friends and librarians and students of English, but it is also one that I will happily read again.

23 people found this helpful

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  • KC
  • 2020-10-07

Christopher Moore and Evan Morton do it again

If vulgarity offends you... make an exception. The wit in these books is too good to miss. Honestly, I'm not usually one for "bawdy tales" myself but Christopher Moore weaves words and phrases so well, it makes the less sophisticated moments feel ironic and, at times, even cute. As to his apparent affinity for adding color to popular Shakespearian classics, I feel its an improvement... then again, I'd sooner buy a Mona Lisa if "updated" by a feminist graffiti/collage artist, so keep that grain of salt in mind before you take my opinion at face value.

10 people found this helpful

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  • Randall T Abernathy
  • 2020-07-02

Shakespeare Again?

Christopher Moore has written some of my all-time favorite stories. Lamb, a Dirty Job, The Stupidest Angel, and Fool were great books that I have read or listened to multiple times, but he's been struggling lately. This is the 3rd in the Pocket series and it is 2 too many. There are some laugh out loud bits in this book but the story is weak and it's just not that original. His obsession with the Orange Guy seems to have adversely affected his writing. Hopefully, this is just a mid-career lull and he'll start coming up with some of those great characters that we all loved and a good story in which they can live. All that being said, you have to recognize the talents of Euan Mortan. If not for his stellar performance, I would have returned this book.

10 people found this helpful

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  • Anne K
  • 2020-06-25

Terribly disappointed

I loved the previous Pocket books so pounced on this as soon as it came out. I kept waiting for a plot to kick in .... nope. It was just awful. Midsummer Night's Dream is hilarious but Moore managed to make even the funny bits plodding. The narrator had nothing to work with except some beautifully ripe language, which was all this book had to recommend it.

6 people found this helpful

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  • JGR
  • 2020-05-15

Heinous F***ery Most Foul

Despite it being painful to wait for this release I still read it on my tablet in a day and listened to the entire thing the next. I don’t think it would be possible to have a narrator that could do justice to Pocket so I was thrilled that, apparently, they just let Pocket read it. At least that is the way my head sorted it all out. When a character is truly loved it may be difficult for a narrator or actor to do justice to the written words. And I do love Pocket. In this case, the narrator (who is most certainly Pocket) nailed it.

I also love the cleverness of Moore and if you haven’t read him (what in the ****are you waiting for?) or if you don’t understand him (there are a good number of nit wits breathing with their mouths open and dragging their knuckles all about our pretty spinning marble) then it is difficult for a mere mortal to explain the magic that is Christopher Moore. It is insufficient to say this is well written or an excellent book. Just drink the Kool-Aid already and read on. You’ll either find it brilliant or you’ll find that your a nit wit.
***please forgive my ***. I feel like an a** typing them but as Puck, or Pocket, or someone said... I don’t want to offend.

6 people found this helpful

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  • Jim
  • 2020-05-13

Mastery! 🎭

Once again, Christopher Moore’s mastery with Pocket, Drool & Jeff (plus a cast of many new characters) is brilliantly brought to life by the mastery of Euan Morton’s performance!!! An urgent weave of storytelling (there’s a deadline) and mystery along with barmy bonkilation, restorative rituals & levers of power/persuasion! I would recommend listening to Fool & Serpent of Venice prior to Squirrels for Shakespeare). F*stockingly bloody brilliant! Off for another listen . . . Ta!

6 people found this helpful

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  • Dana
  • 2020-05-28

Good read -

I learned a thing or two about squirrels, fairies and the forest creatures. Not my favorite Christopher Moore. I did recommend I to friends.

4 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2020-10-04

Brilliant and hilarious satire from Chris Moore

Chris Moore never disappoints, or at least never so far. He is exactly what I need in these dark times. Irreverent, hilarious, and yet intelligent and literarily satisfying, This is the further adventures of Pocket the fool, first introduced in the novel Fool. This time it’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that is up for skewering, and it is done with all the author’s usual considerable skill with a turn of phrase. And the narrator is again just brilliant, so entertaining.

3 people found this helpful