Reviews

Fool On the Hill by Matt Ruff

jacket7227's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

abmgw's review against another edition

3.0

Was better when i read it for the first time.

ole_4's review against another edition

5.0

Ein wirklich wunderbares Buch. Es macht einfach so viel Spaß zu lesen, ist immer wieder herrlich lustig und fantasievoll, kann aber auch ernst werden. Es gibt sprechende Hunde und Katzen, unsichtbare Kobolde, und ein bisschen Magie. Alles auf einem gewöhnlich scheinenden Uni-Campus. Die Geschichte und die vielen Referenzen zu anderen Büchern mögen zwar manchmal etwas oberflächlich sein, aber es wird einfach nie langweilig.

kade_s's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

5.0

glecharles's review

adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I rarely reread books but Fool on the Hill is an old favorite; first read when I was 19 or 20, loved it, reread a couple of times in my 20s. Matt Ruff became a favorite author and I've read and enjoyed most of his subsequent novels.

I decided to reread Fool again (after enjoying Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow) and what a difference 30 years makes! I still love it and would still recommend it to aspiring writers, but it's definitely an artifact of the 80s, and definitely a first novel.

spiderman15's review against another edition

5.0

I was reminded so much of Tom Robbins' Jitterbug Perfume - which I adore - that I fell in love with this book almost instantly. I had only read Ruff's Lovecraft Country and, after reading this, I'll be devouring his other works. Isn't it great when you find another wonderful author (and a Manx named Blackjack)? 

_a_bookish_wonderland_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

katywhumpus's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this crazy book. A completely over the top fantasy version of college life in Ithaca, NY.

bookcmart's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Full of imagination, fun and adventure. 

gemmadee's review against another edition

5.0

Matt Ruff's first book. Reading it again now, it's not actually five star good, but I read it the summer after my freshman year in college and it has been one of my favorite books ever since. Ruff writes a lot like Tom Robbins, except a little lighter on the political and spiritual messages, and a little heavier on the three-dimensional characters you can actually care about. Oddly, the stories are also a little easier to believe in, despite the fact that he uses a lot of magical realism.