A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears by Jules Feiffer

A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears

Jules Feiffer

HarperCollins · Paperback · March 7, 1998

‘Prince Roger sets out eagerly on a quest and finds a few adventures, a lot of friends, a damsel or two in distress (not!) and himself, in the end.

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Who it’s for
A comic quest turns into a lesson in kindness, with absurdity never far away.
Themes
Personal growth, Peacemaking, Love
Genres
Funny Stories, Magic & Fantasy, Royalty & Princes

About this book

‘Prince Roger sets out eagerly on a quest and finds a few adventures, a lot of friends, a damsel or two in distress (not!) and himself, in the end. A ‘carrier of joy’ whose mere presence causes everyone to laugh uncontrollably, Roger finds cruelty and kindness equally amusing, and expects his quest to be a lark.

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It’s anything but: As Roger passes through the Forever Forest, nearly starves at the Dastardly Divide, sees people at their worst in the Valley of Vengeance, and temporarily despairs in the Mountains of Malice, he sobers up, learns to care for others, becomes an expert peacemaker, does Good Deeds, and falls in love with Lady Sadie, who says what she thinks as she repeatedly saves his bacon.’—K. ‘Feiffer’s worldly-wise, confiding tone and sense of the absurd are highly congenial, and the drawings are a vintage Feiffer delight.’—Publishers Weekly. 100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1995 (NY Public Library)

A Quest Unbuttoned

A comic quest turns into a lesson in kindness, with absurdity never far away.

Come here for

  • A joy-bringing hero meeting cruelty with laughter
  • Fairy-tale adventures with a sly sense of absurdity

Expect

  • A shift from carefree questing to care for others
  • Peacemaking, good deeds, and a heroine who speaks her mind

Where it sits

Magic & Fantasy89%
Funny Stories54%
Royalty & Princes38%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Art & Architecture
  • Boys & Men
  • Girls & Young Women
  • Ancient Civilizations
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Historical Europe
  • Medieval Tales
  • Historical Middle East
  • Funny Stories
Authors
Jules Feiffer
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
March 7, 1998
Format
Paperback
Theme
Personal growth · Peacemaking · Love
Reading lane
Art & Architecture