This is probably the most fun I've ever had from a hospital bed.

Not me in a hospital bed, mind you, but the character in the book. He has a lot of time for self-reflection. He runs with a weird little poem his dead father had left him that refers to a King Clown that subtly but inexorably changes how he sees his life.

This isn't a story of grief. It's about perception. And for what it's worth, I'm sure a lot of people would get a lot of interesting insights out of it.

Send in the clowns! ( )

You gotta love Adam Stern as he is quite the character When his dad died, he left his children a box that contained a bit of poetry about clowns! Adam is an alcoholic who drinks and drives until a accident puts him in the hospital where he groups the people he meets into clown categories, and he often hits the mark! Sometimes I wonder WHICH category he would label me. what would you choose for yourself if you were Adam? ( )

This book rambles on way too much. I enjoy Mark's books but this didnt cut it for me. ( )

Life is definitely a circus, and as author Mark Lages says: "It wouldn't be a circus without the clowns.". His book "King Clown" is the story of Adam Stern, an architect in his mid-sixties who is recovering from pneumonia and reflecting upon the strange legacy left to him by his late father: four odd items in a shoe box. The contents would appear to be a random collection--an old brass button from a military uniform, a feather from a seagull, a pocketknife from the 1962 World's Fair, and a copy of a quirky poem called "The Parade". The poem tells of clowns. all kinds of clowns, preceded by a marching band and rolling through a town in a hectic comic tumble, all leading up to the appearance of "King Clown. Adam finds the poem interesting, but puzzling--what message was his father trying to send? By the time you have reached the age of sixty, you have met many clowns, and you yourself have been a clown too many times (I should know). As Adam reflects upon his life and tries to discern the meaning of the shoe box and its contents, enlightenment begins to trickle through. Author Mark Lages has a unique storytelling presence, and his writing is a breath of fresh air to puff you out of your comfort reading zone. As I sit here writing this review in my oversized suspender pants and great big floppy shoes, I realize that Mark Lages has perfectly captured the essence of my favorite self-quote: "If you laugh, you'll live." Yep--that's what it's really all about.

Book Copy Gratis Author ( )