Official Review: Bitching Bits of Bone by Dr Norman Mounter

[katiesquilts]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Bitching Bits of Bone" by Dr Norman Mounter.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Bitching Bits of Bones is one of the funniest and most crude books I have ever read. While completely fictional, it takes the reader behind the scenes of The Canterbury Tales and details the reasons behind Geoffrey Chaucer’s pilgrimage to Canterbury. Bitching Bits of Bones introduces many of the characters that appear in Chaucer’s works, as well as the situations that prompted him to write what is arguably his greatest masterpiece. (Hint: In this version, it involves a drunken brawl and a pushy Pardoner.)

I’ll be honest here. I’ve never read the full Canterbury Tales. It was never required for school, and I never had much interest in poetry to begin with. Satire, however, is right up my alley. Historical satire is a personal favorite of mine, and Dr. Mounter definitely delivered. Each chapter is quite short and focuses on a specific person or story, much like the original Canterbury Tales. Unlike The Canterbury Tales, however, Bitching Bits of Bones focuses on the dark, dirty, greedy side of human life. All of the priests are itchy from the diseases they caught after buying whores, the nuns are living the high life, and the rest of the characters fart. A lot. The title is a catchphrase, found at least once in every chapter and usually used to curse someone out. I’m honestly considering using it myself, though it’s a bit of a mouthful.

I personally loved the layout of the book and thought that the use of the catchphrase was quite clever. I looked forward to each new chapter and honestly couldn’t put the book down at some points. The characters were quirky and well-written – especially Chaucer, who seemed put-upon from the first page. The entire novel reads less like a pilgrimage story and more like a field trip for a group from the loony house.

My only complaint with novel is that the humor can be a little grotesque. There are many fart jokes, as mentioned before, as well as lewd and vulgar humor. I wouldn’t mind those sorts of jokes once in a while, but there are times when I just don’t need to read about someone’s body parts in such excruciating detail.

Overall, I give this novel 4 out of 4 stars. Is it obvious from the very first page that the author took both time and effort to create a well-rounded and highly entertaining story. I highly recommend this book to Chaucer fans and lovers of satire and humor. Due to its graphic nature and crude humor, I would not recommend it to anyone below the age of 18 or to those who are faint of heart.

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Bitching Bits of Bone
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Like katiesquilts's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Molly the reader]

katiesquilts, I like your review. You describe the language well and the examples you give from the novel seem characteristic for the book. This Review was very useful, thank you!

-- 13 Oct 2016, 09:58 --

katiesquilts, I like your review. You describe the language well and the examples you give from the novel seem characteristic for the book. This Review was very useful, thank you!

[katiesquilts]

katiesquilts, I like your review. You describe the language well and the examples you give from the novel seem characteristic for the book. This Review was very useful, thank you!

Thank you for your kind words! I hope you'll give the book a try!

[EmiOllie]

What a wonderful review! I'm now inspired to read the book- any piece of literature with the warning "not for the faint of heart" is always tempting.

[katiesquilts]

What a wonderful review! I'm now inspired to read the book- any piece of literature with the warning "not for the faint of heart" is always tempting.

Once in a while a nice gruesome, overly-detailed novel is good for a change of pace, am I right?
If you decide to give it a try, let me know what you think!

[kimmyschemy06]

I like the book already You made it sound very interesting. I have always wanted to read The Canterbury Tales but never got around to actually reading it. Now, I want to read both of them. Great job on the review. Congratulations to Dr Norman Mounter on such an obviously well written book.

[katiesquilts]

I like the book already You made it sound very interesting. I have always wanted to read The Canterbury Tales but never got around to actually reading it. Now, I want to read both of them. Great job on the review. Congratulations to Dr Norman Mounter on such an obviously well written book.

Much appreciated! If you're going to read both, I might suggest reading the true Canterbury Tales first, and then read Bitching Bits of Bones. It's always better to form your own opinion of a book before reading someone else's!

[Elaine5]

Great review and I like your recommendation above; read Canterbury tales and then read this book. I just might take you up on it!

[katiesquilts]

Great review and I like your recommendation above; read Canterbury tales and then read this book. I just might take you up on it!

Thanks! After you've read both, I'd love to hear your opinion as well!