Books of Wonder

A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears

A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears - Main image
$9.29 $14.99 In stock

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‘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. 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.

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Customer Reviews (4.7 / 5 · 18 reviews)

Abigail ★★★★★

I was laughing out loud by the second chapter, and the way Prince Roger's "mere presence" keeps causing chaos is pure comedy gold. The quest structure keeps things moving fast, and the "damsel in distress (not!)" bit had me cackling. Perfect for anyone who loves a silly adventure with real heart und

Kevin Y. ★★★★★

The way Jules Feiffer plays with the fairy-tale format had me chuckling on every page, especially how the 'damsel in distress' trope gets completely flipped on its head. My kid and I both got a kick out of the prince's obliviousness to his own 'carrier of joy' effect on everyone he meets. It's cleve

Steven ★★★★★

The quest structure kept me flipping pages late into the night, and the way Prince Roger’s "carrier of joy" power backfires in the most hilarious ways honestly caught me off guard. The damsels-not-in-distress twist is the kind of clever detail I’ll be thinking about for days.