The Queen's Fool: A Novel (Boleyn)
by Philippa Gregory
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Book Summary Information
Author: Philippa GregoryEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Deckle Edge
Published: 2004-11-02
ISBN: 0743269829
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Touchstone
Book Reviews of The Queen's Fool: A Novel (Boleyn)
Book Review: A Spy Who is a Fool in the Queen's Household
Summary: 3 Stars
Caught in the political turmoil of the sixteenth century, when England was bitterly divided by religious differences, and "heretics" and traitors to the "cause" were liberally burned or beheaded, a young girl witnesses court life up close. Living in fear as a secret Jew converted to Christianity, Hannah is blackmailed into becoming a spy for the powerful Dudley family. Blessed with the gift of foretelling, she becomes young King Edward's Holy Fool, and, after his death, is passed into the household of his sister, Queen Mary, to continue her spying as the Queen's Fool. She is engaged to her cousin, an attractive and clever physician, while simultaneously falling for her blackmailer, Lord Dudley. To make matters even more complicated, she becomes an ardent fan of both Royal women, Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth, both of whom she is spying upon: Queen Mary for Robert Dudley and Princess Elizabeth for Queen Mary.
I loved Gregory's "The Other Boleyn Girl", but cannot rate this book in the same category. While the author writes well, this story gets bogged down in minutiae and too much liberty is taken with the actual historical characters. The words that come out of Queen Mary, Robert Dudley, or Princess Elizabeth just do not ring true. They sound like the author's imaginary projections, not the actual words. The dialogue lacks the authenticity of the historical details plastered all over the text and often interfering in the flow of the real story.
Hannah's relationship with her cousin and betrothed is well done. You can feel the passion slowly developing. In some way perhaps this book would have been better giving that relationship more attention rather than occasional updates. If you enjoy historical novels during this era, I recommend figures in Silkby Vanora Bennett, a story set during the reign of Charles II that focuses on the growth of the Silk trade and court life. Like Hannah, the main character is a fictional woman, a doctor, and like Hannah, striving to create a place for herself in this male-dominated society. The story is faster-paced, yet the historical events well portrayed.
Summary of The Queen's Fool: A Novel (Boleyn)
A young woman caught in the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half sister, Elizabeth, must find her true destiny amid treason, poisonous rivalries, loss of faith, and unrequited love.It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times
of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires.
Teeming with vibrant period detail and peopled by characters seamlessly woven into the sweeping tapestry of history, The Queen's Fool is another rich and emotionally resonant gem from this wonderful storyteller.
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