The Queen's Fool: A Novel (Boleyn) by Philippa Gregory
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Book Reviews of The Queen's Fool: A Novel (Boleyn)
Book Review: Three Masters
Summary: 5 Stars
Love and betrayal follow this book into one of the most dazzling, dangerous, and chaotic courts of Europe in the 1500's: the Tudor court of England. We follow Hannah Green, a young Spanish girl who is Jewish but pretending to be Christian, to the side of young King Edward, Queen Mary, and ultimately Elizabeth. Hannah Verde (or Green) has fled the Inquisition with her father because her mother was unfortunate enough to be burned at the stake. But, nothing has prepared Hannah for the life that she will lead in England. From the moment she lays eyes on Robert Dudley (son of the most powerful man in England,) she is smitten. Hannah is no ordinary girl though, and this is the most interesting part of the author's writing style. All of the historical facts given to tell the story are told through Hannah's gift, the Sight. This is the gift that gives the remarkable ability to be able to see into the future, and all of her predictions do come to pass. This is what catches the eye of young Lord Robert and brings her to court. She had seen an angel behind him and from here on she would become a fool to the young king, and later on become a priceless companion and holy seer to the Queen Mary, and dear friend to Queen Elizabeth.
Although the book is fictional many of the events that go on throughout the story really did occur. I loved the author's poetic way of expressing Hannah's feelings while combining them with historical accuracy all in one. One of my favorite visions that Hannah had was when she predicts the fate of both Mary and her sister Elizabeth. The words that the author uses while the Sight speaks through Hannah are both vivid and touching.
The main character Hannah is extremely complex which is what I love about this book. She is torn between love and loyalty. She is in love with Robert Dudley, she loves and is loyal to the queen, and like everyone else, she is drawn to the Princess Elizabeth. One of the interesting things about this book though, is that Mary was made to look like a martyr and a completely misunderstood woman, whereas Elizabeth is shown for cruel and selfish side and ambition that got her to the throne.
Another excellent quality of this book is that it shows what went on during the reigns of Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth outside of court life. In fact, we even learn of life in Calais, a city in Europe owned by the English. Besides having a life at court, Hannah is also betrothed to young man called David whom she loves dearly. He is pressing her to leave court because the Inquisition is now in Catholic England, and they are both Jewish. But once again, although Hannah loves Daniel a lot, she loves the Queen Mary and is very loyal to her, so she cannot leave her.
Hannah does end up having to leave to Calais, but soon returns to England and her dear Queen Mary. This was the rather exciting part of the novel and it takes place in Calais. It is here that we witness the war that Phillip of Spain dragged England into and drained her treasury with. It was rather fascinating seeing as how Philippa Gregory is very vivid and descriptive with her words.
This book was very enjoyable to read and rather touching. It had something for everyone. It is highly recommended for those interested in the Tudor Era or the lives of English people in the 1500's. Philippa Gregory is an excellent author and I highly recommend any of her books, and especially this one.
Book Review: The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
Summary: 5 Stars
At the time of the dreaded Inquisition in Spain, Hannah Verde(Green) escapes from with her father, Oliver, a printer and bookseller, and they settle in London, England and set up a small shop. They were of Jewish faith, but after Hannah's mother was burned at the stake for heresy, they openly worshipped as Christians, but practiced their faith in secret. In order to protect his daughter, Oliver had her dress as a boy and work as his assistant.
Robert Dudley and his tutor, John Dee, come to Oliver's shop for books and believe that Hannah has "the Sight" because as they enter the shop she see a third person dressed all in white. This person does not exist.
At this time, the mid fifteen hundreds, England's King was Edward VI, the only legitimate son of Henry VIII. However, Edward was young and sickly, and the country was actually being run by his counselors and so-called protectors, the principle of whom was Robert Dudley's father. Robert secures a position for Hannah (as a boy) to become what he describes as "a holy fool" to young King Edward. Thus Hannah is introduced to court life. In the meantime, her father has bethrothed her to a young Jewish man named Daniel Carpenter, who is studying to become a doctor.
When Edward dies, his half-sister, Mary, Henry VIII's daughter by Catherine of Aragon, is declared to be Queen because on his death bed, Edward is forced to name her in his will as his heir. Mary, like her mother is a strict Catholic, and begins to change over the country from being Protestant to Catholic. Fearing for their lives, Hannah's father and Daniel leave and go to Calais, France.Calais at this time was under English rule. They beg Hannah to go with them, but she has become the Queen's fool and is very involved in court affairs.She also is very fond of Mary and feels she cannot leave her. There are many who plot to get rid of the Queen and place her half-sister, Elizabeth (daughter of Anne Boleyn) on the throne. At one point, Hannah is sent by Queen Mary, to spy on Elizabeth, but Hannah also becomes close to the young woman who declares she is innocent of any plots.
When Queen Mary begins tortures of all who will not turn to the Catholic faith, Hannah flees to Calais and there she marries Daniel. She finds out that he has had an affair and has fathered a son, and she leaves him. Calais is invaded and reclaimed by the French. Hannah escapes with the help of Robert Dudley who has led the English to try to retain Calais. As she is leaving, the mother of Daniel's child has been wounded and she gives her son to Hannah, who, when she reaches England again, claims as her own. She again comes under the protection of Robert Dudley and then returns to service with Queen Mary who is very ill. When Queen Mary dies, Hannah returns with Daniel's son and finds her husband. She has discovered that she truly loves him and agrees to live as his wife and accept wholeheartedly, the Jewish faith.
Like all of Philippa Gregory's books, a facinating tale is woven around true historical facts. Historical novels are among my favorites and it is my opinion that Philippa Gregory is one of the best writers of this type of literature. Alma Winters, Author, Once Upon a Time Tales
Book Review: Excellent historical fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember being extremely impressed by Ms. Gregory's first novel, Wideacre, a sprawling family saga whose protagonist made Scarlett O'Hara look like a Girl Scout. Although she has been writing historical novels for a few years, this is the first one I have read, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Hannah Green (nee Verde) and her father are secret Jews (at least to the extent that Judaism has been passed down to them) who have fled from Spain after the arrest and burning of Hannah's mother, and Hannah, who has "the Sight," is brought by John Dudley, the Protector of the young Edward VI, to the king's court as a "holy fool" and spy. Dazzled by Dudley's son, Robert (the future favorite of Queen Elizabeth I) and caught up in the intrigues of court life, Hannah lives through the turbulent final months of Edward's reign, the short-lived attempt to place Lady Jane Grey upon the English throne, and the five-year reign of "Bloody Mary." Torn between conflicting loyalties to those she serves and to her family, including her betrothed, later her husband, she moves back and forth between the public and private spheres, giving a unique perspective on both the historical events and on the lives of "the People," as she calls the Jews. She moves from resentment to acceptance and finally to embrace of her responsibilities to both family and faith.
To me, this book is unusual in that it offers a rare sympathetic and primary view of Queen Mary. Although those that focus on Elizabeth usually do portray Mary with some understanding, she is always subordinate to her younger sister, who outshines her in fiction as she did in life. Hannah's view of Elizabeth, on the other hand, while sometimes admiring, sometimes censorious, is much more objective than her warm regard for Mary. Perhaps it is her status as a Jew, but she seems able to look upon both as living, breathing women rather than as the symbols of religious and political power that they can often be to other characters. Other historical personages also have depth and ambiguity, including Lord Robert, who is ambitious and a practiced seducer but ends up having a real regard and respect for Hannah. I thought she was a little hard on Robert's wife Amy, portraying her as not only virtually illiterate and incurious but also mentally unbalanced.
Hannah and her family, particularly her faithful husband and her scholarly father, also feel like real, vibrant people, although her disapproving in-laws may hew a bit too closely to stereotypes. I would like to have seen more exploration of the motivations and background of Daniel's mother.
I don't know if Ms. Gregory has any real-life connection to Judaism, but the thing that I found most powerful about The Queen's Fool, apart from the scene where Hannah finds herself unable to burn her father's "heretical" books, even to protect herself, is the haunting sadness of a culture that is being lost generation by generation, as her father and mother-in-law struggle to remember the prayers and practices that have been passed down to them, and to pass them on to their children.
Book Review: fantastic and worthwhile read
Summary: 5 Stars
Philippa Gregory (authour of "The Other Boleyn Girl") returns to turbulent Tudor England in her latest novel, "The Queen's Fool." This time, our narrator-guide is a young Jewish girl, Hannah Green, who together with her father, has fled Spain and the Inquisition, for England. Here, they have taken great pains to live quietly and to show that they are fervent Lutherans, all the while practicing their faith in secret. That is until a chance encounter with the mysterious John Dee changes the course of their lives forever. Hannah and her father have opened a bookshop, where Hannah (unlike most girls of her age) has been working at dressed as a boy and acting as her father's apprentice. One day, however, young Robert Dudley and his tutor, John Dee, come to the shop; and in the course of things, discover that Hannah has the 'sight.' Suddenly Hannah's future changes dramatically: where marriage to a distant cousin seemed to have been her fate, she's now dragooned into the service of the Dudleys, who plan to use her 'sight' for their own means. And soon Hannah finds herself torn on all sides -- strangely drawn to her new master, Robert Dudley and yet missing her father dreadfully; and not wanting to be confined to playing the role of mere wife and mother, and yet not wanting to close the door on that option either. Hannah is confused and fearful about her future. But not even in her wildest dreams would she envision the part she would play in the fortunes of the Tudors...
I made the mistake of picking up this book just before going to sleep. Such was the sheer brilliance of "The Queens' Fool" that I had to finish the book in one sitting. What a compelling and engrossing read this novel proved to be! And what a heroine Gergory has created in Hannah! The authour did a fantastic job in 'fleshing out' the many sides of Hannha's character, thus making her both complex and sympathetic. Philippa Gregory also did a simply magnificent job of bringing to life the England of the mid 16th century with all it's brutality and turbulence, as well as it's vibrancy and colour. With exquistely drawn character, easy and swift pacing, and a wonderfully lyrical prose style, "The Queen's Fool" proved to both a joy and a pleasure to read. And whether or not you're a fan of historical novels, "The Queen's Fool" is a must read.
Book Review: Queens Mary and Elizabeth battle it out
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first Philippa Gregory book I read and it was hard to put down. This is the story of how the offspring of King Henry VIII battle it out for the throne. At the beginning of the story, young Edward VI - Henry's only male heir - is on the throne, but is dying from what was probably tubuerculosis. Without an heir of his own, Edward's older sisters are next in line for the throne. Mary, daughter of Katherine of Aragon (Henry's first wife), is the oldest, but her sister Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn (Henry's infamous second wife), is an ambitious and scheming woman and wants the throne for herself. Throughout the course of the novel, we see the final days of Edward's reign, the reign of Mary, and the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth.
The narrator of the story is Hannah Green. She and her father have fled to England from Spain because the Spanish Inquisition is out to get Jews like them. Hannah's mother died at the hands of the Inquisition before the family was able to escape. While Hannah's father maintains a print shop in London, Hannah becomes a holy fool for the brief remainder of Edward's life, and then takes on the same role for Queen Mary. She often finds herself being a confidant of the queen, and when Mary's paranoia about Elizabeth's scheming increases, Hannah ends up spending a lot of time being Elizabeth's companion so she can report back to Mary. Hannah finds much to admire in both women, and often finds herself torn in her allegiances. She also finds her life put in considerable risk because of her assocation with them.
This is a well-told story about a fascinating period of British history. My one recommendation to people who want to read this book is that you read two of Gregory's other books first. The Constant Princess is about Queen Katherine of Aragon, Mary's mother. The Other Boleyn Girl is about Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth's mother. With those novels as background, I think the events in The Queen's Fool make more sense. Since I read this one first, I often had to go digging around on the internet to figure out - for example - what Mary was talking about when she said how ill-treated her mother was and how they were seperated from each other for much of Mary's life. If you're well-read in your Tudor history, though, then dive right into The Queen's Fool. It's a good read.