Customer Reviews

Queen's Own Fool: A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots (Stuart Quartet)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is FASCINATING. Literally from the very first page you realise that what you are looking at is not a painting but a tapestry, with depth and texture to fill up the world it depicts. The enigmatic character of Nicola Ambruzzi, La Jardiniere, one of Mary Queen of Scots' female jesters (this is historical fact), is beautifully and quite believably depicted from the opening page through all the wild swings of Mary's fate and the poignant ending. All of the main characters are rounded and complex - few writers have the ability to make characters so flawed, so interesting, and so very human. Poor doomed Queen Mary is made understandable and, indeed, irresistable, as seen through the eyes of one who loved her as her guiding light. Even Mary's disastrous marital decisions make a kind of sense in view of the character as seen by the eminently witty and very clever narrator Nicola, whom we grow to care a great deal for through the course of the novel, from meeting her first as a precocious child of eleven through the course of her life in the service of the Queen.

I found the use of poetry written by Mary herself to introduce each new section very effective, and a fine tie with real history. This NOVEL is wonderfully evocative and well-researched, and as I live near Edinburgh I know many of the landmarks the authors refer to, which added a fun dimension to that section of the book. Jane Yolen and her new partner-in-crime Robert Harris write together seamlessly, producing a new voice between them of great power and depth. There are scenes in this book - of Nicola hanging by a rope in Kirk O'Field while death waits before and behind - that will stay with me for a very long time, and that is one of the hallmarks of really fine writing. I can only hope that Yolen and Harris will continue this partnership, for if this is only their first outing, I cannot wait to read what the future holds!

Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris

Yolen, America's Hans Christian Andersen, with co-author Harris weave magic, mystery, and just the right amount of mayhem into this grand historical novel for young adults. This is the story of Mary Queen of Scots as seen through the eyes of her jester, or fool, an Italian orphan named Nicola. The young ladies have numerous adventures and escapades as they move from the sophisticated decadence of the French court to the coarse and rugged life of the royals and nobility in Scotland. The novel is based loosely on fact; Mary Stuart did indeed have a female fool. This rollicking read in the entirely engaging Yolen style, while not exactly like the Royal Diaries series, has all of fun and eloquent features of those novels. Jane Yolen's talent is simply immense.

I've read historical fictions before, and Queen's Own Fool ranks on the top of the list. However biased or twisted some of the points in the novel are (Darnley's actions might be questionable), Ms. Yolen is able to create a great novel with these ingredients- a fascinating plot, vivid characterization, and a talent for creating atmosphere and foreshadowing.

Nicola Ambruzzi, the narrator in the story, is an orphan who's been part of her abusing uncle's Troupe Brufort (a traveling circus). When Troupe Brufort was summoned to the French court, Nicola was discovered by Queen Mary (Queen of France) with her wit, truthfulness, and bold humor. Suddenly, Nicola is Queen Mary's personal fool- someone to open her eyes among lies and brighten her life. Nicola is also the Queen's advisor-guiding her through her first husband's death, Mary's decision in ruling Scotland, etc. Even when event take a very wrong turn, Nicola was always beside her Queen.

Though I thought the ending rather left everything hanging, the rest of the story was well-written enough to keep me reading day in and day out.

I got this book and could hardly put it down for the next three days. "Queen's Own Fool" is about a young girl, Nicola, who just happens to meet Mary Stuart. Nicola is a traveling performer and then becomes Queen Mary's fool. Nicola follows the Queen everywhere, including into imprisonment. She is there when Francis, Mary's husband and good friend, dies to comfort her. She travels to Scotland and reminds the Queen that she is only mortal. Nicola befriends few people, but the ones she does meet prove to be more that true friends. This book had me laughing at nine-thirty at night and practically crying an hour later. I would definatly recommend this book to anyone who is the least bit interested in Tudor England or Mary, Queen of Scots. I would also recommend "Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Without A Country" too. This book may seem a bit large for some younger readers, but don't stress, it will end when it ends. When I finished, I practically started to cry because I of what happens to Nicola and the Queen. Nowing the end of Mary's life didn't help at all either. Read this book if you want to be touched deeply. Some might not like it, but I was searching for a good book at Mary, Queen of Scots, and this was just what I was looking for. This could be read by a reader as young as eight and up. I am not sure if younger readers would be able to understand some of the words or be able to read such a long book, but if you might read it to a young person, but explanation might be needed. I WILL NEVER BOOK THIS BOOK IN A BOX AND THROW IT INTO THE BASEMENT, GARAGE, OR SHED. A MAGNIGICENT READ!!!!!!!!!!!1

Most people know a lot about Queen Elizabeth I. Few people know much about Queen Mary of Scotland. This is a story about Mary and her fascinating history.

This is historical fiction at its best; the book sticks to true facts very closely and tells of a story that is not well known. I loved this book. I loved that there was a story out there about Mary Queen of Scots, and that this book was also wonderfully written. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. The reader gets a clear idea of what it was like then, and they also get to learn all about an incredible woman.

The story describes Mary's first marriage, then continues to describe her return to Scotland from France. Nicola, the queen's "fool", is the narrarator who tells the story. She is very close to Mary and tells us everything that goes on in Mary's life. After they return to Scotland, Mary (I'm not spoiling the story; it's history, and this is how it happened) married twice more, both times awful marriages that only caused harm.

Besides the fact that the history is really cool, it's also great how it's written. So go on. Read it, read it! It's so easy to love.

If you were to ask me what my favorite book was of all those I have read (which is a lot of books) I would have to say Queen's Own Fool without hesitation. This book is so great, I couldn't put it down. I read it when I was in [...] grade and again in [...], which is not like me to read a book more than once. But this is the book to do so. Yolen and Harris came together to write their first Scottish historical fiction book and it turned out great. You will feel like you are in that period of time and that you are sitting in the presence of Queen Mary of Scots as she is presented with trial after trial to test her will and her strength. In case you do not know the history of what happened to Queen Mary, I do not want to give it away, nor do I want you to think it is all about Queen Mary. Yolen and Harris tell us her story through the eyes of another. Nicola Ambruzzi, a poor traveling player, who catches the eye of the queen and her heart. From then on Nicola is right by the queen's side giving advice and wit that only a friend could give. Again this book is wonderfully told and a page turner to the end. Also Robert J. Harris was born and raised in Scotland, and the historical details are very precise. So I highly recommend this book. It won't let you down.

Nicola Ambruzzi is a 13-year-old orphan living and performing with her uncle's troupe when they are summoned off the street to entertain at the court of Francis II, the young king of France. The troupe's reception is lukewarm, but pert and pithy-tongued Nicola attracts the attention of the queen, Mary, also known as Mary, Queen of Scots. A teenager herself, the queen engages Nicola as a jester.

At first, Nicola feels relieved. But she is soon weary of traveling from palace to palace, frightened when suddenly thrust into political tumult, and repulsed by the terrible punishment exacted on the rebellious. Then Francis II dies, and Mary, no longer Queen of France, leaves for Scotland's throne. Although apprehensive, Nicola is now devoted to her queen, and she musters up her courage to go along.

In Scotland, Nicola finds that Mary is less inclined to listen to her counsel when it doesn't suit her, as when she accepts Lord Henry Darnley's suit for marriage. Nicola mistrusts and despises the man but cannot make her beloved queen listen to her. Around this time she also befriends the ill-fated David Riccio, Mary's new music master and, eventually, her trusted secretary and adviser.

The events then unfold steadily; Darnley's death, Mary's subsequent marriage to Bothwell, her imprisonment at Lochleven and escape, all leading toward the doomed queen's final departure to England. Nicola is there for most of it, lending a personal perspective to the historical portrait.

This is a highly interesting, if not always factually, book and certainly provides a different look at a historical event.

I am always confused as to why people bother to write books like this.
They always go like so:
1)The author takes a well known plot or historical event, and then inserts his/her character into it.
2)Instead of influencing main events (which were set in stone from the beginning, due to the source of the story) the character utterly fails to make any real impact at all, merely spectating from the sidelines.
3)As a result the character turns out to be really boring and wimpy.
4)I am left wondering why the author bothered to create the character at all if he/she weren't integral to the plot.

So, why write a book about Marry Queen of Scots from the hanger-on's point of view when you could eliminate the middle man and just write about Marry Queen of Scots? That way the author could lose the redundancy of having a main character be a spectator in her own life.
Admittedly, there are some books where this ruse works well. "All the King's Men" has a main character who orbits around the force of nature that is Willie Stark, but the main character still has places in which his actions are integral to the outcome of the plot. Remove the main character and events could not have turned out as they did at the end of that novel.
In the case of "The Queen's own Fool", on the other hand, remove the "Fool" and you would still have the exact same outcome in the plot. The author has committed the fallacy of making his/her own main character redundant. Other examples of this fluke would be "Ender's Shadow" and "Renfield: Slave of Dracula" which both attempt to take an existing story and add something to the actions of minor characters. However, when you come right down to it the additions mean nothing because they can't affect the outcome.

In conclusion, I give "The Queen's Own Fool" 2 stars for poor character creation and a boring plot

I loved this book! I bought it from our library's used book sale, I figured it might at best give me some background for my son's history study this year. I was so impressed! I read it in about 3 days, and highly recommend it.

The story is told through the eyes of the female "fool", or jester, of Mary Queen of Scots, Nicola Ambruzi (La Jardinierre, the Garden Girl). While we don't know much about her, we do know from court documents that she existed, and that she was the favored fool of Mary. The novel delves into so many known historical events, telling them from a completely personal point of view. The historical fact-finding is incredible, and the plot and character personalities are sure to involve even a reluctant reader, right from the start.

This book gets my highest recommendation - I will even be reading most of it with my son (4th grade) later this year, to help him understand the politics, beliefs and court life of the late Middle Ages.

While not extroadinary, this book definitely stands out as a good, solid story for anyone interested in this time period. It might help if you've studied it a bit as well; while I consider myself a fairly informed history buff, this particular point in history was not one I'd studied in the past, so some of it went over my head a bit. Still, I enjoyed the main and supporting characters immensely, and the plot was full of exactly the sort of court intrigue I love.
Nicola, an orphan living with a group of street performers headed by her often abusive uncle, never expected to be anything but what she is. Thus she is quite surprised when the young queen Mary is so charmed by her antics that she immediately frees her from her uncle, in exchange for her becoming her own personal fool.

Though it tends to move a bit slowly at times, in the end the reward is worth it. Like I said, this book is truly good, recommendable to anyone twelve on up.