Customer Reviews

The Queen's Fool

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(72)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This best selling English author of historical fiction has written yet another interesting work. This novel takes place during the reign of Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. She would leave a legacy that would cause her to be known as "Bloody Mary" for her burning of heretics.

The narrator is a girl named Hannah Green, a young teenager who has fled Spain and its Inquisition with her father, following the death of her mother. She had been burned alive at the stake as a heretic, when it was discovered that she was a "Marrano", a false Christian, that is, a Jew who has converted to Christianity but who follows the Jewish faith in secret.

Landing in London, where her father opens a book store, Hannah makes the acquaintance of a handsome rake, Sir Robert Dudley, who discovers that Hannah has the gift of sight. She develops a personal relationship with him that eventually sees her enter into Queen Mary's service as her fool. Hannah serves Queen Mary, but at the same time, is sent by the Queen to serve her half-sister the Princess Elizabeth and spy upon her.

Meanwhile, Sir Robert Dudley also uses Hannah in his treasonous plot to see the Princess Elizabeth on the throne of England. So, Hannah finds herself walking a dangerous tightrope and is fearful of discovery of her role in the political intrigues that are welling around her, as well as discovery of her own background, which would be grounds for death. Her worst fears are nearly realized when the Queen marries Prince Phillip of Spain.

In the midst of all this political intriguing that appears to be going on all around her, Hannah has her own immediate future to think about, as she becomes betrothed to another Marrano such as herself. Infatuated with Lord Dudley, loyal to both Queen Mary and the clever and manipulative Princess Elizabeth, Hannah finds herself putting her own future happiness at risk amidst the political and religious turmoil of the time.

This is a fast paced, breezy read about an independent, young woman who finds herself at a crossroad in her life and begins a voyage of self-discovery that will ultimately change her life. The story takes place in sixteenth century England, amidst all the political strife and religious upheaval of the time. The author weaves an intriguing tapestry of historical events and personages together with the intrigues that were rife in the Tudor court of the Queen who would become known as Bloody Mary.

Philippa Gregory is one of the best historical novelists writing today, and she's at the top of her game with this book. As in the Meridon trilogy and "Wise Woman," she infuses her historical romance with a touch of mysticism. She takes the daring approach here of making Mary the sympathetic Tudor and Elizabeth the nasty one, and creates a most likeable heroine in Hannah Green, a Jewish clairvoyant in boy's garb who is a nice mixture of audacity and empathy. It sounds far-fetched, but Gregory pulls you in with believable (though not exactly period) dialogue, discreet sex, and fast-paced adventure. Hannah's emotions and reactions are always realistic, and neatly woven into the fantastically convoluted events of 1552-58. She lets "Bloody Mary" off a bit too easily regarding the burning of Protestant heretics (though of course, real life punished Mary badly enough), and makes Robert Dudley seem more of a matinee idol and less the calculating courtier that he was, but then this story is told from the point of view of an adolescent girl, so it's not really a flaw. There are many hints of a sequel in the novel, so I'm looking forward to her next revisionist take on the legendary Tudor women. I just hope we'll see more of Hannah Green, too.

Phillipa Gregory does a wonderful job of recreating a historical period, and I did enjoy her other Tudor work, The Other Boleyn Girl. I expected to enjoy this one as much, but couldn't.

I found the indiscriminately sympathetic portrayal of Mary (known to history as Bloody Mary) troubling. The author seemed to think that because Mary was a wronged wife, her excesses were excusable. Even more disturbing, and harder to swallow, is that the main character, Hannah, a secret Jew who lives in fear of being burned as heretic, remains loyal and uncritical of Mary until the end.

Either Hannah is an insensitive hypocrite, indifferent to the suffering of others because of her own safety as a royal favorite, or she is a poorly drawn character. It is hard to believe someone whose own mother was burned at the stake could remain loyal to a woman who sent so many to be burned alive.

Gregory blames Mary's ministers, pretending Mary was largely unaware of what was being done. A ruler with Mary's absolute power "unaware"? That makes her either a disconnected, incompetent ruler (not Gregory's view), or one so weak she was completely dominated by her ministers, which there is no reason to believe.

Gregory did succeed in showing how sad Mary's life was in many ways: Early separation from her mother due to her father's selfish whims, loss of her position, a youth spent in a kind of exile, an unfaithful husband.

However, I also saw her parents' flaws in her: obsessive attachment to a indifferent man, fanaticism and sense of absolute truth which both parents possessed, and worse, a ruthlessness and cruelty in enforcing her will inherited from her father.

"Bloody Mary" traumatized her country and was, ironically, probably one of the reasons England turned staunchly Protestant. If you happened to catch the recent cable movie "Charles II, The Last King" you can see how strongly the hatred/fear of Catholics persisted over a century later.

The other strange thing about "The Queen's Fool" is the unsympathetic portrayal of Elizabeth, the ruler who would prove the most tolerant of religous practices. What is worse is that Gregory's and Hannah's condemnation of Elizabeth is largely based on qualities, actions or feelings that Hannah also exhibits.

For example, Hannah's (and our) first view of Elizabeth is of a 14 year old girl flirting and kissing a married man (Thomas Seymour, a notorious womanizer). Yet, for much of the novel, Hannah is in love with a married man. She even spies on and betrays a trusting mistress (Mary) for love of him. Still, Elizabeth is considered a "whore" by Hannah (a word greatly overused by Gregory, used for any sexually active woman, though there were kinder words in use at the time).

Hannah also condemns Elizabeth for her secret Protestantism, stange considering she herself is a secret Jew. Why does she feel such loyalty to Catholicism anyway? It is the Catholics of Spain who have particularly persecuted her people, and Mary's husband is the Spanish King. English Protestants were benign by contrast.

The historical information about 16th century European Jews was interesting, and the most worthwhile part of "The Queen's Fool." Otherwise, not recommended.

Philippa Gregory's THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL is one of my favorite books. When I accidentally discovered this book at a bookstore, I bought it immediately and expected to love it just as much! I can't say that I did!
I never felt any kind of a bond with the main character, Hannah, and the story never seemed to pick up any steam. Although I think that the author tried to portray Hannah as young woman discovering her independence and asserting her individuality and strength, I found her to be wishy-washy, timid, indecisive and just plain disloyal. One moment she was the faithful servant of a member of the royal family and the next moment she was spying on them. She should have been tried for treason a hundred times over! The premise of the story (the unlikely relationship of a young Jewish girl escaping the Spanish Inquisition only to become an intimate member of the English royal court) was very interesting and carried so much potential, but the story never went anywhere and the details were superficial. The fact that Hannah was not a real person only added to my frustration in trying to determine to what extent the storyline details actually took place.
On a positive note, I did enjoy learning alittle more about 'Bloody Mary.' I have read so much lately pertaining to the Tudors, but have only limited background on this Queen.
All in all, I can say that I will definitely read any forthcoming book from Philippa Gregory, but can't say that this one compares on any level to some of her previous works.

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.

In 1553 Hannah de Verde and her father flee Spain following the Inquisition burning her mom at the stake for being Jewish. With the help of the Carpenters, they open up a London bookstore changing their name to Greene. Their sponsors and the Greenes hide their Jewish traditions behind a Christian façade. Teens Hannah and Daniel Carpenter are betrothed to marry when she turns sixteen.

Scholar John Dee and Lord Robert Dudley arrive at the bookstore seeking books from the early ages of Christianity and Hebrew antiquity. Hannah, garbed in boy's clothing, mentions a third person with them that excites John as he realizes that God gave Hannah the gift of sight. She describes an angel.

Hannah delivers their purchases to Whitehall Palace. Robert introduces her to the ailing teen King Edward who names her his Holy Fool. She sees death lingering near Edward, but says nothing. Robert's father threatens to expose her and her father as Jews if she refuses the position. She accepts though Daniel is unhappy. Now her adventures amidst the royal intrigue begin over the next several years as Mary reigns.

The solid depiction of real 1553-1558 historical figures provide an in-depth look at an era of transition from an ailing King Edward through the short reign of Queen Mary to the point of ascension of Queen Elizabeth. That serves as a double edged sword as at times the story seems to go tediously on. Hannah is a strong protagonist who enables the audience to look closely at the royals and some key aristocrats while depicting the plight of the Jews in Western Europe. Historical readers will devour this deep look at England's mid sixteenth century monarchy.

Harriet Klausner

The queen of England, Mary, who preceeded the more famous Queen Elizabeth on the throne has all but been forgotten. The central character to this book, Hannah Verde, is a Jewish girl pretending to be Christian for her own protection. Hannah has the unpredictable gift of being able to see the future. She is brought to court to work as a "fool" to the short lived King Edward and stays on, through thick and thin, to work for Queen Mary and her half sister Elizabeth. I found this story to be less about Hannah and more about Queen Mary who had a disastrous reign because of her fanatical Catholic faith and her poor selection of a husband. The story also focuses on the manipulative Queen Elizabeth before she was Queen. Although a bit dry at times I found this book to be a fascinating study of England at a time of extreme religious turmoil and intolerance. The message of the book, I think, is that more murder and mayhem has been committed in the name of religion than for any other reason and that the only way to peace is religious tolerance. I highly recommend this book.

THE QUEEN'S FOOL is a work of genius on several levels. First, the simple fact that author Philippa Gregory even had the idea for the concept of this fiction is staggering.

Then, that she unfolds the complicated story with such grace and such ease seems miraculous.

Finally, the depth and breadth of her research to provide the numerous historic details which make this plot come alive must have been massive.

Anyone with some curiosity about the Tudor queens Mary and Elizabeth will find the story of "fool" Hannah Green to make for riveting reading. This was an era when one could be burned at the stake for heresy--and any religion other than the ruler's was heretical--for treason, and for witchcraft.

Hannah, who is a secret Jew--with second sight--effectively is sold by her father to Lord Robert Dudley to service the royal court. She has to walk a careful line between the rival half-sisters, both daughters of Henry VIII and heiresses (in sequence of birth order) to the throne of England.

How she manages to survive her servitude makes for quite a tale, and no one is better equipped than Ms. Gregory to spin this yarn.

THE QUEEN'S FOOL is a work of genius on every level.

I finished The Other Boleyn Girl last week and went right on to The Queen's Fool, and again, couldn't put the book down, finishing it in less than 48 hours. Like The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen's Fool tells the story of great events in Tudor history--in this case, the great succession battles between the death of Henry's only son, Edward, through the final ascension of Elizabeth. The most surprising part of the book to me was the great sympathy I came to feel for Queen "Bloody" Mary, who came to the throne wanting to rule wisely and mercifully and who became a despised tyrant, burning Protestant heretics and executing anyone suspected of plotting against her. Gregory shows how Mary's circumstances lead her almost inevitably to the horrific outcomes, yet you feel sorry for her and repelled at the same time. And like Gregory's previous book, the great events are viewed through someone watching from the sidelines and caught up against their will--in this case, Hannah Green, a converso fleeing the Inquisition in Spain, whose gift of foretelling the future makes her Robert Dudley's servant and spy in two great royal households, while trying to make sense of her own life and hidden faith. I loved this book as much as The Other Boleyn Girl and recommend both highly, and can't wait to tackle more of Philippa Gregory's backlist.

Frankly, the author's odd choice of writing almost completely in comma splices really put me off. I found it hard to concentrate on the story when this major usage error kept popping out at me over and over. I only wish I was exaggerating.

Aside from that, the story moves along, and I was intrigued by the characters. Frankly, I thought the best part of the story was the portion the protagonist, Hannah Green, spent in Calais. I was much more interested in her story as a Jew in the Renaissance than all the palace intrigues.

I did not understand Hannah's divided loyalties. She seemed to serve several masters and equally love them all, which didn't make sense to me. Also, no reasons were really shown why she should love these people, who really hadn't done all that much to earn it, frankly.

The writer seemed to me to choose very obvious aspects of Judaism to demonstrate her characters' religion, although perhaps this was on purpose, too. One would not necessarily want to confuse Gentile readers who didn't know much about Judaism. Gregory also has the excuse that her characters are actively hiding their religion and do not remember all their customs, nor keep them out of fear of being discovered as Jews. Still, I found the depiction of this side of Hannah's life rather basic.

Another complaint I have about Gregory's writing is that her dialogue is not period, which is something I noted while reading The Other Boleyn Girl. It is a little off-putting to find so much non-period dialogue in a piece of historical fiction. Particularly annoying was the repetitive use of "D'you" for "Did you."

After I have said all that, you might wonder why it merited the "three stars." Like I said, it was readable. I did become interested in the characters. I don't think I could have finished it, considering all its flaws, if it didn't have these good qualities. I found it odd and intriguing to see Mary portrayed so sympathetically. However, to paraphrase Will Somers, the Fool, history did not remember Mary's good qualities, just as they did not remember her father's. As he is remembered as a lecherous wife-killer, she is remembered for her burning of "heretics," mostly Protestants, which rightly earned her the appellation Bloody Mary.