| The Queen's Fool | 
 enlarge | Author: Philippa Gregory
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 583
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.3
ISBN: 0007147295
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780007743124
ASIN: 0007147295
Publication Date: May 4, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
The bitter enmity between Elizabeth the First and Mary Tudor, the daughters of Henry VIII (not to mention the conflict between their mothers Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon) makes the squabbles between modern-day royals seem small beer indeed. This is particularly clear after reading something as enjoyable as Philippa Gregory's The Queen's Fool, which treats the period and its turbulent sweep with an almost operatic grandeur. In The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory delivered a tremendous popular success and lifted this kind of popular historical writing from the realms of romantic fiction to something rich in authentic drama and convincing historical verisimilitude. Mary and Elizabeth, the two young princesses, have a common goal: to be Queen of England. To achieve this, they need both to win the love of the people and learn how to negotiate dangerous political pitfalls. Gregory recreates this era with tremendous colour, and she makes the court an enticing but danger-fraught place. Into this setting comes the eponymous fool, the youthful Hannah, who (despite her air of guileless religiousness) is not naive. She soon finds herself having to deal with the beguiling but treacherous Robert Dudley. Dispatched to report on Princess Mary, Hannah discovers in her a passionate religious conviction (to return England to the rule of Rome and its pope) that will have fatal consequences. From Tolstoy's War and Peace onwards, historical novelists have set fictitious characters among real-life personages with mixed success; the author's creations can often pale beside the historical figures. That is emphatically not the case here, and Gregory ensures that all her characters have a full and teeming life. Expect a major movie: something as colourful and exuberant as The Queen's Fool is a natural for screen adaptation. --Barry Forshaw
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
 Not just historical chick-lit October 9, 2008
Having previously written-off Philippa Gregory's novels as 'historical chick-lit', I decided to stop being such a snob and try one anyway. I couldn't bring myself to buy 'The Other Boleyn Girl', because the only copy I could find had Scarlett Johansson etc on the cover, so I opted for 'The Queen's Fool'.
The first quarter was a little slow-moving and felt more like an unusually colourful history book than a novel, while the narrator, Hannah Green, came across as a narrative device rather than a character: even with her gift of 'foresight' she could hardly have had the bird's eye view of England and its monarchs that she appeared to have. She filled in the gaps in readers' knowledge and enabled us to flit between Queen and Princess; Court and city.
However, once Mary was on the throne, the intrigues increased and Hannah did become a character in her own right, a somewhat morally-ambiguous outsider; a survivor; a thoroughly modern woman living in the heart of the Tudor court. I feared for her; admired her spirit; identified with her anger and was glad that her story ended in a satisfactory, but open-ended way.
Romance didn't dominate the book; it wasn't sentimental; and while it still probably would be classified as historical chick-lit, I really don't care, it is well worth reading. I've no idea how historically accurate it is and I don't think it matters: this is fiction and even historians disagree about some of the 'facts'.
I have since been out to buy 'The Other Boleyn Girl', having thankfully found a non TV tie-in version of the book!
A Fool Caught in a Very Strange Web August 11, 2008
Philippa Gregory weaves a very different tale with a completely fictional narrator, young Hannah Green. As other reviews have noted, Hannah and her father flee the Spanish Inquisition, and start a new life in London, where she is discovered as having the gift of "Sight" by none other than Robert Dudley, who presses her first into service for the young King, thus beginning of a life of courtly intrigue.
As always, Gregory writes compellingly and interestingly, and I kept turning the pages because I wanted to know how it would all turn out. I give this book four stars instead of five due to its abrupt ending and due to Hannah's ever-changing loyalties and attitudes. It was difficult to take her seriously when she pledged eternal devotion on one page and conveniently forgot it on the next. This was a very interesting take on Queen Mary, however, giving her far more sympathy than I was expecting to see. It is easier to understand how she was conflicted by her duties to her God and to her Country, as heinous and inexcusable as her policies happened to be.
 The Queen's Fool - a review August 5, 2008
As I read 'The Other Bolyn Girl' I felt that Mary was my friend. As I read 'The Queen's Fool' I felt that I really got to know Hannah as well. It takes a very good writer to achieve this effectively and Philippa Gregory is a marvel at it. I really liked 'The Other Bolyn Girl' but what I liked about 'The Queen's Fool' is that it was different. Yet it still gave a wonderful insight into Tudor Court and Tudor life (as seen through the eyes of Philippa Gregory admittedly) and was a thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing read in both cases.
Hannah - The kindest person in Philippa's Tutor series. July 28, 2008
The story is great, amazing plots! Just a little pity that Hannah is an invented person in history. I've read all Tutor titles of Philippa's, and Hannah is the kindest one of all! Her courage,loyalty and ability, makes her a perfect witness of that period of history. I would love to see this novel a motion picture!
Love it!!! July 22, 2008
I loved this book!!
After going to the cinema to watch The Other Boleyn Girl I hurried home to buy the book and after reading it ran to the computer as fast as my legs could carry me to buy PG's other books!
This book was exceptional - easy to read, easy to follow and easy to fall in love with the characters that PG portrays!
It's not just about Hannah the Fool, poor Queen Mary and nasty little Elizabeth - it's also a portrayal of Hannah growing up and facing her own problems and fears... I fell in love with Hannah and her life, and as always with PG books I feel genuine warmth and affection for the character - always reaching the end of the book and saying - "But what happened next?!"
One thing I have found with PG books is that I increasingly dislike Princess Elizabeth... Not necessarily a bad thing but be prepared for it!
I think she does a fantastic job of portraying Queen Mary in a more sympathetic light - as is right in my view. The woman had had some terrible experiences throughout her life and it is my view that she is very misunderstood - lets add up how many people were burned by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I before we go throwing the name "Bloody Mary" around shall we?
A great read - a joy to absorb yourself in! If you loved The Other Boleyn Girl then you will love this - Buy it!!
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