The Queen's Fool

By Philippa Gregory

Add to Cart Please wait, the system is processing.

Average Rating: (See all 8 reviews) Format: Paperback, 400 pages, New edition Edition Published In: United Kingdom, 04 May 2004 Quantity Available: 87 Ships within 3-6 days A stunning novel set in the Tudor court, as the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half-sister Elizabeth is played out against a background of betrayal, conflict and passion. The savage rivalry of the daughters of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth, mirrors that of their mothers, Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Each will fight by any available means for the crown and future of the kingdom. Elizabeth's bitter struggle to claim the throne she believes is hers by right, and the man she desires almost more than her crown, is watched by her 'fool': a girl who has been forced to leave her homeland of Spain, as a Jew fleeing the Inquisition. In a court where truth is wittily denied and lies are mere games, it is the fool who can speak plainly: in these dangerous times, a woman must choose between ambition and love. Elizabeth will not make the same mistakes as her mother. Reviews 'Philippa Gregory! is a mesmerizing storyteller.' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'An atmospheric read for anyone who loves to wallow in Tudor intrigue.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'After serving up the highly delicious The Other Boleyn Girl!Gregory has concocted yet another treat from the Tudor court!.I loved The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool is even better!.The pleasure to be found in this kind of historical fiction!.is a chair-by-the-fireside-on-a-cold-winter's-night kind of pleasure!it is the kind of pleasure only a born storyteller can offer.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'A rich brew of passion and intrigue.' DAILY MAIL 'Potent historical romance!a thrilling plot.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Fascinating!engrossing!.memerising!riveting!.compelling!.a pacey narrative that is just begging to be read in one sitting. Most impressively of all, she has taken a story in which we all know the protagonists and the hand history dealt them and has infused it with an extraordinary sense of suspense, drama and surprise.' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'A splendid tale of passionate liaisons. Gregory exuberantly depicts the struggle between Mary and Elizabeth' WOMAN & HOME 'A hugely satisfying plot-twist-a-page story.' TIME OUT 'Burns with passion.' INDEPENDENT 'A gripping page-turner; this follow-up to The Other Boleyn Girl confirms Gregory as our best writer of historical fiction.' CHOICE Praise for THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL: 'It is a credit to Gregory that she is able to sustain interest in an epic-length tale when the ending is one of the most well-known moments in English history. The very believable dialogue and detail take you all the way into the claustrophobic privy chambers of the royal palaces!Gregory has launched herself into a popular period and produced something with that most underrated of virtues: readability.' THE TIMES 'This is an intelligent variation on a familiar tale [with] witty use of metaphor' TLS 'This compulsively readable novel is a wonderful account of the tudor court!This is the finest historical novel of this year' DAILY MAIL Further acclaim for THE QUEEN'S FOOL: 'With her excellent eye for detail, [Gregory] moves The Queen's Fool along at a great pace' MARIE CLAIRE AUSTRALIA 'Totally absorbing!This is a triumphant piece of storytelling, not least because Gregory manages to make familiar events fresh and unloved people fascinating' GAY TIMES 'Gregory offers a subtle examination of the tension between profound personal faith and the dangers of imposing that faith on others.' JEWISH QUARTERLY 'It combines history and invention in gripping and memorable style.' RED 'Gregory weaves a brilliant and complex fictional web around historical fact. Hugely enjoyable' SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE 'Historical fiction at its most masterly. Meticulously researched and realised and with an engaging and totally convincing heroine, The Queen's Fool invites readers to rethink their opinions of both 'Bloody' Mary and the 'Virgin' Queen. Superbly plotted, exquisitely written with the enviable capacity to simultaneously thrill and provoke thought, this novel is even more 'unputdownable' than The Other Boleyn Girl' HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW 'Gregory serves up some more deliciously sombre moments from a factious Tudor court' INDEPENDENT 'Gregory's dramatic, plot-driven novel is thoroughly readable' SUNDAY HERALD About the Author Philippa Gregory is an established witer and broadcaster for radio and television. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh. She lives in the north of England with her family. Prizes A stunning novel set in the Tudor court, as the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half-sister Elizabeth is played out against a background of betrayal, conflict and passion. A stunning novel set in the Tudor court, as the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half-sister Elizabeth is played out against a background of betrayal, conflict and passion. Perfect for fans of Rose Tremain and Barbara Erskine, as well as such non fiction authors as David Starkey and Alison Weir. The Other Boleyn Girl sold 250 000 copies in paperback and was a paperback bestseller and continues to sell on brilliantly Philippa's media profile is increasing, with regular appearances on Radio 4 and TV's 'Time Team' Huge outdoor and women's magazine advertising campaign on publication to drive The Queen's Fool into the bestseller charts. Hardback edition has sold 40,000 copies and was in the Top Twenty for twenty weeks / Competition: Rose Tremain, Tracy Chevalier, Bernard Cornwell Publisher: Harper ISBN: 0007147295 EAN: 9780007147298 Dimensions: 19.0 x 13.0 centimeters

Why oh why did Gregory stray from the brilliance of The Other Boleyn Girl? This book is very dissappointing - but I think the main reason is because it had such a tough act to follow. The protagonist, Hannah, is much less interesting than either Mary or Ann Boleyn, which The Other Boleyn Girl followed and certainly seeing the world through the eyes of Catherine of Aragon, 'Bloody' Mary or Elizabeth I would have been more interesting. The one redeeming factor is that Hannah's youthful and Jewish (in that day a dangeroud thing to be) eyes allow us to see the characters in new light - conniving, self-centred and all with something of their own to hide.

This series by Phillipa Gregory is wonderful. Such twisting stories, and to think, it is based loosley on fact! It is amazing there is still a royal family, and that they have not had each other killed! Beautifully written, if you enjoy historical novels, then this is a must.

This Era really grabs my attention, and the way this book is written brings the story to life - even if it isn't all true, I fell deeply into the storyline. Philippa Gregory really brings the characters and the time to life, so much so I was drawn into the book, I could almost imagine myself living there! This was the first book in the collection of these that I read, and it remains my favourite.

After reading The Other Boleyn Girl, I became a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's. She is a talented writer who approaches historical stories from unusual points of view. As I've read more of her work, however, I've become increasingly frustrated with her loose interpretation of historical fiction. Occasionaly Gregory has been known to actually change history, or propose historical "what ifs" that are just preposterous.

That is not the case with The Queen's Fool. Here, Gregory lives up to The Other Boleyn Girl. The story is told from the point of view of Hannah Green, a Jewish girl who has fled the Inquisition in Spain with her father after her mother's death. They relocate to London during the reign of Edward VI. Hannah's rare ability, the Sight, is quickly noted by Sir Robert Dudley and his tutor, John Dee. Dudley, a calculating courtier, brings Hannah into his service. Gregory flawlessly weaves Hannah's story with that of the Tutor monarchs, while weaving in interesting historical stories such as the failed plot to put the Lady Jane Grey on the throne, the constant backstabbing of England's lesser royalty, Mary's marriage and false pregnancies, her persecution of Protestants, and the fall of Calais.

Gregory could not have picked a better point-of-view character. Hannah is very young at the beginning of the book, and her view of the people and events that surround her reflect that -- yet because of the fact that she is secretly a Jew, she easily observes that other people have hidden secrets as well. As Hannah matures throughout the book, so does her point-of-view.

The real genius of the story, however, is that Gregory chose to portray Mary as the good princess and Elizabeth as the bad princess. It was interesting to see the "human side" of Bloody Mary. Gregory made Mary's rationale for her actions believable without excusing her behavior. (She also did a nice job showing the limits on women's power at the time -- even the limits of the Queen's power because she was a woman). In making Elizabeth the bad princess, she flushed out theories that historians have had for centuries. While I think she went a bit overboard on Elizabeth's promiscuity, she did balance her character out enough that Elizabeth doesn't feel one-sided.

Overall, this is a fast read through a tumultuous time in history. It is definitely one of Gregory's better books.

I loved this book, it was my first experience with phillipa Gregory and I found the rich sumptuous settings of life in the royal court, the lies and deceptions amongst suposed friends, the tales of romance and the fear of the inquisition I found to be beautifully written and well bought together.

I didn't not enjoy this as much as her other tudor stories. A large part of it has to do with the fictitious character of Hannah the Jewish girl who plays the part of a fool in the Queen's court. As the tale of the Queen and Dudley is so well known, it seems ludicrous to throw in this character into the mix. Perhaps it would have worked well if she had used less well known characters. Still it was a decent read and I'll continue buying her tudor novels.

As a fan of Philippa Gregory I was eager to read this book especially after The Other Boleyn Girl and The Virgins Lover. I was somewhat disappointed with the subject matter as felt it was a bit disjointed in places and although I am certainly no history expert, I wondered how accurate it was. Im sure there was rilvary between the two sisters, but felt this could have been addressed in a clearer way, rather than using the weak character of Hannah the Fool.

This was my first Philippa Gregory novel and I won't soon pursue another. I found her repetition of images and phrases very off-putting and lacking in verbal imagination.

Hannah was 'begged for a fool' so often and even more often 'brushed her face with her fingers as though to remove smuts from a fire' that those usages became very annoying.

I understand that fire was supposed to be a powerful symbol in the character's life, but a little less reliance on the same phrasing would have shown more skill on the author's part.

I also found the love Hannah professed for Mary unbelievable for a refugee from the Inquisition.

Being a fan of Elizabeth, I was not amused by the allusion of her stealing ideas from Mary, e.g. her ascension quote, the idea of being a virgin queen, etc.