Picked up this copy in order to get my stalled ray going again. Since the previous copy of The Queen's Fool seems to have fallen quite happily into a black hole, I've purchased another copy so the bookray can continue. Hopefully it will make it this time, because I'm afraid three tries is my limit with this ray.

Below are the links to the previous other copies of The Queen's Fool used and abused in this ray: :)
Attempt Number One
Attempt Number Two

The guidelines are the same as before. Journal the book when you receive it, when you've read it, and when you send it on. Please don't keep the book longer than 4 or 5 weeks.

The list of participants:

1.)Lpree--US (no pref.)
2.)FiBe--UK (pref. UK/Europe)
3.)PCSAF--Portugal (no pref.)
4.)CheriePie--US (pref. US) asked to be moved
5.)bookczuk--US (pref. US) asked to be skipped
6.)book-girl-24--US (no pref.) COPY #2 STALLED
7.)phillycarol--US (pref. US)
8.)yourotherleft--US (pref. US) asked to be skipped
9.)CheriePie--US (no pref.)
10.)Virgulina--Portugal (no pref.) asked to be skipped
11.)Lukutoukka--Finland (no pref.)
12.)hetku77--Finland (no pref.) RECEIVED copy #3

11/8/05--
sent to phillycarol today

Received yesterday. Thanks for starting up this bookray again, humberts-doll! A friend just told me that she loved this book so I'm looking forward to reading it.

I really loved this book! The character development was excellent. Once I started reading it, I found that it was hard to put back down again. The royal intrigue was fascinating and I wonder how accurate the story was as compared to the real history. I definitely would read more books by this author. Thanks for sharing it, humberts-doll! And thanks for the 3rd attempt at the bookray!

I'll send this on to yourotherleft as soon as I get her/his address.

Woohoo! This one finally made it to me. (For the 2nd time actually since I had passed on an earlier copy without reading it so I'd have a chance to read The Other Boleyn Girl first.) Mucho thanks to humberts-doll for restarting this bookray as many times as she did. As is usual, I've got another couple rings in my possession right now so it might be a week or so before I start on this.

Wow, another great book by Philippa Gregory! I thought this was just about as good as The Other Boleyn Girl. Once I finished it, I immediately went and added the sequel, The Virgin's Lover, to my wish list as I'm really looking forward to the story of Elizabeth. Both her and Robert Dudley were my favorite characters in this book, and they're the primary characters in the next book. :)

Just like in The Other Boleyn girl, Gregory takes historical fact and weaves a tale around it. There's a few main characters in this book, with Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, being the main character of historical significance. She's sometimes remembered as "Bloody Mary" because of all the supposed heretics she had burned at the stake.

This story is told from the point of view of Hannah the Fool, the daughter of a Jewish bookseller who escaped persecution with her father from Spain to England after her mother was burned as a heretic. I believe Hannah's character is completely fictional, but her story is interesting nonetheless. She's got the gift of a Seer, and as the Queen's Fool, she dresses in breeches, and doesn't really have to mind what she says as most women would... she's "a fool" after all.

Her loyalties are continually tested as she's a trusted companion to Queen Mary, as well as her half-sister, the Princess Elizabeth, and Robert Dudley, both of whom are later imprisoned and charged with treason in a plot to strip Queen Mary from the throne. Hannah moves among these groups and they all trust her; many times she doesn't even realize the plots she's actually involved in as she's asked to bring some cryptic message from one to another. She tries to speak only the truth and often the Sight compels her to do so. Had the Queen listened to Hannah before agreeing to marry Prince Philip of Spain, she may have been saved a lot of heartache, and what eventually became her undoing.

I'm PMed Virgulina for her address and will get this in the mail to her shortly. (Will update this entry with status when I do.)

UPDATE 06-MAR-2006: Virgulina asked to be skipped since she has since purchased this book herself. So this is now on it's way to Lukutoukka in Finland via International Economy (Surface). Left here on Monday, Mar. 6.

I received the book today, thanks! :) I'll start reading it soon.

As I'm interested in the Tudor era, I basically liked the book. However, I think Hannah was somewhat unrealistic as a character. I know that she had run for her life basically all her life, but I still think she could have had a little more principles. I mean, she seemed to admire and be loyal to almost everyone, no matter what they did and how they behaved. I think it was a little odd.

However, the book was nice. :) Thanks for sharing! Next reader seems to be Hetku77, whom I know, so I think I'll give her the book personally.

Oh my, now it's hetku77's turn to travel, so I can't give her the book yet after all. I'll give her the book when she returns. It seems she's the last participant anyway at this moment, so I hope this won't cause too much trouble for anyone. :)

9.8.2006 I got the book from Lukutoukka today in our monthly BC meeting with bookcrossers in Tampere region. Thank you! Since I'm last one of the ray, I promised the book for chirel after I've read it myself.

28.12.2010 I've read this book probably the whole autumn and only now I managed to finish it. I generally like Gregory's historical novels and in some extent I liked this one too. The viewpoint in this book was different compared with most of the other books I've read by her before - it wasn't written from the royal/aristocratic perspective, but from a fool's. Maybe that affected so that I didn't like it as much.