The Queen's Fool: A Novel
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
2 journalers for this copy...
I look forward to reading another book by this author. Really enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl.
I loved this book. I fell in love with Hannah and enjoyed watching her grow up.
Journal Entry 3 by lynlee4 at United States Post Office in North Port, Florida USA on Saturday, June 7, 2008
Released 15 yrs ago (6/7/2008 UTC) at United States Post Office in North Port, Florida USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to MarysGirl as part of her historical VBB - enjoy!
Sent to MarysGirl as part of her historical VBB - enjoy!
Received yesterday. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for sharing, lynlee4!
From the back:
"It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool, but working as a spy, promised in wedlock, but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires."
My review: I enjoyed this one - not as much as The Other Boleyn Girl - but much more than The Constant Princess, which I thought was mediocre at best. Gregory has made a franchise out the Tudor era and, I think, has pretty much covered all the bases. I thought this one started and ended strong, but sagged in the middle. "Bloody" Queen Mary comes across as a sad and tragic figure in contrast to her flirtatious and ultimately more successful sister Elizabeth. Hannah "The Fool" was an interesting choice as a vehicle for looking at the relationship between these two very different women, but it ultimately left me feeling a little flat. The story follows Hannah from age 14 through 20 during which she grows into her womanhood, but I had trouble putting myself in her shoes. Maybe I'm too old to remember what life was like at that age, but Gregory wasn't good enough as a writer to remind me. I was "told" too often how Hannah was a Jew passing as a Christian, a girl in boys clothing, betrothed to one man but in love with another, devoted to Queen Mary but admiring Princess Elizabeth; which left me feeling Hannah was hopelessly divided and weak rather than conflicted.
I still recommend this one, it has a lot going for it, but also a few flaws. I'll pitch it back into the Historical Fiction VBB for someone else to enjoy.
"It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool, but working as a spy, promised in wedlock, but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires."
My review: I enjoyed this one - not as much as The Other Boleyn Girl - but much more than The Constant Princess, which I thought was mediocre at best. Gregory has made a franchise out the Tudor era and, I think, has pretty much covered all the bases. I thought this one started and ended strong, but sagged in the middle. "Bloody" Queen Mary comes across as a sad and tragic figure in contrast to her flirtatious and ultimately more successful sister Elizabeth. Hannah "The Fool" was an interesting choice as a vehicle for looking at the relationship between these two very different women, but it ultimately left me feeling a little flat. The story follows Hannah from age 14 through 20 during which she grows into her womanhood, but I had trouble putting myself in her shoes. Maybe I'm too old to remember what life was like at that age, but Gregory wasn't good enough as a writer to remind me. I was "told" too often how Hannah was a Jew passing as a Christian, a girl in boys clothing, betrothed to one man but in love with another, devoted to Queen Mary but admiring Princess Elizabeth; which left me feeling Hannah was hopelessly divided and weak rather than conflicted.
I still recommend this one, it has a lot going for it, but also a few flaws. I'll pitch it back into the Historical Fiction VBB for someone else to enjoy.
Journal Entry 6 by MarysGirl at Prospect Park South in Brooklyn, New York USA on Monday, October 20, 2008
Released 15 yrs ago (10/19/2008 UTC) at Prospect Park South in Brooklyn, New York USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Released for the 2008 Leap Into the Wild 366 Challenge.
