Title: The Queen’s Fool
Author: Philippa Gregory
Series: Tudor Court (6/8)
Time/Place: England and France, 1548-58
Teaser: “‘How now, sweetheart!’ he exclaimed, falsely cheerful. ‘You gave me a start. I might have thought you a fairy, appearing so suddenly.’”
Summary: Hannah, a young woman hiding her Jewish identity from the Inquisition, is sworn into Lord Dudley’s service as a fool and spy in Mary Tudor’s court. Trapped between serious Mary and her wilder sister Elizabeth, Hannah’s loyalties are tested as she battles to prevent discovery.
My Thoughts:
I picked this book up because I felt that it was time to try something else from Philippa Gregory. I had enjoyed the outcast figure of Margaret Beaufort in The Red Queen and Hannah’s character appealed to me in a similar fashion, as she is a fool and spy rather than a Lady in Waiting or noblewoman.
The history: Gregory realistically captures the religious tension of a period where a Catholic and Protestant sister were in rivalry for the same throne, dividing the people of England and leading to fear and oppression. Hannah is in an interesting position as Jew in hiding, and although there was less political history than I would have liked in this work, the religious intrigue holds its own as Gregory shows nicely how secular and religious powers were irrevocably connected in the sixteenth century. I was particularly looking forward to learning more about the role of the Inquisition in England, but was disappointed in this respect, as it remains mostly a threat and isn’t the true focus of the novel. However, the figure of Mary Tudor is especially well-presented, and though the interpretation of Elizabeth I’s early years is freer, it’s an interesting exploration that the reader can mull over.
The story: Hannah is an engaging and unusual protagonist, caught between love and duty and touched with themes of religion and fantasy in equal measure as someone who experiences holy visions. Her relation with the ageing Mary Tudor was heart-breaking in a manner I hadn’t expected, and a definite highlight of the work that puts pressure on Hannah’s loyalties. Overall, though, there seemed to be more focus on a love triangle between Hannah and two male characters than there was on her status as a spy, which readers should definitely be aware of as it isn’t suggested on the blurb. I also didn’t learn as much as I would have liked about the fooling profession in the Tudor era, as the book is slightly longer than the average novel and loses this thread towards the end. However, there is some action interspersed throughout the story that helps pick up the pace, and there’s no need to read any of the books that come before it – I assumed this work was a standalone until I looked it up – which means those not well acquainted with Gregory’s work can still enjoy it.
My favourite character was the established fool Will Somers, who nicely embodies the anxious atmosphere of his time because he is able to speak much more candidly than the rest of the court on the precarious line between humour and insult. He has a companionable relationship with Hannah that reflects both characters well.
Recommended: If you like historical romance with a bit of flare.
My Rating: 3/5
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