The Queen’s Fool
Philippa Gregory, HarperCollins 2003

The are two possibilities – either life in Tudor England revolved around royal espionage and the rights of women, or Philippa Gregory is somewhat hung up of these two facets. If I am being realistic, its probably a reasonable mixture of both, but I have to admit to being slightly disappointed that the second Gregory book that I have read explored pretty much the same ground as the first.

The Virgin Queen starts its narrative 12 years after the end of The Other Boleyn Girl heralded the execution of Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII is dead and his son Edward is holding the throne. His death and Mary’s reign are seen through the eyes of Hannah, a Spanish Jew, living in disguise with her printer father in London. Hannah is thrown into court life when she sees an angel accompanying Robert Percy and is begged as a holy fool for the king – to use her “sight” to make predictions. As England is plunged into the turmoil of an unstable monarchy and oscillating decrees on religion, Hannah becomes closer to the Queen and her sister and becomes more fearful for her safety.

Again, the book revolves around the main character’s attempt to control her own life and not be passed between relatives and royalty. However, Hannah is not as charming as May Boleyn was, and the characters that control her are less sympathetic despite their well penned strong wills and desires. I also would have appreciated a greater amount of historical context – how they ate, washed, lived – the grimy bits! However, it was still an enjoyable and accessible read, and was the first I had really read about the Jews in hiding in Tudor England