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Summary: Another Excellent Historical Novel by Gregory!
Review: I finished The Other Boleyn Girl last week and went right on to The Queen's Fool, and again, couldn't put the book down, finishing it in less than 48 hours. Like The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen's Fool tells the story of great events in Tudor history--in this case, the great succession battles between the death of Henry's only son, Edward, through the final ascension of Elizabeth. The most surprising part of the book to me was the great sympathy I came to feel for Queen "Bloody" Mary, who came to the throne wanting to rule wisely and mercifully and who became a despised tyrant, burning Protestant heretics and executing anyone suspected of plotting against her. Gregory shows how Mary's circumstances lead her almost inevitably to the horrific outcomes, yet you feel sorry for her and repelled at the same time. And like Gregory's previous book, the great events are viewed through someone watching from the sidelines and caught up against their will--in this case, Hannah Green, a converso fleeing the Inquisition in Spain, whose gift of foretelling the future makes her Robert Dudley's servant and spy in two great royal households, while trying to make sense of her own life and hidden faith. I loved this book as much as The Other Boleyn Girl and recommend both highly, and can't wait to tackle more of Philippa Gregory's backlist.
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Summary: English History fiction lover
Review: I read "the Other Boleyn" last year and absolutely loved it. I was so excited when I saw that she came out with a new one. I never wanted to put it down.. The book brought up points that I would never have thought of. At times you wish you could be there amoungst all the revelry and then you are glad you wern't because you have to think about everything you say and do
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Summary: A great book
Review: I read a fair amount out of bordom, and to be honest when I bought it i had mixed feelings but i loved it!! very good book .. i've already recommended it to friends
Rating: 
Summary: great book!
Review: I read The Other Boleyn Girl by the same author and loved it.
This book is just as good. It will grab your interest from the first page and keep it until the last page.
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Summary: Wonderful
Review: I thought this book was fantastic. I absolutely love European History-- especially books about Henry VIII, and the enticing stores he has left as his leagacy. I could not put this book down. I also read the complimenting book-- The Other Boelyn Girl-- which was just as great. I would definitely recommend this book to others-- with one exception-- there are many "racy" scenes about sex and the like. But I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves European History.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: I'm not one for reading BUT this book caught my attention right away. I became interested in it by the cover and then within the first 2 pages of the story, it hooked me in.Later it kept me interested because there was really never a dull moment. Some nights I didn't want to sleep because I wanted to know what happened. The book also makes you feel a wide range of emotion.
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Summary: solid depiction of real 1553-1558 historical figures
Review: In 1553 Hannah de Verde and her father flee Spain following the Inquisition burning her mom at the stake for being Jewish. With the help of the Carpenters, they open up a London bookstore changing their name to Greene. Their sponsors and the Greenes hide their Jewish traditions behind a Christian façade. Teens Hannah and Daniel Carpenter are betrothed to marry when she turns sixteen. Scholar John Dee and Lord Robert Dudley arrive at the bookstore seeking books from the early ages of Christianity and Hebrew antiquity. Hannah, garbed in boy's clothing, mentions a third person with them that excites John as he realizes that God gave Hannah the gift of sight. She describes an angel. Hannah delivers their purchases to Whitehall Palace. Robert introduces her to the ailing teen King Edward who names her his Holy Fool. She sees death lingering near Edward, but says nothing. Robert's father threatens to expose her and her father as Jews if she refuses the position. She accepts though Daniel is unhappy. Now her adventures amidst the royal intrigue begin over the next several years as Mary reigns. The solid depiction of real 1553-1558 historical figures provide an in-depth look at an era of transition from an ailing King Edward through the short reign of Queen Mary to the point of ascension of Queen Elizabeth. That serves as a double edged sword as at times the story seems to go tediously on. Hannah is a strong protagonist who enables the audience to look closely at the royals and some key aristocrats while depicting the plight of the Jews in Western Europe. Historical readers will devour this deep look at England's mid sixteenth century monarchy. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: The next installment of the Tudor saga
Review: In her previous work, Gregory told the story of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry Tudor, as seen through the eyes of her lesser-known sister, Mary. In this follow-up work, Gregory uses a completely fictional character, Hannah Green, to follow the reign of Queen Mary, the once-beloved daughter of Henry who was declared illegitimate and exiled before finally coming into her inheritance. Hannah, a young girl of 14, is the queen's "fool" because she has the gift of second sight. She came into royal service through Robert Dudley, a handsome, charismatic lord who promised her safety (Hannah and her Jewish father had fled from Spain after her mother was burned at the stake during the Spanish Inquisition). Hannah loves the Queen, but she is running from both her persecuted past as well as her uncertain future: she is betrothed to a young Jewish man, Daniel Carpenter, who she is presumed to marry at age 16. Outside of her own personal circumstances, Hannah becomes wrapped up in the antics of Princess Elizabeth, the radiant half-sister of Mary who also makes Hannah her confidante. Hannah's simple life as the queen's fool becomes dangerously complex, and her own future becomes intertwined with that of England. Gregory has a clear talent for historical fiction, as she skillfully weaves interactions between actual and fictional characters. The reader is treated to many character transformations: Hannah, from a young girl in boy's clothing to a young woman; Mary, from a gentle princess to an unforgiving and broken Queen; Elizabeth, from a scared young woman to a future heir to the throne; and Dudley, from a young courier to one of the most powerful men in England. Although Hannah's story is not quite as dramatic as Mary Boleyn's and the ending of this book is not quite so climactic as in The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory has written another well-researched and enjoyable novel about the Tudor era.
Rating: 
Summary: THE QUEEN'S FOOL
Review: It took me the better part of a month to read this book. It just didn't measure up to THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL at all. Although Hannah was redeemed as a woman in the end, I don't see why she was so interesting to warrent an entire book told from her perspective. I wished the book had been told from multiple points of view as I was wanting to be at court with the queen or at Lady Elizabeth's lair more often than Hannah was at either. I can't say I don't recommend this book, I just didn't find Hannah all that interesting to warrant 500 pages of her own story.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: Like many others, I bought this as soon as I put down THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. I pretty much wish I had my money back. Hannah is not a likeable character and the writing seems very surface level. I did emphathize with Mary but that was about it. I am giving Gregory another chance with WIDEACRE but I think I may have to stick to Robin Mawell or Sandra Gulland for historical fiction.
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