Rating: 
Summary: Three Masters
Review: Love and betrayal follow this book into one of the most dazzling, dangerous, and chaotic courts of Europe in the 1500's: the Tudor court of England. We follow Hannah Green, a young Spanish girl who is Jewish but pretending to be Christian, to the side of young King Edward, Queen Mary, and ultimately Elizabeth.
Hannah Verde (or Green) has fled the Inquisition with her father because her mother was unfortunate enough to be burned at the stake. But, nothing has prepared Hannah for the life that she will lead in England. From the moment she lays eyes on Robert Dudley (son of the most powerful man in England,) she is smitten. Hannah is no ordinary girl though, and this is the most interesting part of the author's writing style. All of the historical facts given to tell the story are told through Hannah's gift, the Sight. This is the gift that gives the remarkable ability to be able to see into the future, and all of her predictions do come to pass. This is what catches the eye of young Lord Robert and brings her to court. She had seen an angel behind him and from here on she would become a fool to the young king, and later on become a priceless companion and holy seer to the Queen Mary, and dear friend to Queen Elizabeth.
Although the book is fictional many of the events that go on throughout the story really did occur. I loved the author's poetic way of expressing Hannah's feelings while combining them with historical accuracy all in one. One of my favorite visions that Hannah had was when she predicts the fate of both Mary and her sister Elizabeth. The words that the author uses while the Sight speaks through Hannah are both vivid and touching.
The main character Hannah is extremely complex which is what I love about this book. She is torn between love and loyalty. She is in love with Robert Dudley, she loves and is loyal to the queen, and like everyone else, she is drawn to the Princess Elizabeth. One of the interesting things about this book though, is that Mary was made to look like a martyr and a completely misunderstood woman, whereas Elizabeth is shown for cruel and selfish side and ambition that got her to the throne.
Another excellent quality of this book is that it shows what went on during the reigns of Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth outside of court life. In fact, we even learn of life in Calais, a city in Europe owned by the English. Besides having a life at court, Hannah is also betrothed to young man called David whom she loves dearly. He is pressing her to leave court because the Inquisition is now in Catholic England, and they are both Jewish. But once again, although Hannah loves Daniel a lot, she loves the Queen Mary and is very loyal to her, so she cannot leave her.
Hannah does end up having to leave to Calais, but soon returns to England and her dear Queen Mary. This was the rather exciting part of the novel and it takes place in Calais. It is here that we witness the war that Phillip of Spain dragged England into and drained her treasury with. It was rather fascinating seeing as how Philippa Gregory is very vivid and descriptive with her words.
This book was very enjoyable to read and rather touching. It had something for everyone. It is highly recommended for those interested in the Tudor Era or the lives of English people in the 1500's. Philippa Gregory is an excellent author and I highly recommend any of her books, and especially this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasant stay in Tudor England....with a little work
Review: Ms. Gregory's second novel in her Tudor themed books is not as good as her first, The Other Boleyn Girl. While in the first novel the narrative flowed smoothly, this time the story feels a bit forced at times. I did not find this book as engaging as the first - but I must say that Ms. Gregory does provide a pleasant window that allows the reader to spend a brief stay in a magical historical time. Ms. Gregory clearly does her research and knows how to spin a tale. I do recommend this book, but with a 4 rather than a 5.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic and worthwhile read
Review: Philippa Gregory (authour of "The Other Boleyn Girl") returns to turbulent Tudor England in her latest novel, "The Queen's Fool." This time, our narrator-guide is a young Jewish girl, Hannah Green, who together with her father, has fled Spain and the Inquisition, for England. Here, they have taken great pains to live quietly and to show that they are fervent Lutherans, all the while practicing their faith in secret. That is until a chance encounter with the mysterious John Dee changes the course of their lives forever. Hannah and her father have opened a bookshop, where Hannah (unlike most girls of her age) has been working at dressed as a boy and acting as her father's apprentice. One day, however, young Robert Dudley and his tutor, John Dee, come to the shop; and in the course of things, discover that Hannah has the 'sight.' Suddenly Hannah's future changes dramatically: where marriage to a distant cousin seemed to have been her fate, she's now dragooned into the service of the Dudleys, who plan to use her 'sight' for their own means. And soon Hannah finds herself torn on all sides -- strangely drawn to her new master, Robert Dudley and yet missing her father dreadfully; and not wanting to be confined to playing the role of mere wife and mother, and yet not wanting to close the door on that option either. Hannah is confused and fearful about her future. But not even in her wildest dreams would she envision the part she would play in the fortunes of the Tudors... I made the mistake of picking up this book just before going to sleep. Such was the sheer brilliance of "The Queens' Fool" that I had to finish the book in one sitting. What a compelling and engrossing read this novel proved to be! And what a heroine Gergory has created in Hannah! The authour did a fantastic job in 'fleshing out' the many sides of Hannha's character, thus making her both complex and sympathetic. Philippa Gregory also did a simply magnificent job of bringing to life the England of the mid 16th century with all it's brutality and turbulence, as well as it's vibrancy and colour. With exquistely drawn character, easy and swift pacing, and a wonderfully lyrical prose style, "The Queen's Fool" proved to both a joy and a pleasure to read. And whether or not you're a fan of historical novels, "The Queen's Fool" is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Boiling with adventure, romance and suspense!
Review: Philippa Gregory gives medieval and renaissance fans a real treat to sink their teeth into with this 16th century tale of a Jewish refugee in the British court. Fleeing for her life, Hannah arrives in England but must fight a different battle for survival against the intrigue and upheaval of the Tudor court. This novel is non-stop action and a thrill for romance fans and historical fiction readers. Highly recommend!
Rating:
Summary: excitingly revisionist
Review: Philippa Gregory is one of the best historical novelists writing today, and she's at the top of her game with this book. As in the Meridon trilogy and "Wise Woman," she infuses her historical romance with a touch of mysticism. She takes the daring approach here of making Mary the sympathetic Tudor and Elizabeth the nasty one, and creates a most likeable heroine in Hannah Green, a Jewish clairvoyant in boy's garb who is a nice mixture of audacity and empathy. It sounds far-fetched, but Gregory pulls you in with believable (though not exactly period) dialogue, discreet sex, and fast-paced adventure. Hannah's emotions and reactions are always realistic, and neatly woven into the fantastically convoluted events of 1552-58. She lets "Bloody Mary" off a bit too easily regarding the burning of Protestant heretics (though of course, real life punished Mary badly enough), and makes Robert Dudley seem more of a matinee idol and less the calculating courtier that he was, but then this story is told from the point of view of an adolescent girl, so it's not really a flaw. There are many hints of a sequel in the novel, so I'm looking forward to her next revisionist take on the legendary Tudor women. I just hope we'll see more of Hannah Green, too.
Rating:
Summary: Time well spent
Review: Philippa Gregory writes wonderful historical fiction.
Hannah Green is a wonderful, complex young woman who is caught between childhood and adulthood, Christianity and Judaism, her desires and what she feels is her duty, and between life as a commoner and life at the court of Mary I and Elizabeth, in the role of fool. This is an excellent ficitional account, from the perspective of Hannah Greene, an adolescent girl, blessed with "the sight". Her relationship with Mary, Elizabeth, Robert Dudley and Daniel, her betrothed, were all fascinating to read about.
I would also recommend reading "The Other Boleyn Girl"...which was an excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: After her last book....a disappointment
Review: Philippa Gregory's THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL is one of my favorite books. When I accidentally discovered this book at a bookstore, I bought it immediately and expected to love it just as much! I can't say that I did!
I never felt any kind of a bond with the main character, Hannah, and the story never seemed to pick up any steam. Although I think that the author tried to portray Hannah as young woman discovering her independence and asserting her individuality and strength, I found her to be wishy-washy, timid, indecisive and just plain disloyal. One moment she was the faithful servant of a member of the royal family and the next moment she was spying on them. She should have been tried for treason a hundred times over! The premise of the story (the unlikely relationship of a young Jewish girl escaping the Spanish Inquisition only to become an intimate member of the English royal court) was very interesting and carried so much potential, but the story never went anywhere and the details were superficial. The fact that Hannah was not a real person only added to my frustration in trying to determine to what extent the storyline details actually took place.
On a positive note, I did enjoy learning alittle more about 'Bloody Mary.' I have read so much lately pertaining to the Tudors, but have only limited background on this Queen.
All in all, I can say that I will definitely read any forthcoming book from Philippa Gregory, but can't say that this one compares on any level to some of her previous works.
Rating: 
Summary: Strange & Disappointing
Review: Phillipa Gregory does a wonderful job of recreating a historical period, and I did enjoy her other Tudor work, The Other Boleyn Girl. I expected to enjoy this one as much, but couldn't. I found the indiscriminately sympathetic portrayal of Mary (known to history as Bloody Mary) troubling. The author seemed to think that because Mary was a wronged wife, her excesses were excusable. Even more disturbing, and harder to swallow, is that the main character, Hannah, a secret Jew who lives in fear of being burned as heretic, remains loyal and uncritical of Mary until the end. Either Hannah is an insensitive hypocrite, indifferent to the suffering of others because of her own safety as a royal favorite, or she is a poorly drawn character. It is hard to believe someone whose own mother was burned at the stake could remain loyal to a woman who sent so many to be burned alive. Gregory blames Mary's ministers, pretending Mary was largely unaware of what was being done. A ruler with Mary's absolute power "unaware"? That makes her either a disconnected, incompetent ruler (not Gregory's view), or one so weak she was completely dominated by her ministers, which there is no reason to believe. Gregory did succeed in showing how sad Mary's life was in many ways: Early separation from her mother due to her father's selfish whims, loss of her position, a youth spent in a kind of exile, an unfaithful husband. However, I also saw her parents' flaws in her: obsessive attachment to a indifferent man, fanaticism and sense of absolute truth which both parents possessed, and worse, a ruthlessness and cruelty in enforcing her will inherited from her father. "Bloody Mary" traumatized her country and was, ironically, probably one of the reasons England turned staunchly Protestant. If you happened to catch the recent cable movie "Charles II, The Last King" you can see how strongly the hatred/fear of Catholics persisted over a century later. The other strange thing about "The Queen's Fool" is the unsympathetic portrayal of Elizabeth, the ruler who would prove the most tolerant of religous practices. What is worse is that Gregory's and Hannah's condemnation of Elizabeth is largely based on qualities, actions or feelings that Hannah also exhibits. For example, Hannah's (and our) first view of Elizabeth is of a 14 year old girl flirting and kissing a married man (Thomas Seymour, a notorious womanizer). Yet, for much of the novel, Hannah is in love with a married man. She even spies on and betrays a trusting mistress (Mary) for love of him. Still, Elizabeth is considered a "whore" by Hannah (a word greatly overused by Gregory, used for any sexually active woman, though there were kinder words in use at the time). Hannah also condemns Elizabeth for her secret Protestantism, stange considering she herself is a secret Jew. Why does she feel such loyalty to Catholicism anyway? It is the Catholics of Spain who have particularly persecuted her people, and Mary's husband is the Spanish King. English Protestants were benign by contrast. The historical information about 16th century European Jews was interesting, and the most worthwhile part of "The Queen's Fool." Otherwise, not recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: The historical information presented by the book, even the last detail, is extremely accurate. It serves as a history lesson woven into a fascinating storyline. Although the book lacks a structured plot or even a clear struggle for the protagonist, Hannah Green, it follows her adventures and is definitely interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating historical novel about Queen Mary.
Review: The queen of England, Mary, who preceeded the more famous Queen Elizabeth on the throne has all but been forgotten. The central character to this book, Hannah Verde, is a Jewish girl pretending to be Christian for her own protection. Hannah has the unpredictable gift of being able to see the future. She is brought to court to work as a "fool" to the short lived King Edward and stays on, through thick and thin, to work for Queen Mary and her half sister Elizabeth. I found this story to be less about Hannah and more about Queen Mary who had a disastrous reign because of her fanatical Catholic faith and her poor selection of a husband. The story also focuses on the manipulative Queen Elizabeth before she was Queen. Although a bit dry at times I found this book to be a fascinating study of England at a time of extreme religious turmoil and intolerance. The message of the book, I think, is that more murder and mayhem has been committed in the name of religion than for any other reason and that the only way to peace is religious tolerance. I highly recommend this book.
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