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Title: The Queen's Fool : A Novel by Philippa Gregory ISBN: 0-7432-4607-1 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 04 February, 2004 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.29 (28 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: excitingly revisionist
Comment: 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: 5
Summary: Fascinating historical novel about Queen Mary.
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: highly enjoyable
Comment: Very satisfying read. Not the most believable of historical novels, but it is a novel after all.
Hannah Green may find Mary a sympathetic character, but I did not think Philippa Gregory meant for her (Mary) to be read as such. She is still portrayed as doing horrible things and is quite hated by England by the end of the book (as she should be).
Hannah was an interesting protaganist as she is not always likable and does not always make the best decisions (or, the decisions that I wanted her to make :-)
This makes her more interesting and makes it very easy for one to become very involved in the book.
As good as "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "Meridon".
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Title: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory ISBN: 0743227441 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 04 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Favored Child : A Novel by Philippa Gregory ISBN: 0743249305 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 02 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant ISBN: 1400060737 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 17 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Wideacre : A Novel by Philippa Gregory ISBN: 0743249291 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 02 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Katherine by Anya Seton, Philippa Gregory ISBN: 155652532X Publisher: Chicago Review Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 2004 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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