The Queen's Fool

The Queen's Fool, by Philippa Gregory

Set in 1553, this book follows the fictional story of Hannah Green, a Spanish Jew hiding from the Inquisition in England. She has the gift of Sight, and is sent to King Edward's court to be a holy fool and predict the future. Also, on the side, she is required to spy for the people who hired her, who are not always on the right side. As it turns out, she always manages to escape accusations of disloyalty, even when power shifts to Queen Mary and then Queen Elizabeth. No one else seems to be able to accomplish such a thing.

It is a very intriguing book, and is more about spying and romance than anything else. There seemed to be an anachronism; at one point, a character makes fun of Christopher Columbus' ideas, but by 1553, Columbus has already been proven right. Another thing that confused me is that Queen Mary becomes pregnant and waits more than 9 months for her baby. Mention is made of her large belly, but at 11 months they are still waiting for the baby. At some point in there, there must have been a miscarriage but one would think her maids would have noticed a lack of belly. This seems to occur twice. I am not familiar with British history, but I am certain I have never heard of an incident like this occurring.

This book was difficult to put down and very well written. I would recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction, spy stories, or a good romance involving a tomboy-like character who falls in love with her culture, and therefore, with the boy wooing her.

PS. I read this in September and only got around to reviewing it now. Sorry!