The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

It's 1553, and a teenaged girl with a dangerous secret is caught up in royal intrigue as she tries to serve a scheming lord, an unhappy queen, and the queen's ambitious sister. As Edward VI, only male heir of Henry VIII, lies dying, 14-year-old Hannah Green is helping her father in his London printing and bookshop. Because young girls are not supposed to set print or deliver books, she's dressed in boy's clothing, but that's not Hannah's only secret. She and her father are Spanish Jews who fled the Inquisition after her mother was burned as a heretic. Finding refuge in Protestant England, the Greens observe Christian rituals in public, but privately they still honor the old ways. One day Hannah attracts the attention of a shop customer, handsome Lord Dudley, by innocently revealing that she has the gift of second sight-a particularly useful gift in these uncertain times, when it seems that Protestant Edward will be succeeded by Catholic Mary. Hannah becomes an aide to Lord Dudley, who recommends her to the young king to be his Fool. While serving Edward, she follows Dudley's orders to attend and spy upon the king's older sister Mary, whom she grows to love. When Mary becomes Queen, Hannah attends her at court, but (again at Dudley's request) also makes contact with her sister Elizabeth. Hannah admires the young princess's courage as Elizabeth faces losing her life when Mary starts burning Protestants as heretics. Her loyalties divided, fearful that she and her father are vulnerable in Catholic England, Hannah relies on her wits to survive threats, intrigue, and danger. She must also decide whether she will marry Daniel, a family friend, to whom she is officially betrothed.

This is only the second Philippa Gregory book I have read, after The Other Boleyn Girl, and it doesn't come close to being as interesting as the first. It took me awhile to read this book; it didn't grab me and pull me in like The Other Boleyn Girl did. Still, The Queen's Fool was pretty good. Hannah was a great main character, but her constant divided loyalties between Mary and Elizabeth annoyed me. I wanted so badly for her to tell Robert Dudley, Dr. Dee and Elizabeth to shove it! I understand that she was trying to protect herself and her family from being exposed as Jews, but she could have done that by going away with Daniel and her father when they first asked her to. No need for her to stay at court and play into Robert's hands, like so many other women did, although she fancied herself in love with him. I admired her devotion to Queen Mary, though. She was a true friend to Mary when no one else would be. And I was pleased that she finally 'grew up' and realized that Robert Dudley was no good for her. What she really wanted was what she'd always had.

4/5