Queen's Fool

Book : The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels

by Philippa Gregory

Genres: Renaissance; Women's Fiction; Historical Romance

Synopsis

This is a story set in the reigns of the children of Henry VIII: his short-lived son Edward and his Roman Catholic daughter Mary (Bloody Mary). It tells of the transfer of power; of magic and black magic; of the persecution of Jews, Catholics, and Protestants; of adulterous love; of sibling rivalry; and treason.The story is a struggle between the two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth for the throne of England and for the hearts of English people. It is seen through the eyes of the Queen's Fool--a young woman named Hannah, herself a refugee from the Spanish Inquisition--who serves first Robert Dudley, then Mary and then Elizabeth as a "holy fool," a young person kept about court to observe,comment, and spy. Hannah has been promised in marriage to a young man who wants her to leave court, but Hannah finds it almost impossible to disentangle herself from the passions and deadly power plays of the court.

Release date: February 19, 2008

Publisher: Atria Books

Print pages: 512