I think I had previously started one of Philippa Gregory's other books but I am not sure if I had ever finished it (not "The Other Boleyn Girl" which I still haven't read), but after reading this one I will definitely be searching my shelves to find it and read it properly.
"The Queen's Fool" is a work of historical fiction told through the eyes of a girl, Hannah, who is in fear of her life by accident of birth, as a product of times and as a victim of circumstance when she is thrust in the household of the dying King. Whilst it is set in historical times and tells the story of life in the times of (Bloody)Queen Mary it is also a story of conflicting loyalties, devotion, betrayal and of finding yourself. The book shows nothing is black and white and throughout the book Hannah is shown everything is about compromise. The book wasn't overly focused on the historical side of things but definitely gave you sense of the contemporary times in particular the controversy over religion. For those people who are interested in that side of things there was enough said to inspire further reading on the period. Similarly that while romance featured in the book I would not call it a romance novel.
The book reminded me of Jean Plaidy's books albeit less focused on the historical characters. Jean Plaidy was my first introduction to history and the beginning of a lifelong love of all things historical. I will be hunting up more of Phillipa Gregory's books after reading this one.
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