Customer Reviews
One of the best books i've read - By: Amy, 19 Oct 2008 
This was only the second Philippa Gregory book i'd ever read so i had no idea how it would turn out
As soon as I read the first page I was hooked - i'd never read a book so fast in my life
When I finished it I couldnt stop thinking about hannah green , about her love for Robert Dudley about her way of life.
About 3 months after id read it i couldnt stand it any longer i was so caught up in the character i struggled to read any other books so ive decided to read it again.
I cant wait until Hannah's in Calais with robert coz' that was my favorite bit.
If you dont read this you are a fool indeed !
Read it & i guaranttee you wont regret it
Not just historical chick-lit - By: Sarah W, 09 Oct 2008 
Having previously written-off Philippa Gregory's novels as 'historical chick-lit', I decided to stop being such a snob & try one anyway. I couldn't bring myself to buy 'The Other Boleyn Girl', because the only copy I could find had Scarlett Johansson etc on the cover, so I opted for 'The Queen's Fool'.
The first quarter was a little slow-moving & felt more like an unusuallly colourful history book than a novel, while the narrator, Hannah Green, came across as a narrative device rather than a character: even with her gift of 'foresight' she could hardly have had the bird's eye view of England & its monarchs that she appeared to have. She filled in the gaps in readers' knowledge & enabled us to flit between Queen & Princess; Court & city.
However, once Mary was on the throne, the intrigues increased & Hannah did become a character in her own right, a somewhat morallly-ambiguous outsider; a survivor; a thoroughly modern woman living in the heart of the Tudor court. I feared for her; admired her spirit; identified with her anger & was glad that her story ended in a satisfactory, but open-ended way.
Romance didn't dominate the book; it wasn't sentimental; & while it still probably would be classified as historical chick-lit, I reallly don't care, it is well worth reading. I've no idea how historicallly accurate it is & I don't think it matters: this is fiction & even historians disagree about some of the 'facts'.
I have since been out to buy 'The Other Boleyn Girl', having thankfully found a non TV tie-in version of the book!
A Fool Caught in a Very Strange Web - By: Graceann Macleod, 11 Aug 2008 Philippa Gregory weaves a very different tale with a completely fictional narrator, young Hannah Green. As other reviews have noted, Hannah & her father flee the Spanish Inquisition, & start a new life in London, where she is discovered as having the gift of "Sight" by none other than Robert Dudley, who presses her first into service for the young King, thus beginning of a life of courtly intrigue.
As always, Gregory writes compellingly & interestingly, & I kept turning the pages because I wanted to know how it would alll turn out. I give this book four stars instead of five due to its abrupt ending & due to Hannah's ever-changing loyalties & attitudes. It was difficult to take her seriously when she pledged eternal devotion on one page & conveniently forgot it on the next. This was a very interesting take on Queen Mary, however, giving her far more sympathy than I was expecting to see. It is easier to understand how she was conflicted by her duties to her God & to her Country, as heinous & inexcusable as her policies happened to be.
The Queen's Fool - a review - By: Jonathan Crouch, 05 Aug 2008 As I read 'The Other Bolyn Girl' I felt that Mary was my friend. As I read 'The Queen's Fool' I felt that I reallly got to know Hannah as well. It takes a very good writer to achieve this effectively & Philippa Gregory is a marvel at it. I reallly liked 'The Other Bolyn Girl' but what I liked about 'The Queen's Fool' is that it was different. Yet it still gave a wonderful insight into Tudor Court & Tudor life (as seen through the eyes of Philippa Gregory admittedly) & was a thoroughly enjoyable & absorbing read in both cases.
Hannah - The kindest person in Philippa's Tutor series. - By: Humbird, 28 Jul 2008 The story is great, amazing plots! Just a little pity that Hannah is an invented person in history. I've read alll Tutor titles of Philippa's, & Hannah is the kindest one of alll! Her courage,loyalty & ability, makes her a perfect witness of that period of history. I would love to see this novel a motion picture!
