365 Days of Books

I much prefer The Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen (2001) to The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory. Both deal with females who are fools to Queens named Mary. But the stories are very different. In Philippa Gregory's book Hannah and her father are Jews fleeing Spain following the torture and death of Hannah's mother by the Inquisition. They carefully attend church and attempt to look as Christian as possible. To Hannah's father it is a mask but Hannah feels separated from her heritage and distant from the traditions she is supposed to be keeping in hiding. Hannah has visions and when this talent is revealed to a powerful Lord at the Court, Hannah is offered as a Fool to ailing King Edward and set as a spy in the Court by her benefactor. I did like the way that the hiding of race and religion was shown and the further tension when Hannah and her father realize that they are in a coiuntry that cannot make up its mind about what religion will rule: Roman Catholocism or Protestantism. At least when Protestants reign there is no Inquisition.

Hannah's strength is in being able to see good in people and to love even when the majority of the people have turned their backs. She cares for and worries about Edward, she comes to love Mary, and she respects and emulates Elizabeth even though she acknowledges that Elizabeth is a scandalous and conniving rogue. Her adoration of her Lord Robert was difficult to understand and several times her actions caused me to exclaim out loud and wonder "What is she thinking, Foolish Girl!"

Hannah is a bit of a Peter Pan, she wants her life to go her way and will not take on the responsibility of an adult until she can ararnge it to her will. She finds some flaws with this process in the long run.

I just preferred the other book. Maybe it was the visions, they and the other magic got on my nerves.