This is the second book in Philippa Gregory's Tudor series; this time, the story is seen through the eyes of Hannah Green, the Queen's Fool, who is Jewish and has the gift of Sight, and her time at the Tudor court from the death of Edward to the death of Mary.

This book really made me feel for Mary. Everyone knows her as 'Bloody Mary,' a murderer, but Philippa's portrayal of her is a woman who just wants to help her country regain the true faith and save their souls from sin, no matter what it takes. Mary is left to die, heartbroken, having seen her marriage fail, her husband stolen from her by her own sister, been taunted for her two still-born (possibly false) pregnancies, and her country prefer Elizabeth to her. Her nightmare has come true, as she sees the man she loves stolen by a younger woman, just as Henry was stolen from Mary's mother Catherine by Elizabeth's mother Anne many years before. You really do feel for her, and it makes her much more human.

As the story is told through Hannah's eyes, obviously it focuses on the plight of her life, and her thoughts on being a woman and wanting to be independent, rather than marrying her betrothed and being a good Jewish wife. I personally disliked the sillyness between her and her husband, as it went from subplot to main plot as they flee to Calais. Although I liked her as a character, I just wasn't interested, I picked up the book to read about the Queen and the Princess, and just wished the main story would start up again. This is why, unfortunately, I can't give it full marks like The Other Boleyn Girl - the parts with Mary and Elizabeth are enchanting, and I was completely sucked into their world.

However, this one can't have turned me off the series too much, as I've bought the next in the series, The Virgin's Lover, which I'm really looking forward to reading. ( )

The main character was moderately interesting; Gregory's characterisation of Elizabeth was wrong-headed and completely unsupported by the historical evidence. Really, though, all this book left me thinking was -- Bring me the head of Gregory's editors! This was a book I'd have found diverting enough, if unremarkable, were it not for the incredibly shoddy punctuation throughout. Were editors not used for this at all? Because as weak as my grasp of proper punctuation may be, even I know that the semicolon serves a purpose. ( )

This was the first book by Philippa Gregory that I read and one that got me hooked on her Tudor family saga. Gregory's blend of history and fiction creates very believable characters, especially strong women. In a time when women, even royal women, weren't given respect as people, it is interesting to see how they may have loved and fought to build a life. Also, Gregory's books have helped me remember more about England's history than any classes I have taken! ( )

The first Philippa Gregory novel I read and it encouraged me to keep reading. ( )

Phillipa Gregory has such a unique voice and is such a talented story-teller. While I had my doubts when I started this book, I was eventually swept away by it. The pace was initially much slower than the previous Gregory books that I had read, but in a way that was fitting for the main character of this story, Hannah Green. In much the same way that you see Hannah transform from a young girl and the Queen's fool, the book transforms from ordinary to magnificent. You won't want to miss this one. ( )