King's Fool

Will Somers grew up not fitting in - although he was always the center of attention at parties, he was neither learned enough to teach like his father, nor strong (or skilled) enough to work on his uncle's farm. Happily for Will, luck hands him employment with the wealthy merchant, Richard Fermor, and then a well-timed joke brings him to the attention of King Henry VIII himself. Over the next 20 years, Will spends his time providing mirth, entertainment, and a friendly ear to Harry, his charming daughter Mary Tudor, and the succession of Queens at court.

I really enjoyed King's Fool - Will has a charmingly humble outlook on life because of his low beginnings and a genuine desire to help others and serve his masters. Though he is (even show more after years at court) sometimes quite naive as to the machinations at the Tudor court, he remains a steadfast friend to those he holds dear and proves a sharp-tongued foe to others. Although the book is set at the Tudor court, there was surprisingly little focus on the day to day, or even on the dramatic episodes that took place. Instead, the novel lingers on Will's tender love story with the daughter of his former master and on his affection for the king.

The greatest strength of the novel is Barnes' portrayal of Henry - he is an utterly believable character: young, handsome and spoiled; middle-aged, lusty and suspicious; older, diseased and worn-out. All of these Henrys are shown through the loving eye of his fool who always bears in mind his King's extravagant kindnesses. Yet the king's flaws certainly aren't glossed over or made unimportant. Rather the reader comes to understand Henry's complexity, his fears, and his conflicting emotions. I also very much enjoyed the brief sketches of Henry's wives - especially that more was said about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard than I've usually seen. It's always seemed to me that these two are generally treated as afterthoughts, and it was nice to get a sense of their characters here.

First and foremost this is a portrait - through snapshot-like scenes - of Henry VIII. King's Fool shows him in moments of strength, mirth, introspection and vulnerability - a fascinating look at a puzzling man. I wouldn't recommend this as a place to start reading about the Tudors (the novel assumes a basic familiarity with the King's 'Great Matter' and the drama surrounding Anne Boleyn in particular), but it's a wonderful read for someone looking to reconcile the conflicting sides of Henry Tudor's personality.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free review copy from the publisher. show less

First Line: I was Shropshire born, essentially a country lad, brought up to take my place among the new middle class which Tudor rule begat.

Thus begins the brilliant tale of Will Somers, King Henry VIII's court jester. First published in 1959 by renowned historical novelist Margaret Campbell Barnes, I wondered why on earth I'd never heard of her before. This is a remarkable insider tale of the Tudor court, told by "a common man" who little thought that saying yes to King Henry would give him a front-row seat to history.

Will Somers arrives at court and learns to care deeply for Queen Catherine and Princess Mary before the besotted Henry decides to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. It is a sign of Somers' intelligence that he knows show more how to go with the flow and keep his opinions to himself. As a result, he lives to see Elizabeth on the throne, artists include him in paintings with the king, and Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth both leave him annuities. Not bad for a Shropshire lad!

It would be easy to say that Somers' greatest gifts lay with his humor and wit, but after reading King's Fool, I would say that his forbearance and forgiveness outweighed them:

" I found myself slipping into his mind, though it was so utterly different from my own. Almost tenderly, I picked up the bedgown which had fallen to the floor and draped it welcomingly across his chair before the fire. Memories and disgusts of the last few turbulent years receded, and for some reason or other I found myself smiling at the recollection of my Uncle Tobias's comic visit to Court, and of Henry's kindness to him."

Not only do the characters come to life in this book, it is so filled with historical detail that I felt as though Somers was not the only person with a front-row seat to history. I have read dozens of books on Tudor England, both fiction and non-fiction. I rank King's Fool among the very best of them. I still can't believe that I'd never heard of Margaret Campbell Barnes, and I certainly will be looking for her other titles. show less

Will Somers was Henry VIII’s court jester from the time his daughter Mary was around 10 years old. Will remained Henry’s jester through all Henry’s wives until Henry passed away. Initially, Will found work for a local merchant, but when he accompanied that merchant to Court, he was enticed to stay and work as Henry’s jester. Will apparently became quite close with Henry and his family. This book has a fictional romance component to it.

There was a short author’s note at the start that explained that the romance was fictional, though much of the rest of the story is true; I always appreciate that kind of note or I would have wondered. I actually found Will’s life more interesting initially when he worked for the merchant, but show more then my interest waxed and waned through the rest of it. It seemed like Henry went through his last 5 wives very quickly in this book (and I suppose he really did, but this book seemed to speed that up), but of course that wasn’t the focus of the book, either. Overall, it was ok for me. show less

As far as historical fiction goes, one of the most visited periods is that of Henry VIII and his six wives. King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes is that story with a twist -- it is the autobiography of Will Somers, court jester to King Henry.

Will Somers lost his mother at a young age and worked on his uncle's farm. He impressed a passing merchant, Richard Fermor, and was taken into Fermor's employ as a worker and scribe. When he accompanied this man to a meeting at the royal palace, he caught the eye of the King and was hired on the spot as the King's fool. Through time, Will uses his skills as a listener and a friend to become more than just entertainment. He keeps his job as he watches queens come and go and witnesses his King lose show more his virility and strength.

This was a very enjoyable tale that gives a brief introduction to the reign of Henry VIII. Somers was a very likeable character and the love story that Barnes added in was sweet. She is very talented at writing dialogue and at condensing large amounts of history into a short book.

http://webereading.com/2009/04/new-release-kings-fool.html show less

Will Somers has no idea when he came to court with his merchant master that he would soon have the ear of a king. In “King’s Fool” Margaret Campbell Barnes elabortes on the known facts of real-life jester to Henry VIII, Will Somers. Somers served Henry through all of his wives, and even served in the courts of Henry’s three ruling children.

The scholarship in this book is definitely not the most up-to-date and there were a few things that seemed a bit off to me, but Barnes originally wrote this in the late 1950s, so she really can’t be faulted for not being up on what is current. I loved seeing all of Henry’s wives from the point of view of an intimate outsider and thoroughly enjoyed finally getting a full sketch of Will, show more even if much of it was purely speculative.

“King Fool” is a highly enjoyable book and definitely something to check out for fans of Tudor-era historical fiction. I hope to read more of Barnes’ work. show less

While King's Fool is certainly a competent telling of the familiar story of Henry VIII, the similar Autobiography of Henry VII, With Notes by His Fool Will Somers, which also uses the King's fool as narrator, simply does it better. Campbell Barnes' novel does go into more detail on Somers' life, from his childhood to his fateful meeting with Henry Tudor to the end of both their reigns...it is just hard to compete with the lengthy though incredible "Autobiography". If a fan of the Tudor genre, read King's Fool as an appetizer to the meatier volumes out there.

When Will Somers hits puberty and loses his beautiful singing voice, he is at a crossroads in his life, not only a disappointment to himself but also to his father. An accident brings Master Richard Fermor to the farm of Will’s uncle, and an even happier coincidence leads to Will’s employment with the Fermor family. Will becomes good at his clerking, but retains a love for performance, which he can’t resist showing off at the king’s court when he accompanies his master. Henry VIII is diverted by the sight and immediately hires Will as his fool. At court, Will is witness to history.

At first I was a little put off by this book’s slight historical inaccuracies, but quickly realized that the author had died in 1962 and historical show more understanding was completely different then. Barnes could have easily done all the research available to her and I would still find fault with it, so I threw everything I knew out the window and just tried to enjoy the story, and enjoy it I did. The writing isn’t dated at all and I knew it was a re-release, but I don’t tend to start with the author bio when I go to read a book. I will admit that I was perplexed in other ways by the beginning; though Will moves around a lot, the story wasn’t excessively interesting until he reached court and Henry’s service.

I thought it interesting that though Will is the “fool”, he’s so level-headed and earnest most of the time. We hear only a little about how he entertains the king and court, more about his personal relations with the king and family, and about Will’s own personal issues as well. I think I preferred this varied look. We still get plenty of historical figures, but I became attached to Will in a way that may not have been possible if he was a more ridiculous character. I liked him very much and wanted him to do well. I preferred that the story was centered on him.

Overall, I think this is a nice work of historical fiction that definitely deserves the re-release Sourcebooks is giving it. I enjoyed the time I spent reading it and would certainly recommend it to someone else who liked the genre.

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