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"Great historical fiction"
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted January 27, 2004

In 1553 Hannah de Verde and her father flee Spain following the Inquisition burning her mom at the stake for being Jewish. With the help of the Carpenters, they open up a London bookstore changing their name to Greene. Their sponsors and the Greenes hide their Jewish traditions Read more...

"Accurate historical details and richly drawn characters make this an excellent read."
Reviewed by Heather Heath
Courtesy Old Book Barn Gazette
Posted February 1, 2004

Hannah Green is a young Jewish girl doing her best to survive and define herself amid the terror and religious oppression of 16th century Europe. Having fled the Inquisitors of Spain, she and her father operate a small printing press in the heart of London. She possesses the awe-inspiring gift Read more...

Summary

A young woman caught in the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half sister, Elizabeth, must find her true destiny amid treason, poisonous rivalries, loss of faith, and unrequited love. It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires. Teeming with vibrant period detail and peopled by characters seamlessly woven into the sweeping tapestry of history, The Queen's Fool is another rich and emotionally resonant gem from this wonderful storyteller.