Being a fool in any royal court can be dangerous, but being a fool in the court in King Henry VIII’s court could be deadly. While you could enjoy performing for royalty, you could also learn secrets about those close to the throne, secrets that have deadly consequences. Kronos knows this all too well. Born disabled, Kronos must navigate his way through prejudice to find his place in society. How did Kronos become the fool to King Henry VIII, and what secret threatens his life? Mary Lawrence explores what life must have been like for a fool in the tumultuous court of Henry VIII in her novel, “Fool.”
I would like to thank Red Puddle Print and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I have read a few novels that have featured Henry VIII’s most famous fool, Will Somers, so when I saw the premise for this novel, it intrigued me. I like looking at the court of Henry VIII through the eyes of those who might have worked behind the scenes.
Kronos was not an actual fool of Henry VIII’s court, but his story reflects how real fools like Will Somers, Patch, and Jane the Fool must have felt dealing with prejudices at court. Kronos was born with dwarfism and was dropped off at Thetford Priory, where the brothers raised him. At the Priory, he learns medicine from Brother Ulric. Kronos also picks up the skill of juggling, which will become his skill when he becomes a fool. He is satisfied with not becoming a novice for a while, and then he meets Bess Holland, a young noblewoman whom he helps heal from an illness. Kronos becomes infatuated with the young noblewoman, which was a little weird to read at times.
After an incident at the Priory with a maid, Kronos leaves the Priory and begins to look for his own place in the world. He joins a travelling circus troupe, where he becomes a better juggler. He gains a reputation that lands him in the court of Henry VIII, but it is not all glitz and glam. Kronos soon learns that keeping a secret will have deadly consequences. Kronos is maimed, on the brink of death, but although he is brought to an apothecary, he soon learns that his rescuers may have darker plans for the fool.
Overall, I thought this was a decent novel. There was something about Kronos that made it hard for me to connect with him. I think the novel was well written and understood the Tudor world pretty well. If you want a darker look at what life was like for a fool in the court of King Henry VIII, I think you should check out “Fool” by Mary Lawrence.
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to discover a long-lost diary of a historical figure by accident? Archaeologist Giuseppe Campise has already found a diary of Mary Magdalene. Now, the Vatican wants Giuseppe to uncover the tomb of Alexander the Great. However, while on the search for the tomb, Giuseppe finds something even more precious, the diary of Lucrezia Borgia. What secrets does the diary hold? Johnny Teague tells the tale of Lucrezia Borgia through her diary in his latest novel, “The Lost Diary of Lucrezia Borgia.”
We all know the story of Anne Boleyn. The story of the English noblewoman who caught the eye of King Henry VIII, who decided to divorce his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, to marry Anne. He broke away from Rome and created the Church of England to do it, but marital bliss did not last long, as a few years later, Anne would leave their three-year-old daughter Elizabeth behind when she was executed by Henry over charges of adultery. We know this version of the story, but what if we look at Anne’s story from a continental European perspective? How does her story change when we view her life through a religious lens? Heather R. Darsie hopes to show her audience a different side of Anne Boleyn in her latest book, “‘If Any Person Will Meddle of My Cause’: The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn.”
When we think of Elizabethan England, we tend to think of the Golden Age of England. A time of discoveries and for the arts to flourish under the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I. However, there is a darker side. It was also a time of espionage, fears of invasions from other countries, and the hatred between Catholics and Protestants. The dangers of the Elizabethan underworld have reached the queen, as there is an attempt on her life. Can Jack, the son of a crime boss, change his life and find the culprit before they find him, or will he be betrayed by those he calls his friends? Amie McNee explores the seedy underworld of Elizabethan England in her novel, “To Kill a Queen.”
The daughters of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon lived very interesting lives. Of course, we know what happened to Katherine of Aragon, but her elder sister, Juana, has her own tragic tale. She was known as Juana the Mad because the rumors were that when her husband, Philip the Handsome, died, she carried her coffin around for months and would not let him be buried. Was Juana truly mad, or was it all a ruse by powerful men to steal her lands and titles? Lynn Cullen explores Juana of Castile’s life in her novel, “Reign of Madness.”
Sixteenth-century England was a time of great change. There were religious changes as the crown passed from one member of the Tudor family to another. Wars and illnesses like the plague and the sweating sickness were rampant. However, this was also a time of an explosion of the arts, particularly of the theatre. We see men like William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson rise from obscurity to write plays that would propel them to become phenomena. There was a third playwright who should be included in this list. He was the son of a cobbler who was educated at Cambridge University. A brilliant man who wrote groundbreaking plays while he was a spy for her majesty Queen Elizabeth I, his cause of death when he was only in his twenties would remain a mystery for centuries. Christopher (Kit) Marlowe’s story is told in Stephen Greenblatt’s latest book, “Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival.”
The year is 1599 in Rome, Italy. A young rich woman stands in front of an executioner’s block. She is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a lover, and a killer. Her victim was her father, a man who made her life and the lives of her family members a living hell. When she falls in love with one of her father’s spies, she believes that it is a way out. However, the path she chooses to embark on will bring deadly consequences. What is the truth surrounding this case, and is Beatrice Cenci a cold-blooded murderer or a victim looking for her freedom? Elizabeth Fremantle explores the life of Beatrice Cenci and the circumstances of this crime in her latest novel, “Sinners.”
In each era throughout history, we see how men and women adapt to the struggles and triumphs of the age. Take, for example, the 16th century, primarily in Tudor England. It was a time of great religious changes and dynamic rulers who would change the course of European history forever. While men had the most power, except for a handful of women, the majority of women struggled to survive each stage of life. So, what was life truly like for Tudor women? Elizabeth Norton explores this topic in her book, “The Lives of Tudor Women.”
The 16th century was dominated by powerful women who left their indelible mark on European history. Take, for example, the aunt of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. No, not Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. I am talking about a woman who was the daughter of Emperor Maximilian I, was married three times, had no children, and helped raise her nephew Charles V, was an essential part of the Ladies’ Peace, taught Anne Boleyn how to live at court, and was a patroness of the arts and literature. Of course, I am talking about Margaret of Austria, the Governor of the Netherlands. A formidable woman who saw much change and chose to be part of politics, even though she was a woman. Her remarkable story is told in Rozsa Gaston’s novel, “Margaret of Austria: Governor of the Netherlands and Early 16th-Century Europe’s Greatest Diplomat.”
We all know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Two crazy kids in love, whose families hated each other they decided to make the ultimate sacrifice and die for each other. One of the greatest tragic love stories of all time. But what if it didn’t end in tragedy? What if Romeo and Juliet had their happy ending and had a large family? In this version of Verona, Romeo and Juliet have a large family, and their eldest daughter Rosaline is the most beautiful, headstrong girl in all of Verona. Unfortunately, Rosaline (Rosie) has got herself in quite a mess with an unwanted prince fiancé, a ghost who only she can see, and a murder investigation. Can Rosie solve the case and figure out her love life before things go horribly wrong? This is the premise of the second book of the Daughter of Montague series by Christina Dodd called “Thus with a Kiss I Die.”
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 