THE QUEEN'S FOOL

Bianca Amato narrates this long and complex book so well that not only is the listener enthralled by the plot, but also never bored by the evident historical detail. The heroine, Hannah Green, is not only a Jew in the time of the Inquisition, but she also sees visions. She becomes the religious fool at the court of a king and then two successive queens, all the while hiding her own religion and often her political sympathies. This novel is packed with historical characters, all of whom Amato handles specifically so that each character is individualized, a characteristic that is important in such a complicated plot of schemes and treachery. Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, as well as Hannah, emerge fully three-dimensional and unforgettable in their desires and foibles. B.H.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]