Recently my reading goes very well, I came across some nice books and there are more waiting on my desk. First I read "The Queen`s Fool" by Philippa Gregory. It is the story of the battle for the throne between Queen Mary and Elisabeth, seen through the eyes of a Hebrew refugee- an intelligent girl Hannah. She has travelled with her father from Spain through all Europe to seek safety from persecutions. They settle in London and soon after that she is employed as a "fool" in the court of Mary. She has the gift of seeing in the future but she cannot command it. The Sight comes to her whenever it wishes. Hannah has been educated by her father; she has a strong sense of independance and she is more interested in the complicated intrigues of the court than in a decent marriage. She has a wit,a great sense of her own personality and value,a strong feeling for independance; she is loyal and honest. I liked her story with Daniel which started so slow and unpromisingly at the beginning,but thereafter developed into a beautiful love. I understood completely her disappointment and pain when she discovered that Daniel had a child from another woman.She was a little bit too severe with him and I admit that I was a bit disappointed when she left him but it was quite natural,for she was deeply hurt by his lie,especially after the cold reception from her mother and sisters in law.
Mary and Elisabeth were very well portrayed.I enjoyed the way Hannah analysed them with her sharp intelligence. She balanced very luckily between her several masters: Queen Mary,Robert Dudley and Elisabeth. I don`t know how Hannah managed to stay loyal and symphatetic to Queen Mary when the country was set on fanatic religious fire.Perhaps she understood that in her heart Queen Mary was a deeply hurted and disappointed woman and her unhappiness made her so fanatical about religion.
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"May Contain Nuts" by John O`Farrell.
This time John O`Farrell points his humor towards excessive ambitions of parents to get the best for their children even if this means to cheat the examinators and take the exams themselves! Alice competes with another mother, Ffion, whose children are supposed to excel in everything. Although not so funny as "The Best You Can Get", this book is a good comedy on parenting ambitions.
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"Arthur and George" by Julian Barnes
Going tomorrow to borrow it from the British council library.
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