Summer 1548 and Winter 1552-1553 Summary

Queen's Fool is essentially a coming-of-age story about a girl by the name of Hannah. In the Summer of 1548, Hannah's father, a Spanish printer and book seller by trade, sent Hannah to the English court to deliver a set of books. Hannah went to the castle garden in search of their owner, Tom Seymour, and found him sexually engaged with Princess Elizabeth. It was Hannah's first introduction to the princess—and not a favorable one.

During the Winter of 1552-1553, Hannah and her father moved to England. Their family was Jewish and as a consequence of political persecution they were forced to relocate under assumed names and a new religion. During the Inquisition Hannah's mother was burned at the stake for her beliefs. Although they all publicly converted in an attempt to survive, her mother was...