Page 53 - Phonebox Magazine July 2006

Book Review
By Oxfam Bookshop, Olney
The Queen’s Fool
by Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory has a great gift of cleverly combining fact and fiction in her historical novels, and giving them a contemporary approach. Those of you who have read ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’
referring to Anne Boleyn’s older sister will warm to Hannah, a young Jewish girl dressed as a boy for her safety by her father, after her mother had been burned at the stake in Spain for heresy. Newly arrived in England she attracts the attention of Robert Dudley, visiting her father’s bookshop, when she ‘sees’ an angel accompanying him. He then begs her to the young King Edward as a ‘holy fool’ one always allowed to speak the truth without fear, and, dressed as a pageboy, she joins Will Somers, the court jester, with the task of keeping the King amused – and Robert Dudley informed.
For the same reason she is sent to the Lady Mary with whom she forms a bond of loyalty and when Edward dies, Hannah is one of Mary’s companions as she first escapes from Northumberland, who has put Lady Jane Grey on the throne and later raises her standard at Framlingham Castle. From there Mary rides to London, her army increasing as she travels, to take her rightful place as Queen, and we are given a much more sympathetic portrayal of that Queen than is customary. Hannah sees her as courageous and honest, convinced that she has been called by God to return England to the true faith.
The picture of Elizabeth is also rather different from the traditional view, and of the two half-sisters, it is clear that Hannah prefers Mary. But towards the end of her reign, saddened by two failed pregnancies and abandoned by Philip, the Spanish husband she adores, Mary falls into despair. This is exacerbated by the loss of Calais, a town to which Hannah has gone to be with her husband and his family. She manages to escape, with another woman’s child, thanks to Dudley, and returns to England, once again to be part of the intrigue surrounding Mary and Elizabeth.
In this novel, as in others, Philippa Gregory brings history to life, and involves the reader in the events which have helped to form our nation. It is exciting stuff, viewed through the eyes of Hannah Green, the ‘Queen’s fool’.
Brick Lane
by Monica Ali
An arranged marriage to a man twice her age transforms Nazneen’s life in ways that are both subtle and obvious. The most evident change is the relocation from her home and family in a Bangladeshi village to a small flat in east London. Day after day she lives out her new existence with a foot in each world, listening to the sounds of other lives above, below and around her while she dutifully grinds the spices, shines the glasses and trims her husband’s corns.
However culture seeps, like water, through all but the most impervious of membranes. Nazneen’s unquestioning acceptance of her Fate falters as Westernised influences invade, and she wrestles with feelings of discontent and dabbles in an adulterous relationship.
Like the spices that flavour her cooking, Nazneen’s life is flavoured by many wonderful characters that Monica Ali introduces to us in rich and vivid pictures. Individual traits and habits trail them through the story, and she pokes fun gently at the clothes and mannerisms that give them their substance. Nazneen’s kindly husband, Chanu, a man of significant stomach and similarly portentous ideas, evokes both laughter and pathos in the same thought. Karim, young, militant and charismatic is resplendent in double standards, as is Mrs Islam, a respectable type (in Chanu’s view) and moneylender to boot.
I really enjoyed this book! The depth of characterisation is its main strength and caused me many a chuckle, as personalities came to life in my imagination. Initially Nazneen’s passive acceptance of her life gives a platform for minute and objective observance of her world. Ali is a master in the ‘show it, don’t tell it’ school, and so much is portrayed in her inspired descriptions.
The storyline has the potential to leave one a bit sceptical, as characters like Chanu and Karim with their deep-rooted ideals have to be content with second best, while the women of the story (who aspire to little) live happily ever after. Rather than reflecting a cultural issue, perhaps this is a lesson that applies the world over –contentment is found in the soul rather than in the circumstance.
Review by Kim Locke
Review by Thelma Shacklady
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Reviews brought to you by Oxfam Books & Music Stanley Court, Olney
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Phonebox Magazine 55