The Queen's Fool/The Virgin's Lover

Author: Philippa Gregory

Double volume of the two Tudor Queens, Mary and Elizabeth.

The first book, The Queen's Fool, revolves around a fictional character, Hannah Green, who has the ability to see the future. She is taken under the wing of Lord Robert Dudley as his vassal, and placed in King Edward's court as the King's holy fool. Later, she serves Queen Mary, and is assigned by the Queen as a companion to Princess Elizabeth. All the while, she is forced to keep her true identity a secret - a Jewish refugee from Spain - to escape the Inquisition and Mary's increasing Catholic fanaticism.

The second, The Virgin's Lover, picks up where the Queen's Fool ends i.e Elizabeth's ascension to the throne of England. The Lover in question is the same Robert Dudley, who returns to Court as the Queen's favourite and Master of Horse, much to the despair of his estranged wife, Amy. It covers the early years of Elizabeth's reign, up to a scandalous death that causes Dudley to lose his exalted position at Court.

Judging by the thread of characterisation from previous books in these series that I have read (The Constant Princess and The Other Boleyn Girl), I felt that the author sympathised very much with Catherine of Aragon's lineage while clearly not too impressed with the Boleyns. Queen Mary, through the eyes of Hannah the Fool, is depicted as a good woman with noble intentions, but as a virtuous woman who married late, became obsessed with pleasing her handsome Spanish husband. Elizabeth, meanwhile, was portrayed from the very first page as a seducer of men, and although she is mentioned as being intelligent, she is also portrayed as a highly nervous young woman who had to rely heavily on her advisors, and sometimes ignored them when it suited her fancy - in this case, her adoration of Dudley.

The second book also plodded along somewhat, with the historical events mainly played out as just a background for the royal frolics and Dudley's talent for event management. Things only really picked up in the last third of the book, but by then I had begun to lose interest and was just intent on finishing the book so I could move on to other reading material. Despite my earlier statement, I think I'm ready to give Ms Gregory a break for now.

Shadow of a King

Author: Helen Hollick


This is the third and final book of the Pendragon's Banner series written about Arthur Pendragon. Written in a more realistic, historical manner i.e. no Merlin the Magician, dragons or swords in stones, it still makes for compelling reading.

The Arthur and Camelot of these series is set at a time between the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods of Britain. In the background is also the transition of religious beliefs from pagan to Christianity, and these conflicts shape much of the events in the book. Several of the characters are based on the more popular version i.e Gwenhyfar/Guinevere, Medraut/Mordred, Bedwyr/Lancelot, although their circumstances and fates are different.

Arthur is also depicted as a less-than-perfect man, with his womanising ways and dark temper, and this results in some very awkward relationships between his various offspring.

The book left me interested to know more about British history, especially of that period. Maybe it's time I go through my bookcase again - I'm sure I have a volume available somewhere.

The Constant Princess

Author: Philippa Gregory



This woman is fast becoming my favourite-of-the-month author. Instead of starting on the books I bought earlier, I borrowed this from my sister during my short trip back to KL. My verdict? A good historical romance that would leave you crying and asking yourself: Is this for real?


It is the story of Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife and mother of Mary Tudor. The story starts with a fire in a battlecamp, when Katherine - or Catalina as she was known in Spain - was five years old and her mother, Isabella of Castille, was fighting against the Moors of al Andalus. Catalina, the Infanta of Spain, was the youngest and spent her first years of childhood on the campaign trail. She shares the wonderment of the Alhambra as the conquering Christian monarchs make it their home:

But the little doorway is like a keyhole to a treasure chest of boxes, the one opening out from another. The man leads us through them like a slave opening doors to a treasury. Their very names are a poem: the Golden Chamber, the Courtyard of the Myrtles, the Hall of the Ambassadors, the Courtyard of the Lions, or the Hall of the Two Sisters. It will take us weeks to find our way from one exquisitely tiled room to another. It will take us months to stop marvelling at the pleasure of the sound of water running down the marble gulleys in the rooms, flowing to a white marble fountain that always spills over with the cleanest, freshest water of the mountains.

Betrothed at a young age to Arthur, the 'Rose of England', Catalina grows up with an intense purpose to fulfill her destiny as the Princess of Wales, and later Queen of England. Her determination takes her to England where she faces her future father-in-law Henry VII, her timid husband-to-be, his domineering grandmother Lady Margaret Beaufort and meets charming young Prince Harry, who would later become the Prince of Wales and Catalina's husband after the death of Arthur.

The book is built on the premise that Catalina lied when she said her marriage to Arthur was never consummated, hence allowing for the marriage to Arthur's younger brother after his death. As the story goes, Catalina and Arthur were a passionately loving young couple and made great plans to rule England together. The name Katherine was given to her by Arthur, who made her promise, on his deathbed to become Queen of England by marrying Harry.

Katherine, as a historical figure, is obviously a favourite of the author. Throughout the book she is depicted as a woman of strong faith and courage, with hardly any faults. Certainly a contrast to how Anne Boleyn was represented in 'The Other Boleyn Girl'. The last chapter of the book covers the events in 1529, when Henry sought an annulment to their marriage so he could marry Anne instead. Even then, Katherine insisted that she was the rightful Queen of England, holding fast to the promise she made to her true love, Arthur.

'I shall do this for you,' I say fiercely in my mind, to my beloved. 'You wanted this lie. I shall do it thoroughly. If it is going to be done, it must be done thoroughly. It has to be done with courage, conviction; and it must never be undone.'

My Reading List

Non-Fiction:

1. Mavericks at Work by William C Taylor & Polly G Labarre
2. History of God by Karen Armstrong
3. You've Got to Read this Book! by Jack Canfield & Gay Hendricks

Fiction:

1. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
2. The Queen's Fool/The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory (double volume)
3. The House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar

All by the end of the year. Ambitious, no?

The Outliers

Author: Malcolm Gladwell

I'm not quite sure how to classify Malcolm Gladwell's books - business, sociology, self-improvement? - but they definitely make for interesting reading.

This book deals with success, or rather the contributing factors to success. In a way, he demystifies the concept of sheer outstanding talent, and highlights instead the importance of opportunities, circumstances and even family background.

What I found interesting was his acknowledgement that certain races (Chinese, Jewish) are more successful in specific industries or activities, but that it has nothing to do with genes. Instead, it is the result of cultural traits shaped by such things as geography and history.

I found it relevant to support the current industrial need for capability development, especially the 10,000 hour rule (the minimum amount of time you need to spend practising something to become an expert in that area). Assuming it's your full time job, at 40 hours a week, that'll amount to almost 5 solid years before becoming a specialist.

The Tipping Point

Author: Malcolm Gladwell

This book talks about creating and spreading change as epidemics - mostly in a socio-cultural context, but he also draws references from the spread of diseases. Pretty interesting stuff, with a lot of case studies ranging from history, children's television, smoking and crime.

Ultimately, it boils down to 3 main factors:

1. The persons involved - Connectors, Mavens & Salesmen
2. The form of the message - Stickiness Factor
3. The environment - Power of Context

Item 1 explains the 3 different types of personality that you need in a Change Agent - they must either have a lot of contacts (Connector), a lot of information (Maven) or a lot of enthusiasm (Salesman). Sometimes a Change Agent may be a combination of two or all three.

lThe second issue deals with the nature of the message, and here the book shares different strategies that one can use to make the message more appealing and sticky.

Lastly, change can only stick if the environment allows it - a horseman riding through the night, for example, is more memorable than one riding in broad daylight.

All in all, it kept me hooked - and that's a lot to say for a piece of non-fiction. I'd make this compulsory reading for those working in Change Management. And also for parents with very youn children.

Tempted by Words

From the departure hall to the boarding gates at KLIA, one has to walk past the duty-free section with your usual array of perfumes, chocolates and toys. One of my weaknesses was also there: books. I almost always end up buying something to read when I travel alone, even when I already have a book in tow.

This time, the promotion (10% discount for 2 books, 15% discount for 3) really caught my attention. Initially all I wanted was a magazine that cost less than RM10. But then a fictionalised history snared me. 5 minutes later, by the time I left the cashier, I had exchanged RM120 for a magazine, a novel and two other books. It almost cost me my flight, too.

I haven't started on any of them yet, though. I still have my original travel companion to finish.