Queen's Own Fool: A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots

Here is Jane Yolen and Robert Harris's fictionalized account of the life of Mary Queen of Scots, told through the perspective of Mary's personal jester, Nicola Ambruzzi. Through Nicola's eyes we see the young Queen as she struggles with the death of her husband, King Francis of France; moves north to take over as ruling Queen of Scotland; marries Lord Darnley against the advice of her friends; and is later imprisoned and tried for his murder. The religious tumult that characterizes the time becomes the backdrop for an engrossing novel that weaves together the stories of the Queen's fool (as she rises from poverty into court life), and Mary, who eventually descends into public scorn.