Review: King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Rating: 4.5/5

King's Fool is a story about Will Somers, a shy boy from Shropshire who becomes jester, friend and confidante to one of the most extraordinary of monarchs, King Henry VIII. Narrated by Will himself, we are given a special glimpse into the King Henry that only he knew.


A chance meeting with King Henry was all it took for the King to take a liking to Somers and offer him to join his court. Will was a well-rounded man - honest, compassionate and loyal - he fastly became a member of the royal family and was well-liked by the court. If at first the title of jester didn't appeal to him, he quickly changed his mind when told of all the perks - jesters had free reign (sorry - bad pun) over court and could pretty much blend in anywhere.
Will was jester throughout all of Henry's marriages and provides us with an unbiased account of all six debacles, as well as, the relationship between Henry and his children.

What I liked best about this book was the relationship between Will and King Henry. Will was probably the only true friend Henry ever had. I really enjoyed seeing the hidden side of Henry, the not so arrogant side - when he becomes Henry the man, not Henry the king. Henry the man is much more likable! In the very least, it made me have a bit of sympathy for Henry - it's not a life I would've wanted.

All in all I really liked this novel - Barnes is an excellent writer and manages to fit a lot of life into 300 pages, but for me I wished it had been longer. If after reading this book, you're itching to get more in-depth with Henry VIII, then I suggest Margaret George's The Autobiography of Henry VIII as told by his fool, Will Somers. This is very similar to King's Fool, albeit in reader's digest form, as George's novel is over 1000 pages.

15 comments:

  1. Love the review, Amy! The autobiography is on my TBR list, so this one should follow:) Thanks.
    Lucy

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  2. Great review. Thanks. This one has been on my list for months, since I read My Lady of Cleves. I'm surprised that it is so short.

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  3. I read this one a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I'm glad it's been re-released. Have you read Margaret George's The Autobiography of Henry VIII? It's also told by Will Somers. Even better than this one! :)

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  4. I've read both this one and Margaret George's and I like both in different ways! I like Barnes's view of Henry the man, as you said. I'd like to imagine he was really like that.

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  5. Margaret George's book was fabulous! I will have to read this one when I need a historical fix.

    Lezlie

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  6. Sounds good - I am all about Henry VIII after The Tudors on HBO and the Boleyn books. This would be a new twist on his story.

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  7. Wopnderful review! I am really enjoying it. I will finish it tonght and write my review soon. I can say that I would have liked it a bit longer myself.

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  8. Iread this book too and I also like it very much. I think the whole idea of concentrating on the king's fool was brilliant.

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  9. I have the Margaret George book on the shelf waiting to be read. I've never heard of this book though. Might have to add it to my wish list.

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  10. Sounds a great book. Thought you might be interested in this post, regarding an exhibition of Henry the 8th's armour, http://zetor-mogsblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/henrys-armour.html

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  11. I don't know if you like Philippa Gregory, but "The Queen's Fool" is probably her best -though truly fictional. The whole concept of the royal fool is quite interesting.

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  12. Sounds good. I loved The autobiography of Henry VIII, narrated by Will S. Your review Rocks!

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  13. I want to read this one. Thanks for the review!

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  14. I liked this one. Barnes is one of my favorite authors!

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  15. I enjoyed seeing such an intimate portrait of Henry as well. And I wished it had been a bit longer and more detailed as well - maybe I should scare up Margaret George's novel next?

    I loved reading your review - I've linked to you here

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