Wolf Hall

I now understand historical and political reasons for the English Reformation. That's always something nice to take away from a great story.

This book sucked me in more and more as I read it, at least half of that was because I had to be sucked in to be able to keep track of all the Henry's and Mary's. I was constantly flicking back to the character list at the start to know who was who.

Written in a style I'm not sure what it is but it took a while to wrap my head around, it's all from the point of view of Cromwell but still in third person, it leaps around in time very casually and sometimes doesn't bother with dialogue but just keeps it in a "then they talked about this and then that" style of writing. I'm not sure why this is the style but hey, once I'd figured out that 'he' was almost always relating to Cromwell I was able to keep up.

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

The easiest way to sum up this book is to say it's the comings and goings and conversations of Thomas Cromwell on his way to becoming the second-most powerful man in 16th-century England.

On an historical level, this book gets praised for its accurate portrayal of the events under discussion, even if it paints Cromwell more sympathetically than his portrayal in textbooks. Certainly, he's no angel, but his motivations are relatable, and we understand him quite well. His character is well defined, as are King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Cardinal Wolsey, and a handful of Cromwell's right-hand men. The narrative is quite witty, and there were moments I was glad it was written by a woman given these #MeToo times. I also thought the pace of the novel was nigh on perfect.

Unfortunately, though, that's where the praise must stop. The narrative, for the most part, is pretty choppy. The closing pages are quite well done--or maybe I was just finally getting used to Mantel's style--but the sentences just didn't flow together very well for the preceding 98% of the book. For one thing, she loves semicolons; copious amounts of semicolons; tacking things on when she should be joining ideas together. Even within scenes it was difficult to get an idea of who the speaker was or the one taking the action. I don't think I've ever had to go back and reread so many passages just to get an idea of who was doing or saying what. Smooth and beautiful this book most definitely is not. But it is subtle. So subtle and understated, in fact, that some pretty momentous things happen--like King Henry illegally divorcing his wife and separating from the Catholic church--without even the slightest bit of emotion from any of the cast of characters. Surely this must be a testament to the stiff upper lip we hear so much about.

In addition, numerous secondary characters--not just minor characters, but important secondary ones--are reduced to mere names. They lack personalities and distinction, but their roles are historical, and therefore they must be included. There is a listing at the front of the book to help keep them straight, but I think any writer of fiction has failed if readers have to look back to remember who certain characters are when other writers can keep them firmly in the reader's mind throughout the novel.

Finally, there's the setting. The ability of an author to convey a sense of time and place to a readership that may not be familiar with it is of paramount importance in an historical novel. My gold standard is Patrick O'Brian with his Aubrey-Maturin novels set during the Napoleonic Wars. My runner up would be Gore Vidal with his Narratives of Empire series about early America. And third would be Alan Furst with his Night Soldiers series set around World War II. With the possible exception of her description of fabrics (Cromwell was a fabric merchant), this book is merely average in this regard, which is truly disappointing given its length and the obvious research Mantel did into the events.

I won't discourage anyone from reading this novel, but I won't be putting it on any must-read lists. It's a little mundane and ho-hum with how it seems to follow Cromwell around everywhere and seems to be always looking over his shoulder, and yet, at the same time, skips any sense of gravitas regarding the decisions these guys are making about the future of the kingdom. It's probably best to know the actual historical account before reading this book, or else look up the events on Wikipedia as they're happening on the page.

My requirement for giving a four-star rating would be me wanting to read the novel again if I were stuck in a mountain lodge in the middle of a blizzard, with the only thing to pass the time being a collection of books I've previously read. But, there's an even better scenario for this book. It has sequels. Four stars from me would mean I'm interested in knowing what happens next in Mantel's story. But, in this situation, I think I'll stick to Wikipedia. I can't be bothered to know where Cromwell went on a given date, nor with whom he talked; nor semicolons.

Divorced, Beheaded, Died. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. Thus went the wives of Henry VIII. Join me on a journey of Court intrigue with Thomas Cromwell as he works his way to chief minister to the King. Twisted relationships, archaic gender roles, and general historical treachery is headed your way. Hang on to your hats, because it's going to be a long, wild ride.

I enjoyed the history and the different perspective into Thomas Cromwell. The writing was strong, however I had to subtract a star because this book was not made for audio. I kept finding myself pausing to think, "Which Thomas is this? Cromwell, Wolsey, More? Or possibly Howard or Boleyn? Are we talking about King Henry or Henry Percy?" And don't get me started on Mary and Anne. I realize it's history and yes, everyone was named Thomas, Henry, Anne and Mary, but it made the audio experience especially hard to keep straight.

It was interesting to look at the decisions made because of the deeply entrenched patriarchal society. Would Henry have remained with Catherine in a different time? Was his fickleness driven by his need to retain a legitimate male heir, religion, or mere vanity? Would Henry have been a different ruler in a different time? The world will never know, but it's fun to speculate. Read this, then watch the excellent Wolf Hall on PBS. I enjoyed them both.

During the reign of Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell rose from a common birth to become one of the most powerful men in England. As Cardinal Thomas Wolsey's right-hand man, Cromwell learns the intricacies of the court, and begins to successfully navigate its politics. When Wolsey fails to produce the divorce the King demands and falls from Henry's favor, Cromwell's talent as a diplomat allows him to eventually rise to succeed where his former master couldn't.

Wolf Hall is brings life and drama to the politics of Tudor England. Written in present-tense episodic sections, the prose is a little jarring at first, but settles into a rhythm quickly. The tense is not distracting, and the prose sparkles (as one would expect from the Booker winner). The cast is a little confusing, but family trees and an itemized cast at the beginning help things immensely. With a lack of dialogue tags, a shortage of nouns in favor of pronouns, and a propensity for stream-of-consciousness, this is not the easiest book to read, but it's not the hardest either. And it is entirely worth the effort.

Told through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell, Wolf Hall is a wonderful take on Tudor history. Hilary Mantel sets out to write a fictionalised biography of the rise to power of Cromwell, as well as the fall of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s desire to divorce and the opposition of Thomas More. Mantel puts her take on the characterisation of these historical figures and went to painstaking lengths to make sure her version of the story lines up with the historical events as accurately as possible.

Just for the sake of understanding the history behind the book, I did a bit of research before reading this book. I believe this book is set between 1500 and 1535; King Henry VIII has no heir and his chief advisor Cardinal Wolsey is trying to secure his divorce which the Pope refuses to grant. Thomas Cromwell, the son of a blacksmith rises to power by becoming Cardinal Wolsey’s clerk and then later his successor. Wolf Hall takes a look at the history and the morality behind the English Reformation; the English church's break with the Catholic Church in Rome.

With the success of The Tudors TV show and The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, I’m not surprised how popular this book was but I’m a little surprised that it ended up winning the Man Booker prize in 2009. However, this book is a beautiful read and I found it fascinating that Hilary Mantel gave Thomas Cromwell a real sense of humanity when most recordings seem to vilify him. I’m a little confused why this book was called Wolf Hall when Wulfhall was the manor that was the seat of the Seymour family and yet there wasn’t much in this novel to do with Jane Seymour.

Fans of historical fiction, especially of this period of history, this is the book for you. Don’t be too worried about the sheer size of this novel, you won’t be disappointed. For anyone that has no interest in the period then, I’m not sure if you would want to read this. Personally I don’t have much of an interest in the Tudor’s dynasty but I’m interested in books that tackle morality and that drove me through this book but I did end up developing an interest in the history. I’m keen to read the next book in this planned trilogy; Bring Up the Bodies which only covers 1535 to 1556 and centres around the downfall of Anne Boleyn.