Wolf Hall

Paperback, 653 pages

English language

Published July 4, 2019 by 4th Estate.

ISBN:
978-0-00-838169-1
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
1127089968

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (87 reviews)

In WOLF HALL, one of our very best writers brings the opulent, brutal world of the Tudors to bloody, glittering life. It is the backdrop to the rise and rise of Thomas Cromwell: lowborn boy, charmer, bully, master of deadly intrigue. and, finally, most powerful of Henry V Ill's courtiers. --back cover

31 editions

Tudor Politics

4 stars

An enjoyable look at the Tudor court (during dramatic religious changes by Henry VIII) that is told through Thomas Cromwell. It is political and religious political story with well crafted and worked out characters that, well historical fiction, makes the world feel alive.

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on Goodreads

3 stars

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 …

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I really enjoyed the book. The period piece is not my usual cup of tea, but Mantel's style really caught me as something special. I wasn't totally hooked, but I picked the book up quickly after taking a break. Will definitely continue with the series and with Mantel.

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

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 …

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A massively ambitious attempt that comes off brilliantly. I do think you need a knowledge of Tudors history to keep track of everything, but Mantel found a lovely subtle method for the narration and it held my interest until the end - and left me wanting to start the next volume immediately.

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Hilary Mantel is the most creative manufacturer of swearing that I've read in a good long time. I mean that as positive praise. Actually, I could praise her creativity across the board and feel pretty good about doing so. Great characterization, loads of folks with distinct and well-rounded personas, lots of heart. Plenty of anxious moments.

The plot does stick on some slow parts that don't seem entirely necessary. Of course, there is a sequel that may call on some of the plodding bits of Wolf Hall, so I may have to adjust. (This is one of the reasons I stay away from series fiction, by the way.)

Draggy episodes aside, I enjoyed this quite a bit and am (grudgingly) eager to move on to the followup.

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

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 …

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

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 …

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Wolf Hall is a retelling of the story of Thomas Cromwell, adviser to Henry XVIII
It starts with the process of the king getting rid of his first wife (which takes years, and a large part of the book to accomplish) and ends with the execution of Thomas More.

Hilary Mantel is an awesome writer. This is a vivid and fascinating book. If you are not already familiar with the history of Henry XVIII, you will find it very confusing. There are many characters with similar names and the story is bizarre, to say the least.

There are many fascinating themes. The way in which royalty erodes humanity, for example. Henry is like an enormous child, not evil, but emotionally crippled. Characters like Anne Boleyn and Thomas More are portrayed with empathy, even though they are deeply flawed.

Fantastic.

Review of 'Wolf Hall' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I read some books and imagine that I might have written them, but not this. A whole imagined world that has to fit with history, use the historic characters as if they are dramatic fictional ones, and ring true but still be internally consistent with the nature of the author's versions of these characters. An extraordinary achievement.
There is an oddity in the text where almost all references of "he" refer to Cromwell - confusing at first.

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