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.