Hilary Mantel - Thomas Cromwell trilogy

[Anja]

I just had to see what the fuss was about and thoroughly enjoyed Wolf Hall. Thomas Cromwell, the unabated protagonist, is introduced as loyal and determined, a man of grit. Delving into his past and the workings of his mind fills one with awe and endearment, and his rise in the Court of Henry VIII is rather breathtaking.

Bring Up the Bodies, the second novel in the famous but uncompleted trilogy, reveals a darker side. Success brings increasing corruption and ruthlessness to the surface of Cromwell's cunning person. It also brings a greater risk: one mistake and the frivolous king will surely be the death of him! Surprisingly, Mantel manages to keep Cromwell in the reader's good books through all the bloodshed - like that uncle who is a crooked high-powered lawyer you can't help liking.

This must be the single best way to discover (or rediscover) English politics of the 1520's and 1530's. The king's need for a successor, the incompetencies of sweet Catherine of Aragon and fiendish Anne Boleyn, the slow and painful rise of the Church of England in a Roman Catholic world.

It is not a quick or light read, but the writing is clever and alternates effortlessly between being in-depth descriptive and slyly suggestive of its true intentions. I am on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting The Mirror and the Light.

[Fran]

I agree, compelling reading for anyone interested in history of the period.
If you are interested in the Tudor period another superb series is the Shardlake series by C J Sansom - easy to read and brings the characters of the period realistically to life.

[Anja]

Thank you. That sounds marvelous, I'm putting it on my to read list. At the moment I have skipped about a century ahead in time to the court of Charles II and Louis XIV (Rose Tremain's Merivel: A Man of His Time).

[queenmab75]

Tudor England is one of my favorite time periods to read about, particularly Henry VIII, and I have to say, I just DON'T get the fuss about Wolf Hall. I didn't enjoy it at all. In fact, I couldn't even finish it, which is really rare for me!

[Anja]

Tudor England is one of my favorite time periods to read about, particularly Henry VIII, and I have to say, I just DON'T get the fuss about Wolf Hall. I didn't enjoy it at all. In fact, I couldn't even finish it, which is really rare for me!

Which authors do you prefer for this time period? Have you read Sansom? I've watched a few films about Henry VIII but these books were my first reads.

[Rick Latapan]

Mantel's great strength is the immediacy of her writing. I read her french revolution novel A Place of Greater Safety last year, and it was as if I was personally plunged into the chaos of the situation. It took me time to realise that the confused mix of thoughts and characters that rampage through the book mimic the times perfectly, and are not flaws in the author's style! Similarly, Wolf Hall allows you to enter Cromwell's mind, and explore the ambition, sorrow, conflict and contradiction that swills around in everyone's head. Cromwell's story is inevitably your story too...

[Eyre-thee-well]

I really enjoyed the adaptation on Masterpiece this year, but have not read the books or this author. I have always been fascinated with Tudor history when I discovered Jean Plaidy books in high school. I also have always been intrigued by the time period during the French Revolution, so Mantel is an author I will put on my reading list. I also recently read a book about Catherine de Valois and Henry V and am about to read the second book on the series, which delves into the start of the Tudors. I also like Alison Weir who has written books during this time period.

[BexReads757]

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Wolf Hall. I have been debating whether or not I should attempt to read it for awhile. On the positive side, I have heard good things about the trilogy, especially Bringing up the Bodies. I'm kind of put off by the length of the book, and I don't think that would bother me as much if I didn't feel inundated with Tudors already. I love the Tudors but I also feel like maybe I need a little break from them. Between Philippa Gregory and Jean Plaidy, I feel like it's getting a little repetitive. Would you recommend trying this series even with all the Tudor saturation...I guess I'm trying to ask if there is anything special about it or will it be more of the same?

[Libs_Books]

I would say that Hilary Mantel is vastly more historically accurate than Philippa Gregory - though both also take a very partial view of their main character(s). I adore Wolf Hall but a number of very good friends find it indigestible. Part of the problem is that she keeps saying, "He...." and it's not always easy to be sure who "he" is. Well, I found that OK, actually, but I suspect her editor put his/her foot down for Bring Up the Bodies, as there is much more use of, "He, Cromwell, ..."

You need to be fairly saturated in Tudors to follow it without getting a headache, even though a list of characters is thoughtfully provided.

[Ellis Cantor]

I agree that Hilary Mantel is "vastly more historically accurate than Philippa Gregory," and also than Jean Plaidy. Gregory and Plaidy seem always willing to depart from historical fact, if that will serve the purposes of their stories, which makes their work fun to read, but not a very reliable way to learn history.

For readers who feel saturated with Tudors, let me mention that Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies are not primarily about Tudors, i.e. the royal family, but about Cromwell himself. Mantel does a wonderful job of imagining the thought processes of a terribly clever and devious mind, who is different from what we're accustomed to, partly because he is the product of another time and culture, and partly –– mostly –– because of he is possessed of a fiendish and yet ever-so-human intelligence. I ended up horrified at his destruction of men who were "guilty, but perhaps not guilty as charged," and in the midst of my horror I cheered him on. They were certainly not "guilty as charged" but they deserved to be executed, if anybody ever did.

[Libs_Books]

I am on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting The Mirror and the Light.

Yes, me too. In the meantime, I agree with Fran that CJ Sansom is worth a visit and I'm also enjoying Rory Clements' Shakespeare books (no, not that Shakespeare, his brother).

I also share Rick Latapan's admiration for A Place of Greater Safety. One of the things about this is that, although I studied the French Revolution at some length in school, it took me ages to work out who the main character is - I mean, the name by which he is generally known. And that's important, because ... but to say any more would be a spoiler.

[Lil Reads]

I would say that Hilary Mantel is vastly more historically accurate than Philippa Gregory - though both also take a very partial view of their main character(s). I adore Wolf Hall but a number of very good friends find it indigestible. Part of the problem is that she keeps saying, "He...." and it's not always easy to be sure who "he" is. Well, I found that OK, actually, but I suspect her editor put his/her foot down for Bring Up the Bodies, as there is much more use of, "He, Cromwell, ..."

You need to be fairly saturated in Tudors to follow it without getting a headache, even though a list of characters is thoughtfully provided.

Even being well versed in Tudor history it is hard to keep all of the people with the same or similar names straight, especially if titles are involved.

I have to laugh a bit at your description of the change in the narrative of Bring Up the Bodies; I flashed back to every essay I wrote in undergrad about Tudor history. I had to develop a consistent system of indicating which person I was referring to, sometimes even using a full name and title.

[Libs_Books]

I have to laugh a bit at your description of the change in the narrative of Bring Up the Bodies; I flashed back to every essay I wrote in undergrad about Tudor history. I had to develop a consistent system of indicating which person I was referring to, sometimes even using a full name and title.

A useful discipline!

[Lil Reads]

I have to laugh a bit at your description of the change in the narrative of Bring Up the Bodies; I flashed back to every essay I wrote in undergrad about Tudor history. I had to develop a consistent system of indicating which person I was referring to, sometimes even using a full name and title.

A useful discipline!

Thanks. ☺

I do remember having to write out the full title of Edward IV's second son, Richard of Shrewsbury, First Duke of York to differentiate him from his cousin, Richard of York, the second son of George Duke of Clarence. I really had to rephrase some sections due to all the contemporaries with the same first name.