Wolf Hall

Over the city lies the sweet, rotting odor of yesterday's unrecollected sins.

Wolf Hall remains an amazing evocation of power, its circuits and its stewards. I read this in a daze. Yes, I was jetlagged, yes it was whirlwind Balkan wedding weekend, but I clutched this close and read it in a deep draughts.

“Only this, sir, and I think it is what gives Richard pause . . . all our lives and fortunes depend now on that lady, and as well as being mutable she is mortal, and the whole history of the king’s marriage tells us a child in the womb is not an heir in the cradle.”
The first half was utter confusion and painful. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the poor quality of writing. Abuse of the pronoun he meant it difficult to follow what was happening. I don't ask for perfection, I recently enjoyed An American Tragedy, which many also deem to be poorly written. The problem is I needed to reread passages to understand what's happening. Judging by other reviews, it's not just me. Secondly, the novel reads like a play. Adjacent scenes are often disconnected. We are sent back and forth in time and shift between characters for no obvious reason. All this could have been better handled by writing in the first person from Cromwell's perspective.

That said, the second half picked up and I am glad I persevered. Mantel certainly has strong views on key personalities. Cromwell, who we follow the whole way (if in doubt, he is Cromwell), naturally must be likeable. We are constantly reminded of his losses and compassion. Royalty are self-centred power-seekers. Nobility are unrefined partisans and often comical. So persistent are these stereotypes that minor characters become indistinguishable: Suffolk, Norfolk, Northumberland all merge into one. Often I wish Mantel stuck with names and personalities rather than titles.And yet, every now and then, there are witticisms which make it worthwhile. Here is one:
So devoted is God to the cause of these gentlemen, they say, that an angel attends the sittings of Parliament with a scroll, noting down who votes and how, and smudging a sooty mark against the names of those who fear Henry more than the Almighty.
Some of the characters do stick: Cromwell, Wolsey, More, Katherine, Anne Boleyn. Be forewarned, many of them happen to be called Thomas. The interrelationship between these is definitely one of the positive highlights. For example, when Katherine defends the king against Cromwell:
He is not a man like you, who just packs up his sins in his saddlebags and carries them from country to country, and when they grow too heavy whistles up a mule or two, and soon commands a train of them and a troop of muleteers.
Despite its name, Wolf Hall, the home of the Seymours, only figures at the end. Now that I have invested time, more than should have been necessary, to grasp the plot, I will give Bring Up the Bodies a go.

Sorry but that was a bore. Took me too long to finish.

Reading the new Thomas Cromwell biography by Diarmaid MacCulloch, I realized that I had not yet read the second novel by Hilary Mantel about Cromwell, Bring Up the Bodies (2012). And now the news is that the third book of her planned Cromwell trilogy will be published in 2020. So to get a running start at those I re-read the first one, Wolf Hall. Still great.The last time I read it they hadn’t yet made the mini-series (watch on Bezos-Vision Prime). I found on reading MacCulloch and re-reading Mantel that now Mark Rylance is firmly fixed in my head as Cromwell.Mark Rylance did for Thomas Cromwell what Paul Schofield did for Thomas More. And what Robert Bolt did for Thomas More, Hilary Mantel undid.

Excellent,really good read although misnamed as none of the story takes place at Wolf Hall and the Seymours are very minor characters.
I liked the role reversal with Thomas Cromwell as the saintly character and Thomas More as the tyrant, although I am sure that for both men the truth about their real characters would be somewhere in between.
Hopefully there will be a sequel to this book as at the end Thomas More has lost his head and Anne Boleyn still has hers.Also Thomas Cromwell seems to be developing feelings for Jane Seymour and as I know how her story plays out I would be interested to see where the author go with that.
This is the first book I have read by Hilary Mantel and I thought it was a very good introduction to her work.

Review from Badelynge"Cromwell, what does he really believe?"It's a question that Anne Boleyn ponders in the book and I suppose it is the question the reader is also posed with. The book is very well researched by the author Hilary Mantel. There is a huge cast of characters involved here, threading their strands into the tangled weave of politics, intrigue and ambition that surrounds the court of King Henry VIII during his courtship and marriage to Anne Boleyn. At the end of it all I didn't feel I knew Thomas Cromwell any better than I did before. There is no doubt that he was a most remarkable and deeply complex man. History is a very slippery thing to write about but compared to trying to get to the heart of an individual, to get inside his mind with any accuracy, it is almost impossible. It's not that easy to achieve face to face, never mind separated by half a millennium through the dusty filter of historian opinions.The present tense, third person delivery, from the point of view of Cromwell was sometimes a bit of a clunky style for the author to use so rigidly. I lost his stand point on numerous occasions, mostly confusing him for Wolsey. Some conversations were quite hard to follow. Others stand out, crackling with personality and atmosphere e.g. Cromwell's meeting with the King's daughter Mary. The King is pretty much as I would have expected as is Anne Boleyn. I didn't feel we got to grips with Thomas More fully but perhaps this is because we are seeing him from Cromwell's perspective.All in all, a well written, thoroughly researched book, sometimes let down by its style and the scope of its ambition.

The is a great book, justified winner of the Orange/Man Booker prize, and it was on every critics' best of 2009 list. I wish I had more background info into the Tudor years (should have watched Jonathan Rhys-Meyer on HBO) My reason for not giving this 5 stars is that it is a really, really tough read. The author felt it unnecessary to make it clear WHO was talking!! So confusing!! Plus everyone is named Henry, Thomas or Harry, and there is a 4 page list of characters to keep track of, as well as 2 full pages of genealogy. And that doesn't cover everyone. Each character is referred to by at least 2, if not 4 different names, and it goes on...nonetheless, it is worth the effort!

(I received this edition from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. Thank you.)Wolf Hall takes the current romantic views of the Tudor period (thank you, cable television), puts them in a blender, woozes, strains, and bakes them into an entirely different dish. No courses of true love, kings as eye candy, mistresses and lovers as beautiful people with perfect teeth, skin and hair, are recorded here.. The reader who wants martyrs and principled statemen should look elsewhere. The reader who wants an in-depth historical fiction about Henry VIII's court from the fall of Wolsey in 1529 to the execution of Thomas More in 1535 need look no further. Hilary Mantel has written a book unlike any other novel about the Tudors. Traditional "heroes" are not very heroic and "villains" become complex, sympathetic individuals.Wolf Hall is told from the point of view of Thomas Cromwell, reviled in pop culture as the man who was the main cause of the deaths of the sainted John Fisher and honourable Thomas More. In a unique style which takes some getting used to, the pronoun "he" usually refers to Cromwell, no matter where in the paragraph it falls or who in the paragraph may be speaking. This style and the present tense give an immediacy to the action, as if the reader is really inside Cromwell's head and sees every scene through his eyes.The book opens in 1500 when the young Thomas is beaten and nearly killed by his brutish father. As soon as he is able, he runs away to the continent where he becomes a soldier in the French army and sees, not glory in war, but a waste of lives and, maybe even more important since life in the 16th century is cheap, a waste of resources. After the army he is seen in Italy in the employ of Italian bankers, in court arguing points of law, in Flemish guildhalls dealing with merchants. After only ten pages, it is 1527 and Cromwell is established as the most trusted employee of Cardinal Wolsey. From his childhood Cromwell learned to counter bullies, value family and listen to the whispers of the street folk; in his young manhood he learned how to kill, how to make money, how to interpret the law, how to speak foreign languages, how to read the monied and ruling classes, and how to remember. As a servant of Wolsey he learned patience, loyalty, and pragmatism. He knows when to support a cause, recognizes when a cause is lost, and how to turn an enemy into an ally. Thomas Cromwell understands one thing very clearly. England needs a strong king and a solid government. The War of the Roses is within living memory and the Tudor claim to the throne is still tenuous. There are claimants ready to challenge Henry as the rightful heir, and even if Henry keeps the crown firmly on his own head, with only a daughter as successor, the wars could resume after Henry's death. There has not been an English queen who ruled in her own right since Matilda. Cromwell does not want another civil war. It is bad for the country and bad for business. Peace means prosperity, especially for a man who is able in law, languages, trading, property manipulation. What is good for the country is good for Cromwell.Cromwell realizes two important things in this novel and I do believe that Mantel wrote him as a very modern, possibly the first modern, politician. He knows that whoever controls the purse strings has power, so his appointments are to positions where he knows to the penny what the treasury holds, what the coinage is actually worth, how much debt Henry and his nobles carry. He has in his head the taxes the noble families collect and pay to the crown and how much revenue is lost because one third of the property in the country is owned by the tax-free Catholic church. The second important thing is that information is the lifeblood of a man in power. He is generous to the poor because he feels he should be, but also because the street people tell him things....wives will never accept Anne Boleyn as queen because they can see themselves put aside, as Catherine of Aragon was, if they fail to produce the correct children, sex and number considered. He educates bright young men and women who become servants and scribes in households eager for quality retainers. His extended family has his interests to heart and Cromwell has the interests of the king.Henry VIII is a capricous monarch. He is highly intelligent, sensual, easily bored, lacks patience and needs to be placated.. He can destroy a man with a sentence. In one chilling scene, he tells Cromwell that the queen (Anne pregnant with her second child) wishes to see him. If Cromwell upsets her and she becomes ill, Cromwell's head will be off his shoulders. Cromwell knows the king is not exaggerating. He also knows that the king must be strong for the country to stay sound, so he counsels Henry and befriends Anne because Henry wants Anne. (He says that he cares little about what goes on in the king's bedroom; he cares only that Henry acts properly as a head of state. But Thomas will use the knowledge of what happens in the bedroom to his advantage. He is the first to recognize that after seven years of pursuing Anne, Henry is disenchanted immediately after the birth of her daughter. The second miscarriage seals Anne's fate and Thomas make a generous loan to Edward Seymour, brother of little Jane Seymour, the only kind heart in Westminster.)The major events in the novel are the divorce from Catherine of Aragon, the split with Rome, the beginning of the dissolution of the monasteries, and the rivalry with More. Throughout these events Cromwell is analyzing, pulling puppet strings, gradually shifting alliances.The tapestry of this novel is rich and detailed; there are no stereotypes or heroes; each historical characters has virtues and flaws, (well, maybe except for the Duke of Norfolk who is a real worm!). The author doesn't appear to condemn or condone, but she presents Cromwell in a much more flattering light than most depictions of him. Her skill is that the reader accepts the portrayal and wants more of Cromwell, even though the tale will end with a botched execution......Well done.

Wolf Hall is an exceptional novel. Exceptional. That's the best word to describe it.This historical fiction novel is about Henry VIII's 'Great Matter', the annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon. However, it is not shown through the eyes of a king or queen or even a lady-in-waiting. It is shown through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell, who was the King's chief minister.Cromwell is painted as the true anti-hero. A man with a rough beginning who rose himself from nothing.The writing was a bit different to what I'm used to. About 100 words in I finally felt comfortable with it and started to really enjoy it. One thing that took getting used to was that Cromwell was always referenced as 'he' when he was speaking. Often times I would get mixed up over who was talking.The writing was strong and descriptive. The fact that it was heavily researched is putting it lightly. I felt I was right there watching everything unfold. And the dialogue was true 16th century.The Tudor era is not my favorite era, but I was pleasantly surprised with how immersed I became in the story. Recommended to anyone who is a fan of that era or just a fan of historical fiction.-- I was given a copy of this book from the publisher. It in no way affected my opinion of the book. I received no compensation for this review.

I liked the premise of this book. With some editing, I probably would have liked reading it more than I did. It was too long and wordy in most parts, but some of the interesting parts were glossed over. I liked reading the story from the viewpoint of Thomas Cromwell. But the story was so dialogue-driven I continuously lost focus on the conversations. I was left with the feeling that in a month or so, I'll be asking myself, "Didn't I read that already?" It was mostly forgettable.

This was my second attempt to read this book, and it took a week in Alaska to get the job done!
This book was very slow starting out and I almost gave up before i began, but I persevered and it was well worth the effort.
The subject matter takes place during my favorite time period in history, England during the reign of Henry VIII, and concentrates on the life of Thomas Cromwell.
The writing was beautiful,, and once I had all the cast of characters straight ,the reading became delightful.

I listened to the audio book version and the reader was extremely talented, providing every member of this huge cast of characters with just the right inflection to allow the listener to keep everyone straight. As for the story itself, it's an in-depth exploration of Thomas Cromwell's part in Tudor history, and very well done. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in this trilogy.

I knew this book had won the Man Book prize this year and I did have high hopes. I was glad to see that they came through. There is nothing I love more than excellent writing, beautiful writing, an author that proud can call herself an author. Mantel manages this. She has a certain sort of style that I do not know how to describe. It makes the words move slowly, it's a slow pace to the book like it holds on to you so you will not miss a single word. I should know because I have been known to jump pages and still read them. Here is steadied myself and read slowly. She has a nice style.

This could have been a boring book, but Mantel saves it with great writing and my favorite part, gossip. She tells the story of Thomas Cromwell, a man born in obscurity who worked his way up and at last became a trusted advisor to Henry VIII. This book sets place at the time of Anne Boleyn. After having met Thomas as a young boy running away we meet him again when he works for the bishop of York. He is known for making money. And at this time the streets are buzzing with the kings new mistress. It will be Cromwell that finally gets the kings divorce so that he can marry Anne.

The title Wolf Hall comes from the ancestral seat of the Seymour. Sure they do not play a big part of this book since it's all about the Boleyns. But we all know as we read that we should look in the shadows for Jane Seymour and she does show up. A gray little thing, and as the book will close with Wolf Hall. A new beginning, or rather a new try.

She writes about every day life, and the struggle for the king to marry Anne Boleyn. A woman who does not come across favourable in this book, now that is rather her poor sister who longs to be free in the end. It's a truthful and well researched book about what really went on. No over excessing glamour, sex or people made out to be heroes. No, real life as it was then. Power struggles, and death.

Gossip was a big part of the book and at that time I am sure they would have gossiped a lot about the situation going on. But it's told as it is, gossip, no truth, because that we can not know. But I still enjoyed it a lot. It was very interesting and it gave a good feel of that era. There was also some talk about those kings that came before, and yes a bit more gossip. They were really a fascinating bunch of people and I can't remember I learned this much about English history or the Royal family.

It is a book that is worthy of it's award. A great style and a way of writing that makes you see ordinary things in a new life. And a truthful look at life back then, and on one of the most famous and written about times in English history.

And yes it had me googling like crazy at the ending to know more about everything. Nothing like brushing up your history about the Tudors. I did not know he was related to Boleyn, I knew she was related to a wife but not a another. It was a family feast.


Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: To be truthful, these kind of award winning books never do have pretty covers. But here it is not the book cover that is important. It's the kind of book you want to pick up cos it promises great things.

Where I got it: A free review copy from the publisher

4 because I love great writing.

A really great read. Mantel tells the old story in a new and interesting way.

I really enjoyed this fascinating look at Tudor England. The characters really come to life and the atmosphere is so realistic that it really reads as true. This is a time I'm really interested in and Hilary Mantel's book is one of the best. Very easy to read even thoough it is a relatively large book.

The story of how Thomas Cromwell came to serve King Henry VIII, when Henry caused turmoil by divorcing his wife of 20 years due to lack of an heir and marry Anne Boleyn

What is there left to say about this book after all the awards it has won? I'm normally dubious about Booker winners, but this one certainly deserved it. I find it fascinating how she has taken Thomas Cromwell, usually portrayed as a thoroughly unlikeable character (see, for example, 'A Man for All Seasons' and C.J. Sansom's Shardlake novels) and, while not denying any of his power or deeds, makes an infinitely more sympathetic character. She also takes Thomas More, so often depicted almost as a saint, and twists this common perception whilst not, in the end, taking away his integrity. Such charity does not, at least by the end of this book, extend to Ann Boleyn, though Catherine of Aragon received kinder treatment. Princess Mary is a fascinating study of how being born into her situation, both personal and political, can stunt emotional growth.I have given this four stars where I have given lesser works five, because it is not perfect despite setting itself extremely high standards, and if that imperfection is only in my eyes, then, well, this is my review. I don't like novels written in the present tense, though I confess the book's action snatches you up from the start so that you only notice it from time to time: in a lesser book it would have been thoroughly annoying. I also found some of the narrative very confusing: she uses 'he' very frequently, usually to mean Cromwell but often to mean other people, without clarification and there were many points were I could not work out without closer examination who was talking or doing, which spoiled the flow. However, I gather from her interview on BBC Radio Three on 7th. March that if there is an ambiguity in her writing it's because she put it there deliberately, so again perhaps the flaw is in me.I'm debating whether to start Bring Up the Bodies straightaway - sometimes such riches are better rationed - but I am certainly tempted. I feel that life is better for having read Wolf Hall.

I know it's gotten awards. I know it's gotten good reviews. I just could not finish it. Better to sell it and give it a chance for a happy life elsewhere.

Present tense is very difficult to pull off, and it's hard to settle into as a reader. Once I got past that, I was pleased to be back in Tudor England from a bit of a different perspective. Thomas Cromwell, in all my earlier readings, was more of an ancillary character. Here he's the main focus, and it's a fascinating tale indeed. There was much more humor than I expected here, and even a few outright laughs. I enjoyed reading more about the (imagined but researched) home life of Cromwell, and came away liking him much better than I expected to.

Recommended, especially for Tudor junkies, and those that don't mind present tense and confusing pronouns.

Not an easy read but ultimately enjoyable. Not sure why it's called Wolf Hall, as that is the Seymour home. This book (the first in a trilogy) deals with the life of Thomas Cromwell up to the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. It's a different take on a story I've read a good bit about--I enjoyed the information about the Reformation.

Terrific stuff. Not at all easy to follow, especially before you realize that any time she says "He" without specifying who "he" is, it's Cromwell. But well worth it.

Having long been obsessed with Tudor England, I had little doubt that I would enjoy a retelling of the Henry VIII/Wolsey/Catherine/Anne Boleyn/Cromwell affair in the hands of an adept writer of historical fiction. But I did not expect the modern brilliance on display in this novel. Mantel's style takes a little getting used to. She never sets the scene, but let's it dribble in as she jumps from moment to moment - this is rarely done in historical fiction, which is often deeply concerned with painting the historical tableau. She's also done something very interesting regarding Cromwell's youthful adventures in continental Europe, about which little is known. Rather than imagine the circumstances for herself, she considers them as her Cromwell does, only insofar as they influence the present moment. Cromwell's interior recollections of his youth are primarily restricted to whether or not the truth happens to correspond with the image his peers reflect of a potentially dangerous, unpredictable man, and whether he ought to disabuse them of their assumptions. His past is a tool, as is everything within his grasp.

Everything in WOLF HALL is told through Cromwell's perspective, and he is as deliberate and dispassionate an observer as possible. The reader is lulled into trusting his interpretation of events, his biases so rarely overruling his rationale. But of course everything told through his eyes in inherently subjective, and those rare moments when his ferocity appears startle the reader. (Perhaps the most chilling example: "I remembered you, Thomas More, but you didn't remember me. You never even saw me coming.") Objectivity and subjectivity flicker back and forth in a genuinely complex, imaginative display. A stunning work.

Beautifully written and impressive coverage of the years of Henry VIII courtship of Anne Bolyn from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell. Really enjoyed reading this book - surpassed only by the second in the series 'Bring Up the Bodies'.

By God, can this woman write!This has to be one of the all time great books. Mantel evokes Henry VIII's England with vivid clarity. And her prose borders on poetic. Yet it remains Hemingway-like to read. What an achievement.Sometimes one wonders if a female author is going to be able to write a male lead character. No worries here. She takes us right inside Thomas Cromwell's scheming head. You understand and like him.The book is long, but I never wanted to put it down.She has written the book in a kind of close 3rd person. When she writes "he said" she is almost always writing from Cromwell's point of view and, at first, this can be disconcerting. For example if Cromwell is talking to another male character, you have to read carefully to be sure you know who says what. After a while though, you do get the flow of it and realise how brilliantly it does work, taking us right inside Cromwell's head and seeing the machinations of courtly life from his place.In a word, brilliant. Can't wait to read Bring up the Bodies.

Wolf Hall is the first in Hillary Mantel's projected trilogy of historical novels set in early 16th century England. The books centers, in a stroke of genius, on the life arch of Thomas Cromwell, a commoner, who by dent of street smarts and diplomacy rises to become a participant in the inner circle of Henry the 8th. In a broader sense Cromwell represents the rise of the new bourgeois order which will eventually bring the Monarchy to its present laughable state. Whether any of this is true, whether Wolsey was an OK guy, or More was a fanatic, or Henry a sex addled adolescent--well, who knows. But the story works because we commoners can identify with Cromwell; given the forces arrayed against him we cheer him on in spite of the considerable moral ambivalence of some of his actions. A pleasure to read, a guilty pleasure I suppose, to go back to a time when one was thankful, after one of those horrendous English winters, to feel the warmth of the sun on one's skin and not have to think that the warmth was the result of global warming.

Mantel creates a sympathetic portrayal of Thomas Cromwell. He’s a self-made man who left his abusive father’s home as soon as he could. I’ve commented in the Wolf Hall Read-Along discussions (held by The Bluestocking Society and It’s All About Books) how his story can appeal to Americans since he’s a self-made made. Out of nothing but his willingness to work (or fight in battle) and use his brains, he rises to power in King Henry’s court. One aspect of Cromwell nearly everyone commented on in the Read-Along was his love for his wife. Because of his background he was able to choose his own wife. Mantel certainly makes you believe he loved her. After her death he longs for her and often finds himself mistaking his sister-in-law’s presence for his wife. Years later, he still thinks of her. The political intrigue is quite interesting but nothing I’d want to live through or with. A lot of the book is spent trying to figure out how Henry can leave his wife and still be a religious example. Cromwell thinks like a lawyer and a common man so it’s interesting when he thinks ahead to the counter-arguments. There are so many different characters with the same first names – Thomas, Henry, Edward and William – it can be difficult to keep track of them. Fortunately, Mantel has a reference guide in the front of the book. I didn’t want to wait too long before reading Bring Up the Bodies. For some readers it will be confusing because some of the story is told through Cromwell’s recollections and some parts are third-person point of view. But if you can read it for long stretches at a time, it will become second nature to know what is happening in the action.

A captivating imagining of Thomas Cromwell's life and politicking in Henry V111's court. The third-person present tense, did sometimes feel a little clunky, but brought an immediacy to the issues.An entertaining read as well as being a fantastic history lesson.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel won the 2009 Man Booker Prize. The novel tells a fictionalized account of the rise to power of Thomas Cromwell during the reign of Henry Tudor – Henry VIII – in 16th-century England. This interesting story of one of the most famous – and infamous – families in British History tops at an imposing 604 pages. But every single page carries the story forward. Reading this novel causes an imperceptible and complete immersion into the story. Interestingly enough, Mantel became the first woman – and only the second person – to win two Man Booker Prizes, when the committee awarded in in 2012 for the sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. I collect first editions of Booker Prize winners, so I will have to wait for a reading copy before finishing the story.Thomas Cromwell, the clever son of a blacksmith, became secretary to Cardinal Wolsey through the later years of his powerful position as Cardinal and Chancellor of England. When Wolsey fell, partly through the machinations of Anne Boleyn once she was queen, Thomas attracted the attention of Henry, who gradually raised him to the highest office beneath the king: chancellor.As I have written several times, I find the Tudor period one of the most fascinating in English history. This novel – with its meticulous detail – has added greatly to my hobby of studying this time and its many interesting characters. In addition to elaborate family trees, Mantel provides a list of the characters in each of the important locales of the novel.In one early passage, the “sweating sickness” has struck Thomas’ daughter, Anne. Her sister, “Mercy hangs outside their door the signs of the sweating sickness, She says, how has this happened? We scour, we scrub the floors, I do not think you will find in the whole of London, a cleaner house than ours. We say our prayers, I have never seen a child pray as Anne does. She prays as if she’s going into battle.“Anne falls ill at first. Mercy and Johane shout at her and shake her to keep her awake, since they say if you sleep you will die. But the pull of the sickness is stronger than they are, and she falls exhausted against the bolster, struggling for breath, and falls further, into black stillness, only her hand moving, the fingers clenching and unclenching. He takes it in his own and tries to still I, but it is like the hand of a soldier itching for a fight” (139).This passage conveys the desperation of the tragedy. The “sweating sickness” was a devastating disease that struck England and Europe in a series of epidemics from 1485 to about 1551, when it mysterious disappeared. It struck without warning and frequently resulted in death within hours. We still do not know its cause.While prior knowledge of the Tudors is not necessary, some familiarity enhances the read. For example, Mantel mentions, “John Seymour’s daughter” several times. This daughter, Jane, spent her days at the side of Anne Boleyn as one of her “ladies in waiting.” Knowing she would become Henry’s next queen following the execution of Queen Anne, added to my enjoyment. But the thing I love about the Tudor’s involves the parallels to our country today. Thomas tries to deal with the rebellious Percy family. Mantel writes, “How can I explain to him? The world is not run from where he thinks. Not from his border fortresses, not even from Whitehall. The world is run from Antwerp, from Florence, from places he has never imagined; from Lisbon, from where the ships with sails of silk drift west and are burned up in the sun. Not from castle walls, but from counting houses, not by the call of the bugle but by the click of the abacus, not by the grate and the click of the mechanism of the gun but by the scrape of the pen on the pages of the promissory note that pays for the gun and gunsmith and the powder and the shot” (349).For history buffs, for lovers of historical fiction, for aficionados of romance and mysteries and spy thrillers, Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall will captivate the discerning reader. 5 stars--Jim, 12/16/12

A good book, but I felt it ended entirely too abruptly. I eventually got over the writer's quirk of referring to Cromwell constantly as only "he," and while the plot seemed to build, it cut off abruptly and not with the resolution or payoff I had expected. None the less, very good book about a fascinating character and fascinating time in English history.

An interesting story that mixes fiction and fact in the best of historical fiction tradition. I enjoyed reading this book and will read the sequels but it hasn't caused me to rush straight out and buy them.