Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Synopsis:
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?
My Review:
“It is the absence of facts that frightens people: the gap you open, into which they pour their fears, fantasies, desires.”
Wolf Hall focuses on the early career of Thomas Cromwell who was to become of one Henry VIII’s top officials. Mantel takes great care in creating a plausible and likable character. She also keeps the story focused by delving into a comparatively short time--mostly from about 1529 - 1535--when Henry was trying to divorce Katherine and marry Anne Boleyn. We see the fall of Cardinal Wolsey and Cromwell’s willingness to stand by him which, because of his loyalty, gives him a chance to rise in Henry’s service. We see the fall of Thomas More and the eventual success of Anne in obtaining her marriage to Henry.
Thomas Cromwell is one of the most interesting men in history, and Mantel makes the most of this. Cromwell’s wit, his intensity, his striving, his motivations are all conveyed. A man who was not born into the nobility is made out to be an exceptional figure who rose in greatness. They often paint him as a one-sided, greedy, unjust man with no redeeming graces, Cromwell emerges in this book as a man who suffers, worries and honors the things all humans do. He loves his wife and children, cares for the fates of the people who come to depend on him, and can hold a bitterness for his whole life. He is a protagonist that the reader can care about and relate to, something I did not expect given the image I had of him from history books.
There’s not a wasted sentence or a dull one. Almost every page had some witty, clever comment, some piece of dialogue that jumped out at me and made me laugh. Her writing is brilliant - complex yet light and flowing, without the weight one might expect from so long a book either. The dialogue is snappy, the character development intelligent and well-researched and the overall world-building realistic and natural.
Mantel brings Tudor England to life vividly, not just the magnificences of the court, but the dirt and poverty of the lower class and the day to day life of the middle class. This creates a balanced picture of the age that most historical novelists do not bother with.
Although the end most of the characters eventually meet is known to us, Mantel makes Cromwell’s personal story so intriguing that this is unimportant. “Wolf Hall” is a wonderful and brilliant novel. Readers of all kinds can find what to love and enjoy here, whether it’s the intelligent historical fiction or the entertaining dialogue or the all-around interesting story and impressive developments.
My Rating:
✬✬✬✬✬
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