Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Mar 23, 2011 Erin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

This is, without a doubt, the best work of historical fiction I've ever read. The problem with most Tudor narratives is that they are very black and white, based on ideas of people instead of the people themselves. Henry VIII is always a bombastic horndog, Anne Boleyn either a schemer or a helpless pawn, Wolsey the picture of debauched excess - after all, it's the easiest way to justify the English Reformation, isn't it? And then, of course, there's the Thomas More of A Man for All Seasons, sain This is, without a doubt, the best work of historical fiction I've ever read. The problem with most Tudor narratives is that they are very black and white, based on ideas of people instead of the people themselves. Henry VIII is always a bombastic horndog, Anne Boleyn either a schemer or a helpless pawn, Wolsey the picture of debauched excess - after all, it's the easiest way to justify the English Reformation, isn't it? And then, of course, there's the Thomas More of A Man for All Seasons, saintly and admirable and tragic, and opposed at every turn by the devious Thomas Cromwell.

None of those caricatures are at play here. Cromwell is our narrator, and he is amazing. He's a genius, clearly, but never an unbelievable one. And the beauty of this book being about a commoner is that we get life at the court and life outside of it - the scenes at Austin Friars (his home) are just as enjoyable, if not moreso, than the ones in the company of Henry and Anne and the various councillors. We know Cromwell thoroughly by the end of the book, and I think it's impossible not to love him, his cleverness and his memories and his humor. And it's through his eyes that we know Wolsey (a benefactor, a master, a man whose excess is not borne of malice, but ignorance) and Henry and Anne and all the rest. And characters who are so often overlooked are brought to life here, beautifully. Mary Boleyn gets the treatment she deserves (let's not talk about that other book; I like to pretend it doesn't exist), and Jane Seymour, who is so often just a footnote after Anne Boleyn's death (and she'll feature heavily in the sequel, I'm sure), and, oh, Rafe Sadler. They're all treated so well - nobody feels awkwardly shoehorned in to make the history feel more legitimate, nobody is included just to wink and nudge so that readers feel in the know. Mantel has crafted a very real world. It's kind of amazing what she's done, without having to lean on tortuous descriptions of everyday life or hardships we no longer have to deal with. She's skilled enough that her characters do the work for her, reminding us all at once that it was a very different time and that people do not change so much.

And, well. She treats Thomas More the way I've always wanted someone to treat Thomas More - critically. He's the closest thing the book has to a villain, I'd say (which is not to say that he's evil or one-dimensional, just very wrongheaded), and it's so refreshing (to quote, well, myself: "And her version of Thomas More is a total douche, but I'm pretty sure that's just historically accurate"). Man, that guy.

The prose is dense, and she tends to refer to Cromwell simply as "he," which can lead to you re-reading pages to figure out exactly who is speaking, but it's so good that you shouldn't mind. I can see how this might be daunting for someone without a fair bit of Tudor-related knowledge, but the lengthy cast of characters and Tudor family tree in the front of the book can be very useful - Hilary Mantel thinks you are smart enough to tackle a book that might make you work a little bit; don't prove her wrong. ...more

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Jul 27, 2014 Jennifer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: from-library, fiction, historical-fiction, favorites

THIS BOOK.

I wanted to hug it to myself forever. And really, I probably never would have read it but for the book bingo challenge. I decided to widen my net for the "book your friend loves" category and asked for recommendations on Facebook. A huge list resulted, but for some reason it was this one, recommended by one of my English professors from college, Sandy Feinstein, that I fixated on. It's the somewhat familiar story of Henry VIII, but focused on Thomas Cromwell instead.

I did spend entire ...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Rae rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, historical-fiction

I don't always have the greatest luck with liking the Booker Prize winners, and Wolf Hall is no exception. I could only give it three stars because Mantel's use of the first person (Cromwell himself) was just annoying. I did finally get used to it, but the voice made me less able to focus on the story itself.

The story - it's a good one. Mantel gives us Cromwell's account of Henry VIII's "divorce" from Catherine of Aragon and his subsequent "marriage" to Anne Boleyn. All the right historical cha ...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Meredith rated it it was ok

OK. So the things she added to flesh out Thomas Cromwell's private life were interesting. However, her writing style was horrible and difficult to follow at times and the book was SO long and didn't have enough to hook the reader in my opinion. I would have stopped reading it halfway through if I hadn't HAD to read it for school. ...more

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Nov 21, 2013 Journeywoman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: put-down-unfinished, w-50-new-books-in-2013, listened-to-books

Finally. I did what I tell my students to do.
When you have a book that you enjoy the topic and enjoy the writing but just can't seem to get into--get it on audible. I borrowed it from the library and listened to it. I finally understand the hype now.

I wanted to like this. I really did. But I just couldn't get through it. Maybe I'll go back to it but I got halfway through it and started rereading my Elizabeth I biographies (Alison Weir!).

Rats. ...more

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Apr 20, 2012 gwen g rated it really liked it

This book is incredible at humanizing these far-off historical figures. I never thought I would be truly invested in Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and cardinals and counselors, etc. etc.

Mantel's writing is incredible... something about the way she sort of goes sideways into dialogue and begins chapters without identifying who's speaking requires a lot of concentration, so I found it slow-going albeit beautifully done -- a tough read, but worth it. ...more

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