From the Bookshelf of Around the Year in 52 Books …
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
Dammit, I can't wait for the third one!
Mantel's writing is so sublime and transporting here that you feel like you're discovering this story for the first time, even though everyone knows the history of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn by now. I not only thought this was of a higher quality than Wolf Hall, but this one was also much easier to read. WH was frequently challenging, mainly because I wasn't always sure who the dialogue was being attributed to...not the case here; that's all been cleared up ...more
Mantel's writing is so sublime and transporting here that you feel like you're discovering this story for the first time, even though everyone knows the history of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn by now. I not only thought this was of a higher quality than Wolf Hall, but this one was also much easier to read. WH was frequently challenging, mainly because I wasn't always sure who the dialogue was being attributed to...not the case here; that's all been cleared up ...more
A wonderful imagining of Anne Boleyn's downfall from the point of view of Henry VIII's MasterSecretary, Thomas Cromwell. It is a interesting story well-told. The reader is left to discern whether Cromwell is manipulative, loyal, ambitious, vengeful, clever or wise, papist or Protestant. Is he a creature of his age or the director of England's course? The reader watches as a blacksmith's son changes the course of English history.
And once again I wonder why we ever thought a hereditary monar ...more
And once again I wonder why we ever thought a hereditary monar ...more
Excellent follow-up to Wolf Hall. I will admit the story gets better as it goes on. I am excited to finish the trilogy. we may know what happens from a historic standpoint, but Mantel brings the characters to life, and I find myself so intrigued to see what happens next.
Nov 25, 2012
Meera
marked it as to-read
Nov 30, 2012
Amy W
marked it as to-read
Feb 20, 2020
Gaijinmama
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
purchased
Apr 14, 2020
Donna
marked it as to-read
Oct 25, 2020
Stephanie
marked it as to-read
Mar 17, 2025
Angie
marked it as to-read
