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Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1)

by Hilary Mantel

bookshelves: historical-fiction, favorites, literary-fiction, recommendations, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in September 2015

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Astrid said: " God, oh god, what a book.

It took me about four months to read Wolf Hall. It has been a very intense experience, but I’m glad I took so much time to read it because it is a book that needs to be taken slowly to get its full significance. It wouldn't h God, oh god, what a book.

It took me about four months to read Wolf Hall. It has been a very intense experience, but I’m glad I took so much time to read it because it is a book that needs to be taken slowly to get its full significance. It wouldn't have affected me as much as it did if I had quickly read it in a couple of weeks.

Where to begin. Thomas Cromwell you terrible, magnificent and conniving man, how could I not love you? Mantel has created one of the most fascinating characters I've read about. His complexity and the duality of his character made him so endearing, I couldn't help but be invested in what he was doing and what was happening to him.

His relationships and the way he behaves with other people were very interesting. Throughout the book, there were different versions of Thomas Cromwell that he presented depending on the situation and people he was interacting with. Particularly the different ways he acted when he was with Henry and other officials, in contrast to how he acted with his family and household. I especially enjoyed his relationship with his wards, Rafe and Richard.

I'm not an expert in Tudor history, it's not a period that particularly interests me, so I can't speak on the historical accuracy, or lack thereof, of this book. What I can talk about is the plot, and the way it was executed by Mantel. Wolf Hall is very much a character study of Thomas Cromwell and his early rise to power during Henry VIII's reign, but the plot is just as engaging as his character. It covers a variety of historical events during the Tudor period, the crowning of Anne Boleyn and the fall of Thomas More being the ones that come to mind, among others. Although it is dense with history, it never feels boring or difficult to get through. It is slow, because of how heavy with detail it is, but that's what makes it such a great story and far superior in comparison to other historical fiction being written as of late.

Which leads me into Mantel's writing. Dear god, the woman can write. My copy is dog-eared with so many passages underlined because I could not contain myself from marking my favorite scenes and beautifully written sections. Any other person, any lesser writer, wouldn't have been able to accomplish such a novel. In another writer's hands this would have been messy and boring. Mantel has such a capacity for writing, she knows her craft so well, that she has created one of the finest historical novels to this day.

Absolutely worth the time and effort. This is, without question, my favorite read of the year. It would take a better novel to top that, and I'm convinced that it doesn't exist. ...more "

progress:

(page 574 of 604)
""'Our husbands know what we are,' Jo says. 'We are full of ourselves, aren't we? You don't come to Austin Friars to look for shy little maids. I wonder our uncle doesn't arm us.'
'Custom constrains me. Or I'd send you to Ireland.'"" — Sep 02, 2015 02:17PM

Sep 04, 2015 12:40PM · see review

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