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queerloras's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Incest, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
jhbandcats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As before, the writing is exquisite. It’s a bit challenging - there aren’t always quotation marks and it’s difficult to tell who is saying what - but once the rhythm settles in it flows smoothly. Mantel’s sardonic wit is as caustic as ever; she describes Anne Boleyn’s uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, as looking “like a piece of rope chewed by a dog, or a piece of gristle left on the side of a trencher.”
Wolf Hall is one of my favorite all-time books, and Bring Up the Bodies is a worthy sequel. I’m now hoping to finish the trilogy with the 800+ page The Mirror and the Light. Mantel is just an extraordinary writer.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Blood, Pregnancy, and Classism
tmickey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Torture, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide and Blood
catrionamayj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Incest and Miscarriage
Minor: Rape
malloryfitz's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, and Alcohol
katherine_ridley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Blood
Minor: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Grief
beckyo's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death
Minor: Incest, Miscarriage, and Torture
akarusa_hime's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death
caidyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Oh, this book. I like it a lot better than the first one. I think the writing is easier to read and it's just easier to understand all in all. This book doesn't cover a huge span of time like the first one does. It's all about the fall of the Boleyns and the rise of Cromwell. So, it's very focused and I enjoyed it. There was so much more heart to it and I can feel how much Mantel put into the book. She says she wants to dig Cromwell out, since he's such an illusive figure, and I do feel that she did a great job at it.
The book does rely on some tired tropes. Like Jane Boleyn's relationship with her husband, George. I loved that Mantel included [b:Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford|1206219|Jane Boleyn The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford|Julia Fox|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320429275l/1206219._SX50_.jpg|2053669] as a source in her acknowledgements because it's a book that takes a very different look at her. Same with her talking about things she drew from and read about Anne Boleyn's last days.
All in all, a second book. I cannot wait to read the final book because I've been waiting for years now.
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Sexism
Moderate: Blood
nadia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I found the writing easier to follow in this book and I’m not sure whether that’s down to me being more used to Mantel’s style or that the nature of the material meant that it was dealt with with less subtlety and more drama. I wasn’t complaining. Whilst the book started rather slowly, as the story proceeds it turns into a real page-turner.
Having gone through this twice, I reckon the writing, while still excellent, is, on the whole, more direct in this one!
There will still parts where I had to reread paragraphs a few times to grasp the meaning, and some aspects did some rather dull, but those were few and far in between.
Keeping track of who's who was still relatively difficult on the whole, especially without a paper copy to easily flick back and forth, but having reread Wolf Half very recently definitely helped!
Finally I'm ready to for The Mirror & the Light!
P.P.S. I'm currently enjoying watching the BBC adaptation of the two books with some friends. It's really good!
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Infidelity and Miscarriage
Minor: Incest