lreay89's review against another edition
5.0
I have just finished reading [b:Wolf Hall|6101138|Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1)|Hilary Mantel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1336576165s/6101138.jpg|6278354] and I am so enthralled with it! The reading style is very different and took a while to get used to but once I got to grips with 'he' being Cromwell I found it a thoroughly enjoyable way of reading.
He is often seen as the criminal of the Tudor marriage saga but here Mantel has brought out a side of him that I find believable and courageous. He is after all a servant always doing his masters bidding and ultimately the master is Henry VIII.
I find it very interesting that Mantel has started to weave in Anne's downfall and those of the gentlemen she is accused alongside as being the enemies of Wolsey. People that Cromwell has marked and is waiting to bring about his revenge upon.
The text is so richly written that I feel that I could be in the Tudor period alongside these fascinating characters who have to quiet literally scheme to keep themselves alive.
Cant wait to start on [b:Bring Up the Bodies|13393094|Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)|Hilary Mantel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334590797s/13393094.jpg|14512257].
Having now finished [b:Bring Up the Bodies|13393094|Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)|Hilary Mantel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334590797s/13393094.jpg|14512257] I do not know what to think of any of the main players in the saga.
I think perhaps that Anne Boleyn was a woman very alike Henry VIII which to begin with fostered their intense relationship and finally when Henry did not get what he wanted (a son) and she did not get what she wanted (ultimate power) they annoyed each other to the point where one had to go. Anne being the female in that age being immediately at the disadvantage.
Cromwell I do not believe is an overly malicious character just a man that had dragged himself up from the lower classes (knew how awful conditions were) and did not want to end up back there or dead - something that I think is reasonable of all human nature.
Do I think she was guilty of the crimes they forced on her? No. I think they were convenient ruses made up to dispose of her in the quickest and easiest fashion (Henry having learnt a lesson from his Daughter Mary I and Katherine of Aragon). He wasn't about to make the same mistake again.
In the ultimate saga of the history of the Tudors it can be said that Anne Boleyn had the last laugh with her daughter being one of the strongest monarchs in history, mastered by no man and managing to stay on her throne when the whole of the Christian world was against her.
I am very much looking forward to [b:The Mirror and the Light|9624993|The Mirror and the Light (Thomas Cromwell, #3)|Hilary Mantel|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|18853327] to see how [a:Hilary Mantel|58851|Hilary Mantel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1334862633p2/58851.jpg] plays out the downfall of Cromwell (as in Tudor England there are very few winners). I have to say I will be sad to see his downfall as the books have made me a secret Cromwell admirer!
He is often seen as the criminal of the Tudor marriage saga but here Mantel has brought out a side of him that I find believable and courageous. He is after all a servant always doing his masters bidding and ultimately the master is Henry VIII.
I find it very interesting that Mantel has started to weave in Anne's downfall and those of the gentlemen she is accused alongside as being the enemies of Wolsey. People that Cromwell has marked and is waiting to bring about his revenge upon.
The text is so richly written that I feel that I could be in the Tudor period alongside these fascinating characters who have to quiet literally scheme to keep themselves alive.
Cant wait to start on [b:Bring Up the Bodies|13393094|Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)|Hilary Mantel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334590797s/13393094.jpg|14512257].
Having now finished [b:Bring Up the Bodies|13393094|Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)|Hilary Mantel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334590797s/13393094.jpg|14512257] I do not know what to think of any of the main players in the saga.
I think perhaps that Anne Boleyn was a woman very alike Henry VIII which to begin with fostered their intense relationship and finally when Henry did not get what he wanted (a son) and she did not get what she wanted (ultimate power) they annoyed each other to the point where one had to go. Anne being the female in that age being immediately at the disadvantage.
Cromwell I do not believe is an overly malicious character just a man that had dragged himself up from the lower classes (knew how awful conditions were) and did not want to end up back there or dead - something that I think is reasonable of all human nature.
Do I think she was guilty of the crimes they forced on her? No. I think they were convenient ruses made up to dispose of her in the quickest and easiest fashion (Henry having learnt a lesson from his Daughter Mary I and Katherine of Aragon). He wasn't about to make the same mistake again.
In the ultimate saga of the history of the Tudors it can be said that Anne Boleyn had the last laugh with her daughter being one of the strongest monarchs in history, mastered by no man and managing to stay on her throne when the whole of the Christian world was against her.
I am very much looking forward to [b:The Mirror and the Light|9624993|The Mirror and the Light (Thomas Cromwell, #3)|Hilary Mantel|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|18853327] to see how [a:Hilary Mantel|58851|Hilary Mantel|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1334862633p2/58851.jpg] plays out the downfall of Cromwell (as in Tudor England there are very few winners). I have to say I will be sad to see his downfall as the books have made me a secret Cromwell admirer!
luna545's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lucy_t_firefly's review against another edition
2.0
I know it's probably some kind of sacrilege to say... but I don't think this adds anything interesting to the historical events we know actually happened.
Cromwell is persuasive, Henry is petulant, and (shock! Horror!) Anne Boleyn is conniving and demanding. So dry.
Cromwell is persuasive, Henry is petulant, and (shock! Horror!) Anne Boleyn is conniving and demanding. So dry.
doro_la_thea's review against another edition
3.0
There are so many other things I want to read, and the writing style of these books is sometimes hard for me to follow, and despite these things I could not put them down until finished and I'm actually hoping she continues telling the story of Thomas Cromwell. Until then I have time to read those other books I have stacked up.
booksmarttn's review against another edition
4.0
If you enjoyed the first in this series, then the second in this series will be welcome. Excellent writing about an interesting person in a fascinating time in history.
suzyhps's review against another edition
While I enjoy reading books set in the Tudor era and explore the history and politics and culture of the time, I realised I enjoy the smaller scale, usually female pov's. This was a very masculine, male-focused book that had me double guessing constantly which of the characters I was reading about, and which Thomas we meant. It was too much of a struggle to even try and enjoy.
lisarue's review
4.0
A very unusual voice narrates this story. Although it's in the third person, it's a very personal and intimate third-person voice, and yet it's not somebody inside the narrative except perhaps the protagonist. Perhaps that's it -- it's a compartment of Thomas Cromwell's marvelous brain, narrating his own story from the imaginary wings of his stage.
Wolf Hall lost some momentum for me in the last third. I didn't feel compelled to come back to the story but when I did pick it up I enjoyed continuing and finishing it.
Wolf Hall lost some momentum for me in the last third. I didn't feel compelled to come back to the story but when I did pick it up I enjoyed continuing and finishing it.
booksmarttn's review
4.0
If you enjoyed the first in this series, then the second in this series will be welcome. Excellent writing about an interesting person in a fascinating time in history.
blvrns's review
informative
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lisabee's review
3.0
In Wolf Hall, Ms Mantel's style is crystal clear and simultaneously confusing, as Thomas Cromwell is only referred to as "he". Sometimes you are not quite sure who is talking or thinking. In Bring up the Bodies, it seems an editor has added some words occasionally, specifying that Thomas Cromwell is speaking. Jolting.
Cromwell and his familiars are engaging, likeable people, uniformly so. Anne Boleyn comes across as an unmitigated harridan.
By the end of the two books, I felt like I was reading well-written romances. Thomas Cromwell is a superhero, with no internal conflicts of any weight, who can do no wrong, set upon by purely evil enemies. So in total, the books left me unsatisfied and uninterested.
How did these win the Booker Man prizes?
Cromwell and his familiars are engaging, likeable people, uniformly so. Anne Boleyn comes across as an unmitigated harridan.
By the end of the two books, I felt like I was reading well-written romances. Thomas Cromwell is a superhero, with no internal conflicts of any weight, who can do no wrong, set upon by purely evil enemies. So in total, the books left me unsatisfied and uninterested.
How did these win the Booker Man prizes?