A review by nadia
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

challenging informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I first read this book in 2013. I remember enjoying it but finding it quite hard to get into. 9 years later, older, and wiser, I thought I'd have a much easier time with it, but I was surprised by how hard I found it to follow passages of dialogue, the characters and their relationships and motivations, and to fully grasp why or how certain things had come to pass.

However, on the whole, I still found this book intriguing, captivating, and tense at times. I love reading about behind-the-scenes political machinations and strategy, and I've always been a fan of the Tudor period. The writing was excellent, though a few times too many on the ambiguous side, at least for me.

This is one of those books that was a real challenge but I welcomed it and I look forward to revisiting Bring Up The Bodies.
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