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A review by lreay89
Wolf Hall / Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
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!