This is the sequel to Wolf Hall in which King Henry VIII enlisted Thomas Cromwell's help in divorcing his wife, Queen Mary, to marry Anne Boleyn. Now Henry has grown tired of Anne and has become enamored of the young Jane Seymour. Henry now enlists Cromwell's aid in ending his marriage to Anne who has failed to provide him with a male heir. Cromwell succeeds in finding women who bear witness to Anne's infidelity and men who "confess" to having affairs with her. The end result is multiple executions, including the beheading of Anne. The title of this book does not refer those who were executed. The phrase "bring up the bodies" was used in trials and means "bring in the prisoners." As in Wolf Hall the story centers around Cromwell and his actions during that period. The author portrays Anne as an arrogant and frequently unpleasant woman which makes Henry a more sympathetic character than in most novels about his marriage to the second queen. Mantel intends to make a trilogy about Thomas Cromwell but I don't know when the third book is being released.
I liked Bring Up the Bodies much better than Wolf Hall. This time Mantel toned down the use of pronouns and didn't leave you wondering which "he" was speaking as in the first book. I'll have to wait and see how the third book is.
No comments:
Post a Comment