Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, 604 pages.

I read this when it came out, around ten years ago already, and enjoyed it immensely. This time, I decided to listen to the audio, and let the narrator figure out who was speaking. Thomas Cromwell, born the son of a blacksmith, flees his abusive father, becomes a soldier, then a merchant, lawyer, and eventually a member of the king's council.
The most common complaint I have heard about the three books in this series is that Mantel structures the text in such a way that sometimes (or always, depending on who you are talking to) it is difficult to determine which character is speaking (as an addendum, I did not notice Linda's post about this same book until right after I hit publish). Simon Slater, narrator of the Mantel audiobooks, does a tremendous job giving unique voices to each of the large cast of characters. So if you had that particular problem with the books, listen to the wonderful audio. It's all on Overdrive (or on CD).
A remarkable first book in a truly remarkable series.

The Mirror & the Light

The Mirror & the Light / Hilary Mantel, 757 p.

The third and mercifully final volume of the trilogy which begins with Wolf Hall followed by Bring up the Bodies.  After nearly 2,000 pages of the life of Thomas Cromwell, a commoner who rose to the heights of power during the reign of Henry VIII, I still can't understand why - why he was chosen as the subject for such an extraordinarily ambitious project, and why the books seem to have resonated with so many readers.  It's perfectly true that the writing is excellent and demonstrates a fantastic degree of research.  Cromwell was surrounded by sociopaths and backstabbers.  He was no sociopath, but he was rapacious for power and wealth, and he didn't hesitate to imprison and execute when he felt it beneficial, both to him and to the kingdom.  If he occasionally felt qualms about doing so only makes him more guilty.  Henry could (legitimately, I think) plead insanity; Cromwell has no such excuse.  I suppose he is the new European: capitalist, Calvinist, rational, and very cold. 

The Mirror and the Light

The Mirror and the Light (Thomas Cromwell Trilogy #3) by Hilary Mantel  784 pp.

This book was a long time in coming. The first installment, Wolf Hall came out in 2009 and Bringing up the Bodies was published in 2012. Possibly the reason for the delay is the length of this final installment. It brings the total pages of the trilogy to over 1700 pages. This part of the fictionalized life of Thomas Cromwell begins with the beheading of King Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn and Henry's immediate marriage to Jane Seymour. Cromwell, the king's most trusted adviser quickly rose in rank in Henry's Cabinet, eventually rising to the office of  Lord Privy Seal, given membership in the Order of the Garter, and named the first Earl of Essex. However, Cromwell had many enemies in the king's court with many resenting Cromwell's common background. They ultimately led to his downfall and execution with Henry blaming Cromwell for his unfortunate marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Of the three books I liked this one the best. It goes into much more detail of Cromwell's personal life and beliefs. While it is helpful to read the first two, this volume could be read as a stand alone since there are flashbacks to events earlier in Cromwell's life. I listened to the audiobook which is very well performed by Ben Miles and clocks in at a hefty 38+ hours.

Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, 532 pages

Mantel offers a detailed and fascinating fictional account of Henry VIII's long crusade to divorce his first wife, Katherine, and marry Anne Boleyn, as seen through the eyes of the king's advisor Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell comes across as an intelligent and fairly modern man, willing to give more credence to the opinions of women and religious heretics than most of his counterparts. Something about him also reminds me a bit of a spider, delicately weaving a web of influence around him, and allowing him incredible power for a man who was born a son of an abusive blacksmith.

A couple problems I had with this book: First of all, most of the characters are men. This isn't a problem in itself, but when you have several of them in a single scene, and each is referred to variously by his title, nickname, surname, and first name, as well as "he" or "him," it becomes REALLY  hard to figure out who's saying what. Eventually, it becomes obvious which "him" is Cromwell, but still... it's not easy to keep these conversations straight. My second beef is simply the same problem I have with most historical fiction that features real people: I just don't know where the historical ends and the fiction begins. I'd like for it to be clearer, though I realize I'm just going to have to accept the ambiguity if I'm reading realistic historical fiction. Which I probably will when I pick up Bring Up the Bodies. I just hope it doesn't take 7 weeks to read like this one did.

Bring up the Bodies / Hilary Mantel 410 p.

The sequel to Wolf Hall, and written with equal smoothness.  Both books annoy me and I don't fully understand why.  I suppose it's our main character, Thomas Cromwell himself.  It feels as though we are meant to see him as a higher being than all those around him, but sheesh, he doesn't have a lot of competition.  Yes, he loves his children, dead and living; yes, he doesn't beat his servants, but for this he and Hilary want to give him a medal?  For me he was far too efficient about dispatching Anne and her friends, disgusting though they may have been.  He'll get his comeuppance in part 3, but I doubt it will make me feel any better.