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.
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