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.