Tag: henry viii

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel’s brilliant and Man Booker Prize-winning books about Thomas Cromwell continue with Bring Up the Bodies.

Cromwell is the right-hand man of Henry the VIII. His masterful manipulation of people and circumstances to make the world as Henry wants it has brought Cromwell wealth and power.

Getting Anne Boleyn on the throne was a struggle. Now he has to get her off of it without losing his own head in the process.

Mantel doesn’t just tell history, she makes it come alive.

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In one scene I can’t get out of my head: Henry has a temper tantrum because of the Spanish ambassador’s continued disrespect towards his new wife, Anne, and the repeated requests from the Spanish crown for money owed. The king blows his top at Cromwell and screams in his face.

He says he believes Cromwell has always manipulated him and laughed at him. But he is king and he will not be steered.

And, even though I knew the history, I thought for a moment Cromwell was going to be taken to the Tower in that instant.

Instead, he quietly apologizes to the king and dismisses himself, then goes to a different room to take a drink. With shaking hands, Cromwell spills a drop of the wine on himself and sits there, contemplating the small stain on his shirt.

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And I said to myself, “Mantel is a genius.”

In that passage, it was as if I was in that room, living the moment. She makes you forget you’re reading a book. It’s so immersive. It’s almost magical.

Cromwell’s efforts to collect evidence against Queen Anne fills much of this book. As he tightens his net around her, you can almost feel it tighten around yourself.

Cromwell jokes with his sworn men to ease some of the tension, but it is always there, buzzing beneath the surface.

Highly recommended for historical fiction readers. Bring Up the Bodies is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

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To see my review of Mantel’s Wolf Hall, click here.

If you enjoyed Wolf Hall or Bring Up The Bodies, you may also enjoy Elizabeth I by Margaret George.

Thanks for reading!

Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell Trilogy #1) by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell Trilogy #1) by Hilary Mantel
wolfhall

Wolf Hall is a historical fiction reader’s feast. Henry the VIII’s story, though it has been told, is re-examined through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell, one of his counselors. Who knew that a professional paper-pusher and merchant could be so fascinating?

Cromwell’s history made it unlikely that he would ever climb to such heights among the powerful. Born the son of an alcoholic blacksmith, Cromwell’s cleverness is his only advantage.

Then, through a relative, Cromwell is taken into Cardinal Wolsey’s household. Wolsey recognizes the diamond in the rough and Cromwell becomes his right-hand man. It is a life-or-death dance that Cromwell and Wolsey play with King Henry, as the king demands a new wife. (the Cardinal speaks) “Tell me why you are scowling in that way.” (Cromwell) “The people up there say they are going to kill me.” “Really?” the cardinal says. He face says, I am astonished and disappointed. “And will they kill you? Or what do you think?” pg 31, ebook.

Meanwhile, those around the king never let Cromwell forget his humble beginnings for a moment. The duke of Norfolk scowls. He paces; he rattles a little; at last he bursts out, “Damn it all, Cromwell, why are you such a … person? It isn’t as if you could afford to be.” Thomas waits, smiling. He knows what the duke means. He is a person, he is a presence. He knows how to edge blackly into a room so that you don’t see him; but perhaps those days are over.” pg 154, ebook.

The fact that Cromwell survives Wolsey’s disgrace is a miracle. As he builds his connections and power, the reader can only gape in amazement. “Chapuys greet him without a smile. “Well, you have succeeded where the cardinal failed, Henry has what he wants at last. I say to my master, who is capable of looking at these things impartially, it is a pity from Henry’s point of view that he did not take up Cromwell years ago. His affairs would have gone on much better.” pg 415.

The BBC made a fantastic book-to-screen version of this story. Many of my favorite moments from the book were taken exactly from these pages. I highly recommend it too.

My only complaint about this novel is that the style is ambiguous. Instead of labeling who is speaking, Mantel often just says “he”.

The reader must stay on her toes to keep up with the machinations of the characters, because Mantel doesn’t bother to explain it or their reasoning. I expect, that in some ways, it is very much like how these historic figures lived their lives. Never quite knowing who to trust or how the wind was blowing.

Yes, now we know what happened, who went to the block and who didn’t, but this story nearly succeeds in making the reader forget the ending. Wolf Hall throws you right into confusion of Henry the VIII’s reign. And, it was a Wolf Hall indeed.

Thanks for reading!