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[decemberthirty]

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel tells a long, many-threaded story: Henry VIII's divorce from Katherine of Aragon, his re-marriage to Anne Boleyn, the beginnings of the English Reformation, the rise and fall of Cardinal Wolsey, the rise and rise and rise of Wolsey's servant Thomas Cromwell. All of these plots are important, but it is Cromwell who is at

Comments

[marchioness]

I must thank you for the recommendation, as I'm really enjoying Wolf Hall!

[decemberthirty]

Hooray! There's a certain pressure that comes when someone reads a book on your recommendation--oh god, what if she hates it and it's all my fault?--so I'm glad to know that you're liking. Would love to hear what you think when you've finished it!

[superficiality]

I've been meaning to Wolf Hall FOREVER. Ughhh, maybe now is finally the time.

[decemberthirty]

Ha ha--I felt that way too. It happens to me all the time: a books comes out, makes a big splash, everyone talks about it, and then somewhere between three and five years later I finally get around to reading it. But Wolf Hall is worth it!

[arwen_of_lorien]

I actually picked up this book a week ago and so far have pretty much the same objections to the writing style. But the plot is interesting and I've already read a few books on Henry VIII to know that more juicy stuff will come. Of Cromwell I know very little and I'm so eager to find out more.

[decemberthirty]

I hope you warm up to it the way I did. And I'd love to know what you think once you've finished it!

[arwen_of_lorien]

Don't worry, I'll definitely let you know once I'm done. But it might take me a while, though, as I've been a slow reader lately.

[salvagejob]

A great review, truly inspiring.

I had no idea Hilary Mantel was a woman. Or such a powerhouse. Happy to learn of her via your post!

I looked her up. Is it me, or does she not look just like Margaret Thatcher, but with longer hair?

[decemberthirty]

Ha ha--I hadn't thought of her in relation to Margaret Thatcher, but now that you mention it... I also seem to recall reading somewhere that she's extremely short. Like, maybe even under five feet tall? That doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but I found it interesting.

I haven't read anything of hers besides Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, but I can definitely recommend both, and I intend to check out her earlier work as well!

[decemberthirty]

I hope you like it! I tend to share your skepticism about bestsellers and heavily hyped books, but this one turned out to be worth it.