Setting: 16th-century Tudor England, during the reign of Henry VIII. Mantel chronicles the King's split from his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and pursuit of Anne Boleyn as he splits from Catholic Rome and declares himself Head of the Church of England—all this because he wanted to sleep with another chick!
At 651 pages, this was a book. I started it once, got to page 70 or so, and decided to start over and really concentrate. This is not a book to casually read on the subway. Wolf Hall is definitely a well- and interestingly-written novel, foremost because of its perspective. The entire book is written in the third-person present-tense, focusing on Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to the King. What's confusing is that in the narrative, he is not addressed by name, unless as part of a quote; Mantel simply refers to Cromwell as "him," which can be very confusing at first. Once you get into the swing of that, the book is pretty easy to get through.
I think Wolf Hall definitely deserves its mark as "prestigious-book-award-winner," but frankly, I was a little bored with it, completely because of personal taste. I have never had an interest in this time period of history. I find the ages of medieval, Renaissance, Enlightenment—the height of royalty in Europe—to be rather dark and barbaric, too much so for my tastes. Therefore, I didn't have enough of a background or interest in the subject matter to really enjoy this book. Aside from the very basics about Henry VIII and his wives, I could not recall many details about the outcome of these individuals (my AP Euro teacher would be so disappointed). I refrained from Wikipedia-searching until I had finished, because I figured the end would have a climactic conclusion, but no. Mantel seemed to cover only one aspect of Henry VIII's reign—his split with the Catholic church—and left out all the drama on which most recent literature focuses.
I wish I had read this as part of a book club or at least been able to discuss with someone who enjoys this time period and had a different perspective while reading. [Has anyone else read it?? Please comment if you have!] My Google-searching on Henry VIII and his six wives made for an enjoyable afternoon at work, but because it's the scandal and drama that piqued my interest, I'd probably prefer to see Henry's story on Showtime. Minus all the beheading.
7 comments:
This is a book that really just doesn't appeal to me, largely because I'm not someone who reads a lot of historical fiction and I just worry that I would find it overwhelming with all its references that I wouldn't get and perhaps just a bit boring too. I know it's received so much acclaim, but I didn't even like The Tudors which is about as fluffy and sudsy as you can get! :D
These are the same sentiments I felt when I read it. I was so tired of reading it, I forced myself to read for hours and finish it. I love the Tudor's and Henry VIII but I felt like they were secondary characters. The book was more about the inner-workings for his people. Great review!
No! No!! I loved Wolf Hall, because it gave us a different Cromwell, well-placed in his time (Henry VIII, Holbein, Anne Boleyn) and believable as the most human among the hordes of horribles like Cardinal Wolsey and Sir Thomas More (saint no more).
Mantel's Cromwell is a man who understands his own mortality: “we are always dying — I while I write, you while you read, and others while they listen or block their ears — they are all dying.” Cromwell understands the impermanence of what the wolves at court are fighting over. Everyone around him desires immortality — whether through an heir or power or money or religion — and through their desire, Cromwell controls them. And through her marvelous writing, Mantel controlled me.
Nina—this is just the kind of response I was hoping to get! The points you make perfectly illustrate why I couldn't get the most out of this book. You mention a "different Cromwell" was presented...but I don't know enough about Cromwell in general to understand why that was important. I loved your second paragraph of comments; the idea of mortality adds a lot looking back on the book.
Nina—this is just the kind of response I was hoping to get! The points you make perfectly illustrate why I couldn't get the most out of this book. You mention a "different Cromwell" was presented...but I don't know enough about Cromwell in general to understand why that was important. I loved your second paragraph of comments; the idea of mortality adds a lot looking back on the book.
Ha, I actually felt a little ashamed writing that I'd probably like The Tudors better, because I hate the sudsy stuff. But I think in this case, to be remotely interested in Tudor England, I'd need the soap opera drama.
This is very true. It wasn't what I expected, since usually literature about Henry VIII is about all his philanderings and beheadings. So in that case, I guess this would be a great book for someone who already has an interest in the Tudors, because it definitely does show a different side.
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