Jul 12

Jul 12 Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell Trilogy, #1)

Author: Hilary Mantel
Publisher: Henry Holt (original US edition, in 2009)
View on Goodreads

Click above to buy this book from my Bookshop.org shop, which supports independent bookstores (not Amazon). You can also find it via your favorite indie bookstore here.

Note: Trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

Tudor England. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is charged with securing his divorce. Into this atmosphere of distrust comes Thomas Cromwell — a man as ruthlessly ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages.

TL;DR Review

Wolf Hall is a pretty dense historical fiction about Thomas Cromwell and King Henry VIII. But it’s an incredible accomplishment of a book, and I’m really glad I read it.

For you if: You like historical fiction, you’re interested in the period of history of Henry VIII, or you’re just looking for a good old-fashioned literary challenge.

Full Review

Alright, so I’m not going to try to tell you whether this book is “good” or not — its critical acclaim and list of prizes (including the Booker) can tell you that. I'm just here to report on the experience of reading its 650 pages.

I do have to say, I’m proud to now be A Person Who’s Read Wolf Hall, lol. I finally picked it up because the third book of the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, is shortlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize.

Wolf Hall is an epic historical fiction novel about Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII, and Anne Boleyn. Cromwell, son of a lowly Blacksmith, rose to prominence and figured out how to make the king the head of the church in England (instead of the Pope) so that the king could divorce his wife and marry Anne.

It’s a giant book packed with research, and it isn't an “easy” read. The style sort of reminded me of a dense classic like Les Miserables. This book demands to be read slowly, urges you to take notes, requires you check the cast of characters over and over again (um, everyone back then was named Thomas or Catherine or Anne??), and pairs well with an online study guide (I used Course Hero). But still, the characters do truly come to life on the page, and I always wanted to know what would happen next. I also found that listening along with the library audiobook (at a fast speed, of course) while I read my print copy really helped me relax into the writing and kept me moving forward through the book.

Things to know before you read this: Mantel almost never uses Cromwell’s name, despite the book being written in third person. She uses “he” almost exclusively, which can get confusing when he’s in a scene with other men (which obviously happens often). I’ve read that this was meant to make you identify with him more, but it did take some getting used to. I got used to it, though, and by the end it barely ever tripped me up.

History was never my favorite subject in school, and I don’t read much genre historical fiction. I also knew almost nothing about this period of history. If I had been previously interested in it or if I were familiar with other books/plays/etc about Henry VIII, then I think I would have really, really loved this book. Still, I did like it, and I’m really glad I read it! On to Bring Up the Bodies!