Wolf Hall

Books | Fiction / Historical / Renaissance

(914)

Hilary Mantel

WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZEWINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTIONIn inimitable style, Hilary Mantel's New York Times bestselling Wolf Hall is "a darkly brilliant reimagining of life under Henry VIII. . . . Magnificent." (The Boston Globe). The basis for the TV series on BBC and PBS Masterpiece starring Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell.England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

Historical Fiction

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Author

Hilary Mantel

Pages

560

Publisher

Henry Holt and Company

Published Date

2009-10-13

ISBN

1429943289 9781429943284

Ratings

Google: 4

Community ReviewsSee all

"One of my all time favourites - so well written and a ch a good story."

Donna Thiessen

"I was grateful that there was a sequel! Brilliant. "

Molly Hans

"It's incredibly well written and researched and Literary, and you can tell why it won a Booker Prize, but it's very much a tricky read that isn't for everyone: tons of introspective asides and tangential musings and pronoun confusion (the book is written in the third person despite having a single viewpoint, and also basically everybody is named Thomas - though that part is at least historical). I enjoyed it but I'm not sure it is precisely meant to be enjoyed."

Chigbo Ikejiani

"Gorgeous "

Chiffon

"I truly enjoyed this book. It was intellectually challenging, which I loved. Like other reviewers, it took me awhile to realize that "He" always referred to Cromwell. That made the first few chapters confusing, but once I got the hang of it, it was pure Tudor history enjoyment. Most Tudor historical fiction is told from the point of view of the King, Queen, or other significant noble character. This was told from Thomas Cromwell's. He was a significant player, but far from noble.<br/><br/>While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I would not recommend it to anyone unfamiliar with the Henry VIII-Katherine of Aragon-Anne Boleyn story. It is not a good introductory book to this story. It seems that the author (perhaps because she is British) takes for granted that the reader is well versed in the characters and plot.<br/><br/>If you are a Tudor history lover, as I am, this is a must read."

S K

Stacy Kurko

"Great story that is continued in two more novels. "

C R

C. Reade

"Agree, the start is a bit heavy, but well worth persevering. There are 2 more after that are just as good. Interesting perspective from a pivotal time in history. "

B F

Brooke Ferguson

"Get through the first few pages and you won’t be able to put this down. "

Andy Begey

"Live this time period in British history, told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, a trilogy, this book and Bring Up The Bodies won the Man Booker, intense reading, beautifully written telling of his rise and fall in the court of king Henry the Eighth, third book now available"