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Hilary Mantel
In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII's court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king's favor and ascend to the heights of political powerEngland 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. The quest for the king's freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, 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? In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel presents a picture of a half-made society on the cusp of change, where individuals fight or embrace their fate with passion and courage. With a vast array of characters, overflowing with incident, the novel re-creates an era when the personal and political are separated by a hairbreadth, where success brings unlimited power but a single failure means death.
Historical Fiction
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More Details:
Author
Hilary Mantel
Pages
560
Publisher
Henry Holt and Company
Published Date
2009-10-13
ISBN
1429943289 9781429943284
Ratings
Google: 4
Community ReviewsSee all
"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."
"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
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