Wolf Hall
by Hilary Mantel
★★★
There’s
been no shortage of praise for Mantel’s award-winning book, but if fell
a bit short of my expectations. The book follows the life of Thomas
Cromwell; from his early years spent under the oppressive thumb of his
blacksmith father, to later in life as he juggled Henry VIII desire for a
divorce and the political upheaval that followed.
Cromwell makes for an interesting character, but not
one that’s particularly enthralling. He has a cold air about him and it
was hard for me to feel like I was seeing the real him the majority of
the time. The parts I liked the best gave the reader a view into
Cromwell’s personal life, his relationship with his daughters and the
grief that he eventually faces. I also enjoy the political games that
were played in court. Mantel does a great job describing the rapidly
shifting loyalties and favor among King Henry’s advisors and subjects.
I tend to enjoy historical fiction, but I think I felt a
little lost without a clear story arch. There’s a mess of characters
all vying for the reader’s attention and Mantel doesn’t seem to have a
strong opinion about who should be the headliner. Yes it’s Cromwell’s
story, but he almost seems to be the glass through which we see the
action and not the central focus of the book. Is it really Cromwell’s
story, or is it Anne and Henry’s, Catharine’s, Mary Boleyn’s, Thomas
More’s, Princess Mary’s, Thomas Wolsey’s? By the end I didn’t feel too
invested in any of their lives. I’ve read so many books, (fiction and
nonfiction,) about Tudor era England that much of the plot covered felt
repetitive.
BOTTOM LINE: I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it; I just
felt ambivalent towards it by the end. There were some interesting
parts and I like learning more about Thomas Cromwell, but perhaps my
expectations were too high after hearing nothing but praise for the last
couple years. I haven’t decided if I’ll read the rest of the trilogy
yet.
