I cannot recommend this novel highly enough! It's tough going at first (Mantel does not identify pronouns throughout, for instance). It's the complex, beautifully researched and executed story of Thomas Cromwell and his relationship with Henry VIII. Contrary to so many accounts of Henry's reign, imagine that Cromwell is the hero of sorts and Sir Thomas More an egotistical fanatic. Mantel's Anne Boleyn is peevish, controlling and fascinating. Absorbing and brilliant.
(Lucy Childs - bwl 55 Winter 2010 ) |
