Wolf Hall

Reading this book has been a tough slog but I have thoroughly enjoyed the history about which I knew a bit already. Some of the writing is very good and evocative of the period but the use of 'he' for the main character is sometimes awkward. I am pleased that I finished the book and I shall now, most likely, be getting the sequel despite not liking the writing style! It's the total immersion in the period that I enjoyed but I found the sheer number of characters difficult (though there is plenty of help with that in the first few pages of the book to which I did have to refer a lot).

If you want to read for pleasure and inspiration, you do not need to select a book that is over 650 pages long. To an ordinary reader it seems as if there is some sort of competition amongst writers and publishers to have their books longer and longer. There are some long books that I found difficult to put down, but I do not think that Hilary Mantel's book needed to have been so long. In fact, for me, it would have been more appealing if it had been shorter. As I started reading the book it was gripping and I could see it was going to be difficult not to read it. However, the initial attraction fizzled out and the only way to finish the book, and then go on to other better reading, was to skip sentences and paragraphs. One problem I found was that there was so much detail that the thrust of the main story was sometimes forgotten. The other reason why the book was not so appealing was that there were some gaps. For instance, the reader would have liked to have understood how Cromwell managed to get to the very powerful position that he did, when initially he was potentially out of favour as he supported Cardinal Wolsey. Another example is that there ought to have been a little more about the significance of Wolfe Hall and why the ending of the book is regarded by many as being what made the book so great. It was assuming more knowledge about the historical background than many readers would have. One must, however, comment of the amount of research Hilary mantel must have done to produce the detail in the book, and her ability to write so much, so well.

I loved 'A Place of Greater Safety' and I loved this book even more. Impeccably researched, beautifully written and utterly credible. Hilary Mantel brings Thomas Cromwell to life. This is a book to treasure and to re-read, probably several times. I can hardly wait for the sequel. A truly well deserved Booker prize win.

I would have rated Wolf Hall a 3.5 instead of a 4 but Amazon wouldn't have it. I found this to be a good book although I wouldn't call it "the most gripping book you'll ever read" like The Times did. What I liked about it was how it was written in from the perspective of Cromwell, which I haven't considered before. I am hoping there is going to be a sequel, which I think would have the possibility to be even more interesting then Wolf Hall. The only downfall from this book was at times it was hard to decipher who was saying what, especially if you were not paying attention. Despite that I would recommend it, especially if you are a fan of Tudor historical fiction.

I thought it was me, but after reading some of the other reviews, I found that I was not on my own. 'Wolf Hall' is a heavy slog and ultimately it seems not worth the effort. Along with other readers I have found it turgid and irritating, for much the same reasons other people have. Disjointed and hard to follow and very boring in places. The use of 'he' to describe a view point, the use of the present tense, even in flashbacks, and conversations turning up in paragraphs. All these things have been pointed out. It seems that the literary establishment loved it. Why do they like such boring books? Every time I see the words 'Booker prize winner' I approach with caution and I should have avoided this, but I let myself be led astray by the reviews of a gang of literary snobs. The number of reviews in the book itself made me feel I was being blungeoned into liking it Just one other thing to add. Ms Mantell some of us are not as knowledgeable about the Tudor period as you seem to assume we are and a bit of background detail would be helpful. Or maybe not, I suppose it would still have been written in the same God awful style, and worse it would probably have been even longer. Then I think I would have lost the will to live.

I can't help but be impressed by this because I am a writer and Hilary Mantel's craft is just dazzling. As a read for sheer entertainment, it was patchy for me, my interest peaked and waned, but this is such a tour-de-force that it really doesn't matter. Cromwell is alive from page one and by the end of it I felt I knew the person - no mean feat. The historical research is impeccable, though occasionally I got lost in the political shenanigans of the day and wanted to skip through to a more personal part of the book. I resisted because I thought if I lost track of what was happening I might never find the thread again. For writers and historical fiction fans, this is a 'must read'. Superb.

I decided to go ahead with reading this book despite the negative reviews - I thought I should formulate my own opinion on it. Normally, I read a wide variety of fiction, so I thought I should give it a try Well at long last I've finished it, about 5 weeks after starting it and I have to say I'm mightily glad that I can now put in behind me and start to read another book. My main complaint is that the story is simply not interesting enough to justify the sheer size of the book - about half the pages would have sufficed. On the front cover The Times says that the book is 'the most gripping you'll ever read' - gripping? I don't think do! It just plods along with not much really happening. Yes, I suppose the writing is very good, but what use is that if the story doesn't have much to say? If you're reading all these reviews and are now confused about whether you should read it, i would say you should buy it and give it a go. I'm glad I read it, even although it was a hard slog. Just be aware you might not make it to the end!

Some negative reviews of this book commenting on its confusing and inpenetrable style. It did take some effort to get into the book, and I read the first two chapters twice, very slowly. However, once I'd worked out Mantel's style and thus who was talking I was away. The colour and detail of the period and its people is simply amazing, and fabulously real women who are not Queens or Princesses feature strongly in the book. Humour, nastiness and spirit permiate the story and the characters resonate with each other and the reader. I couldn't finish this book in one go as I normally would when so taken with a story - that would be the literary equivalent of eating 100 chocolate gateaux in one sitting - but I was able to gorge on it for eight heavenly days. It stayed with me for a long time afterwards. I'm in complete awe of Hilary Mantel!

What I love about looking at the reviews of Wolf Hall are how it divides opinion - and divides it to such an extent! As far as Wolf Hall is concerned, I'm very much in the good review camp. Since so much has been written by others I will be brief...yes - the book is long and sometimes drags. yes - there are occassions where the dialogue is confusing and yes - some events could be given a little more air time than others. However, these cracks are more than made up for by the pluses. Hilary Mantel has brought the characters of the Tudors to life in an intelligent, engaging and compelling way. Thomas Cromwell's character as depicted by the author is a real gem - witty, sharp and caring to his friends - albeit single minded on his work which is understandable given the times and his start in life. The author's dialogue (confusing use of "he" aside), particularly between the likes of Cromwell, More and Anne Bolyen is crisp and witty and I often found myself folding back pages to go back to a particular scene at a later stage (More's description of Cromwell in the last part of the book is excellent!). So - give this one a chance. Unlike one reviewer I pushed on after page 250 and am very glad I did....and i'll definitely be buying the second installment.

I heard about this book on Radio Four when it was first released but didn't get round to buying it until recently. The book covers the early political life of Thomas Cromwell - a commoner who rose throught eh service of Cardinal Wolsey to become one of Henry VIII's most trusted advisors. This book covers his meteoric rise to power in the style of 3rd person historical fiction. Good points about this book: excellent characterisation - the characters are all vivid and well-developed, good pace which carries you through the story, and, of course, it's based on a fantastic story. The only bad point was that, in common with aristocratic practice of the time, the author interchanges the names and titles of various characters. So Sir Thomas Howard would, at other points in the text, be called the Duke of Norfolk which is fine if you are familiar with all of the characters and their titles, or if you can recall every detail of the dozens of characters in the book. For me, it entailed much reference back to teh character list in the early pages. I would rather read this book than not - an excellent protrayal of the period with well-rounded characters.