I am surprised by how much I am enjoying this book, and actually enjoying reading about Cromwell – one of the most disliked people in English Tudor-era history.
In this book, he almost comes across as likeable, admirable even, a wonderful family man, who has a sincere repugnance for torture.
And then there comes this, which gives hints of the darker shades he will take on as the book progresses.
But it is no use to justify yourself. It is no good to explain. It is weak to be anecdotal.
It is wise to conceal the past even if there is nothing to conceal.
A man’s power is in the half-light, in the half-seen movements of his hand and the unguessed at expression of his face.
It is the absence of facts that frightens people: the gap you open, into which they pour their fears, fantasies, desires.
~ Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Amazing book. Starts off weak, but my goodness, I can’t stop reading it now.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
I’ve been meaning to pick this up — especially since I refuse to watch the tv series until I do. It sounds great!
Snap! I too am currently shocked by how much I am enjoying Wolf Hall. After all these years! I could have been reading it this whole time! And I just didn’t do it because I thought it was going to be super anti-Anne Boleyn. And all along it’s not nearly as anti-Anne Boleyn as I was imagining. Like, I feel that Cromwell respects her as a worthy adversary (so far).
@readingtheend:disqus Me too! I can’t stand so many books maligning Anne Boleyn in the most ridiculous way, and I thought this book would be like that too. But I feel Cromwell (or Mantel) has given a very balanced portrait of her.
I loved this book, and Bring Up the Bodies. I’m not into ALL historical fiction but these are really terrific.
@MsM2000:disqus I love historical fiction, but I thought I was done with the Tudors – have read way too many books on Henry VIII and his wives. But apparently not. This book was refreshingly fresh.
I LOVE Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies – because of the slight oddness of the pov, the writing takes at least a chapter to get used to, but it’s worth it. The writing is truly remarkable and her grasp of the history of the time is amazing.
@sjhigbee:disqus It does take getting a little used to. I am curious though what made her choose this style. It means a lot more work for the reader.
I think she wanted to give us an insight into Cromwell where his internal dialogue ran alongside his actions in order for us to understand why he did what he did… Given that he has always been painted as the wicked bully boy of the time, Mantel wanted to provide another reading of a complex, highly intelligent character, who nevertheless did some awful things… Have to say, I think she succeeded magnificantly.
Sounds fascinating. I love historical fiction.
My Tuesday post features Beach Trip.
Hmmm…you guys have me curious now.
sherry @ fundinmental My TT
I’ve got a copy of this but haven’t been able to get past the first few pages yet I loved the BBC TV adaptation recently. I’ll have to try it again. Sounds like from what you said that if you persevere it gets addictive. My TT http://indie-bookworm.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/teaser-tuesday-3.html
@disqus_i5oY1iJoPA:disqus the beginning is hard. But once you get accustomed to her writing style, it’s not that difficult to read (if you already know your history). This book is impossible if a reader is not familiar with the events of the time.
I’m definitely going to give it another go. Thanks for visiting my blog. 🙂
I’m surprised I haven’t read this one yet! I love the time period and I’ve love the TV series.
@BethFishReads:disqus I so want to watch the TV series. But the books first for now 🙂 I am absolutely loving it. It’s a bit hard to follow at first, but her writing is splendid, just splendid.
I was thinking of giving the audiobooks a try. I’ve heard nothing but good about the books.