Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel 9/10


Wolf Hall, the first part of a trilogy, documents the political rise of Thomas Cromwell from chief adviser for Cardinal Wolsey, to courtier and close confidante of Henry VIII. The bulk of the book is a focus on how he and the other historical figures attempt to deal with the ‘king’s great matter’ - being that of wanting to break from his wife Katherine of Aragon and to marry Anne Boleyn.

The most immediate thing to say about this book is that I can see why it won such accolades from reviewers, as well as the Man Booker Prize. The depth and complexity of the story is breathtaking, from the cast of dozens of historical figures, to the rich setting of Tudor England, to the speed and style in which it is written.

I heard Mantel on the radio say she had to set up a complex card index system for each historical character she uses to make sure she didn’t accidentally have someone be somewhere they weren’t in real life. This attention to detail is but one of the strengths of the book.

A key distinction from other historical novels is the apparent confidence in the modern reader to either do their own research into the time or to simply imagine what Mantel is mentioning. Some novelists go to great lengths to describe historical aspects that the modern reader might not be familiar with – tools or utensils that we no longer use for example. Mantel does not bother with this at all, and I found that extremely refreshing. It frees the prose up from unnecessary description and helps to maintain the pace of the story.

And it is rapid. I have read some complaint from online reviewers about the style Mantel adopts as being confusing and whilst it is true that it can take a little time to get used to, particularly during interactions between characters, it is worth persevering with as it lends an authoritative stamp on a familiar tale.

It is also an important part of the success of the novel. By focussing on dialogue, especially that of Cromwell and the lesser characters and steering away from large sections of description, Mantel is able to avoid those stereotypes that come hand in hand with an event that so many people are familiar with.

As for the story, she turns the conventional artistic portrayals of Cromwell as the villain in the tale of Henry VIII and his six wives on its head. Instead, she creates a very capable, very likable character who the reader wants to succeed, not least because he seems to be one of the most enlightened men in England at this time. This obviously fits well with his role of overthrowing the monasteries and organising the break from Rome, and Mantel builds this contempt of the monasteries into his character deftly, we see hints of it throughout.

For me, the dramatic irony didn’t ruin the story. I know most of these characters will end up dead before the tale is told over the three books, but that did not stop me enjoying this immensely. I’m excited to get my hands on the next instalment Bring up the Bodies which also won the Man Booker Prize as well as the Costa Prize, a very rare achievement to win both, and wholeheartedly recommend this book for lovers of history and literature alike.