WOLF HALL, Hilary Mantel

No, not another supernatural novel about wolves, this is a novel of historical fiction telling the story of Thomas Cromwell, advisor to Henry VIII.  Winner of the Man Booker prize for fiction in 2009, I became aware of the author through an NPR interview (of course!) upon the occasion of the spring publication of the sequel, Bring Out the Bodies.

I was poised to be critical reader since I love reading historical fiction and I spent an entire semester as an undergraduate history major studying English history. I, like many others, think of Cromwell as mostly an ambitious villain.

Mantel turns him into a real multi-dimensional person.  I was continually amazed by the detailed description of the place and time and her ability to write dialogue seamlessly into the historical narrative.

I became totally immersed in the 16^th century world of England reading this extraordinary novel:  six sections, a five-page character list. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I’m now on a wait list for the sequel.

 

Holt 2009, 532 p.