Much has been made of Wolf
Hall, the fictionalized account of Henry the VIII’s court, since its
original release in 2009; from the Man Booker Prize, to universal critical acclaim
and monster sales, it’s all been richly deserved. Though repeatedly the subject of writing, theater
and film, Hilary Mantel’s engrossing retelling of this Tudor chapter of history
is perhaps the finest since Shakespeare broached the subject.
Set in the years between 1500 and 1535 and centered on the events
that helped shape modern Europe, it’s the story of Henry’s wedding of Anne Boleyn
and the divorce that forever altered Western Civilization. The courting of Anne and Henry’s quest for an
heir form the ostensible backdrop of this story but Mantel’s focus on the
backroom dealing and horse trading that facilitated the betrothal is the real
point of interest. Wrangling with the Vatican,
the slippery French, and the hated Spanish while trying to prevent an invasion
by a united Christian Europe and suppressing an uprising on the home front are just some of the preoccupations Henry faces.
Fortunately he has a ringmaster named Thomas Cromwell to
handle the delicate -and not so delicate- intricacies of his agenda. And in the hands of Mantel, what a fascinating
man Cromwell proves to be. The archetype
of a “well-rounded Englishman” he is an engrossing and complex protagonist in
this original take on the Tudor court. As
a sort of a benevolent Machiavelli, who deftly balances and pragmatism and
hope, ambition and intrigue are just as much at the core of Cromwell as the
other courtesans, but we want to believe that his motivations are somehow for a
greater good and that’s partly why Mantel’s Cromwell is so irresistible.
Contrary to most works that tend to focus on Henry or Anne
as the singular characters, Mantel cleverly chooses Cromwell as the narrative
vessel for navigating this era of European upheaval. Cromwell is all the more remarkable as he is
the first man of low-born status to ascend to right hand of the throne, head
the government and essentially hold the keys to the realm. And this clash of classes adds to the richness
of this work by humanizing the historical events.
Mantel’s gifts as a writer are apparent from the first few
paragraphs. From the opening scenes the
prose accelerates, compelling you to burn through the 604 pages. She flaunts convention writes with clarity
and doesn't indulge in wordy flourishes.
But perhaps the most impressive quality of her writing is that she’s
able to inject an almost kinetic quality into the economical, even sparse, prose;
the words dance off the page and it reads almost like a thriller.
Wolf Hall is the
first of a Cromwell trilogy and we give this remarkable book our highest recommendation
for historical fiction. The second of
the series, Bring Up the Bodies, was
published in 2012 and has also been showered in critical acclaim and
awards. We can’t wait to devour it!
