Friday, June 29, 2012

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

This book, the sequel to Wolf Hall, depicts Thomas Cromwell's involvement in the execution of Anne Boleyn. Even though the end is clear to even the most casual students of the Tudors, the book does an excellent job imagining the tension of those last few months: the multiple possibilities opening up and then closing in towards the executioner's block. Although the characters are all viivid (Henry, Katherine, Chapuys, Anne, Jane Seymour all stand out), the portrait of Cromwell is masterful. What were his motivations? His fears? How did he cope with the death of his wife? The threats of the nobles whose downfall he was orchestrating? Why was he so fiercely protective of Wyatt? While this book doesn't pretend to offer definitive answers, it does provide a plausible and compelling case for one way of understanding the man.

No comments: