Book Review: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To some he was a villain who opposed a saint, to others a man of mean birth and fortune who rose to be the right hand man to the two most powerful men in his country, or maybe just a man trying to make it from day to day and hoping to leave his family in better circumstances than those he was born into. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is the first book of a historical fiction trilogy from the view of Thomas Cromwell, a man to a work-class family of no position or name who rose to be the right hand to both Thomas Cardinal Wolsey and King Henry VIII.

Mantel’s first-person biographical historical fiction account of Thomas Cromwell’s life up until the execution of Sir Thomas More not only follows the rise of this “new man” in the political realm but one focused on business to power as well. There is one criticism that I have with the book to get out of the way, Mantel a few times doesn’t not put quotation marks to denote Cromwell’s speaking to other individuals, it isn’t a lot but enough to be noticeable that I sometimes got confused and had to go back to reread sections to get back on track. Besides that, for anyone that has seen historical documentaries or films or television shows that cover Henry VIII’s divorce from Katherine to marry Anne Boleyn while breaking with Rome this book covers it from the perspective of a man who is either seen as a villain or a useful tool for Henry in those other media. While the historical background was familiar ground for me, Mantel’s characterization of Cromwell is what makes this book stand out and keeps the reader engaged throughout especially when it comes to scenes in which Cromwell is dealing with his family and household. The characterizations of other historical personages, though seen through Cromwell’s point of view, were also well done, creating a very believable narrative when compared to the actual historical record. Over the course of a little over 600 pages this book delivers, and it ends with an intriguing reference to the book’s title but is never seen to set up the desire to read the next book.

Wolf Hall is a fantastic opening installment for a historical fiction trilogy; Hilary Mantel covers a period in English history that seems to have been done to death but from the point of view of an individual that in a lot of media is portrayed as the villain.

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