On 19th April 2010 we met to discuss “Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel. This book won the 2009 Man Booker prize for literature and has had rave reviews, not least from Louise Blake of Kenilworth Books who thinks it is among the best books she has read.
The book tells the story of the rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII. Born the son of a cruel and often drunken blacksmith, Thomas is loved by the other members of his family, particularly his sister Kat and her husband Morgan Williams, and with Morgan Williams’ help, he escapes his closed in life. Using his sharp intelligence, ear for language and skill with numbers, Cromwell becomes the favourite of Cardinal Wolsey. Showing a good understanding of politics, he is able to sidestep trouble when it appears on the horizon without losing his credibility. He wins favour with both King Henry and Anne Boleyn, seeing the weaknesses of both without losing sight of their determination to get their own way Although a master of political intrigue and not above using bullying tactics, the Thomas Cromwell of Mantel’s book remains a likeable and basically honest character, showing both love and loyalty to his friends.
The group were very divided about the book. It is very long and several members of the group were unable to finish it. Mantel’s style was disliked by some of the group. Conversation and also reported speech are often written without conventional punctuation. This makes it hard to follow who is speaking, who is merely thinking and who is replying. This confusion is not helped by the number of characters called Thomas. For others, this style, once it became familiar, added speed and excitement to the text and the story fairly races along. For lovers of historical novels, the book covers the familiar territory of Tudor times in a novel way, from the point of view of a character who has often been almost overlooked by the writers of school textbooks.
Those of us who enjoyed the book will recommend it to their friends, and indeed it is among the best sellers in both Warwick Books and Kenilworth Books.
Our next meeting is on Wednesday 19th may at The Punchbowl pub in Warwick. We are reading “Three cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson.
