A good bit of history...

So amidst all the chaos of the last few weeks, I finally finished Wolf Hall. It's a meaty read at around 650 pages, but I thought it was well worth it. So did the Manbooker judges, so it seems. It tells the story of Thomas Cromwell (Chief Minister and Advisor to Henry VIII) amidst the turbulent times of the English Reformation. Mantel made the complex, political intrigues of the English split with Rome captivating and understandable. She's done her research (obviously), but doesn't hit you over the head with it. She brought the whole period to life for me with a very contemporary and fluid writing style and beautiful attention to detail. There were many times when I re-read a sentence just to savour it. Cromwell comes across as a witty, interesting, workaholic; loyal and ruthless at the same time. Nothing seems to escape his attention. She describes the massive upheavals of the Tudor period in detail, down to the terrible punishments and tortures meted out in the name of religious fanaticism. There are plenty of details that helped bring me into the novel and carried me along. She manages to juggle a lot of characters and in this respect it isn't a quick read. I had to pay attention. She brought to life all the characters. Her depiction of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn was captivating, as was the character of Thomas More. She concentrates on the political maneouvres and intrigues and less on the (typical) romantic history, and that also made Wolf Hall a good read. I am not a fan of historical romance. Anyway, I thought this book was an amazing recreation of Thomas Cromwell, his character, his life, his rise from a beaten up blacksmith's son to Henry VIII's right-hand man, and his influence on one of the most important periods in English history. A great read if you're interested in the English Reformation (and even if you're not).