Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Dec. 19th, 2012 11:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
By 1535 Cromwell is Chief Minister to Henry, his fortunes having risen with those of Anne Boleyn. But the split from the Catholic Church has left England dangerously isolated, and Anne has failed to give the king an heir. Cromwell watches as Henry falls for plain Jane Seymour. Negotiating the politics of the court, Cromwell must find a solution that will satisfy Henry, safeguard the nation and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge unscathed from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days.
An astounding literary accomplishment, BRING UP THE BODIES is the story of this most terrifying moment of history, by one of our greatest living novelists.
It’s 1535 and Cromwell is Henry VIII’s Chief Minister and Master Secretary. Thanks to the new Queen Anne and the Boleyn family, he has property, riches and power, but the King’s inner circle will never let him forget his humble beginnings and are constantly circling him, waiting for a mistake that they can use to bring about his downfall. That downfall may be closer than Cromwell likes because Anne has yet to bear Henry the male heir he craves and faced with her jealousy, her demands and her acquisitiveness, his eye is beginning to wander towards the more sedate Jane Seymour.
Conscious of what happened to his mentor Wolsey, Cromwell know that if he’s to satisfy the king’s desire while preserving his own position then he must turn on the Boleyns. But Cromwell’s navigating a dangerous path and the Boleyns will not go quietly …
Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize winning sequel to the Booker Prize winning WOLF HALL is an equally thrilling, intelligent and utterly gripping account of Anne Boleyn’s downfall and the impact on Cromwell. Mantel succeeds in taking a familiar story and making it feel both fresh and suspenseful again.
As with WOLF HALL, Mantel peels away the different layers of Cromwell’s character, revealing a man who has his vulnerabilities but is also capable of being utterly ruthless to both friends and enemies. A scene where he interrogates the hapless musician Smeaton is a masterclass in intimidation and cruelty as he takes the man apart and reduces him to nothing. I was also fascinated by Mantel’s portrayal of Anne Boleyn who is a complicated character in her own right – capricious and vicious she’s an intelligent woman who isn’t as secure in her own position as she would like and feels constantly compelled to manipulate the men around her. Cromwell’s observations of her are astute and the way they dance around each other is nail bitingly tense and I actually felt sorry for her as she goes towards her doom.
There’s a wonderful sense of period running throughout the piece and I liked the way Mantel weaves Cromwell’s personal history into his reactions and plans. I also enjoyed the fact that the narrative is written in a less stylised and thus earlier to follow style than in WOLF HALL.
All in all, it’s a stunning read and I’m very much looking forward to the final book in the trilogy.
The Verdict:
Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize winning sequel to the Booker Prize winning WOLF HALL is an equally thrilling, intelligent and utterly gripping account of Anne Boleyn’s downfall and the impact on Cromwell. Mantel succeeds in taking a familiar story and making it feel both fresh and suspenseful again.
By 1535 Cromwell is Chief Minister to Henry, his fortunes having risen with those of Anne Boleyn. But the split from the Catholic Church has left England dangerously isolated, and Anne has failed to give the king an heir. Cromwell watches as Henry falls for plain Jane Seymour. Negotiating the politics of the court, Cromwell must find a solution that will satisfy Henry, safeguard the nation and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge unscathed from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days.
An astounding literary accomplishment, BRING UP THE BODIES is the story of this most terrifying moment of history, by one of our greatest living novelists.
It’s 1535 and Cromwell is Henry VIII’s Chief Minister and Master Secretary. Thanks to the new Queen Anne and the Boleyn family, he has property, riches and power, but the King’s inner circle will never let him forget his humble beginnings and are constantly circling him, waiting for a mistake that they can use to bring about his downfall. That downfall may be closer than Cromwell likes because Anne has yet to bear Henry the male heir he craves and faced with her jealousy, her demands and her acquisitiveness, his eye is beginning to wander towards the more sedate Jane Seymour.
Conscious of what happened to his mentor Wolsey, Cromwell know that if he’s to satisfy the king’s desire while preserving his own position then he must turn on the Boleyns. But Cromwell’s navigating a dangerous path and the Boleyns will not go quietly …
Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize winning sequel to the Booker Prize winning WOLF HALL is an equally thrilling, intelligent and utterly gripping account of Anne Boleyn’s downfall and the impact on Cromwell. Mantel succeeds in taking a familiar story and making it feel both fresh and suspenseful again.
As with WOLF HALL, Mantel peels away the different layers of Cromwell’s character, revealing a man who has his vulnerabilities but is also capable of being utterly ruthless to both friends and enemies. A scene where he interrogates the hapless musician Smeaton is a masterclass in intimidation and cruelty as he takes the man apart and reduces him to nothing. I was also fascinated by Mantel’s portrayal of Anne Boleyn who is a complicated character in her own right – capricious and vicious she’s an intelligent woman who isn’t as secure in her own position as she would like and feels constantly compelled to manipulate the men around her. Cromwell’s observations of her are astute and the way they dance around each other is nail bitingly tense and I actually felt sorry for her as she goes towards her doom.
There’s a wonderful sense of period running throughout the piece and I liked the way Mantel weaves Cromwell’s personal history into his reactions and plans. I also enjoyed the fact that the narrative is written in a less stylised and thus earlier to follow style than in WOLF HALL.
All in all, it’s a stunning read and I’m very much looking forward to the final book in the trilogy.
The Verdict:
Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize winning sequel to the Booker Prize winning WOLF HALL is an equally thrilling, intelligent and utterly gripping account of Anne Boleyn’s downfall and the impact on Cromwell. Mantel succeeds in taking a familiar story and making it feel both fresh and suspenseful again.
