Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is an amazing work of fiction taking place in Tudor era England during the reign of Henry VIII. The story sheds light on all the inter workings and interpersonal relationships of the Tudor court. Cardinal Wolsey is the King's chief advisor, Thomas Cromwell is his 'apprentice' of sorts, and Thomas Moore is the King's spiritual guidepost and guilt source. The narrative tells of Henry's struggle and absolute obsession with getting a divorce from his wife and queen, Katherine of Aragon, in order to wed the lustful and enchanting Anne Boleyn. It is against Papal law to divorce and Henry charges Wolsey with the task of being his liaison to Rome to make the divorce happen. We know now in the modern era that the Pope does not grant Henry's divorce which leads Henry to break from Rome, creating the Church of England and making himself head of the church. This single act in 1520 changed the course of Religious, political, and societal history forever.
Wolf Hall is an amazing narrative look at this very tumultuous time in history. It is better than any soap opera on TV with more drama, infidelity, secret pregnancies, murder, conniving, and lies than any modern daytime sitcoms combined. It will leave you knowing more Tudor history while being entertained with the flowing and cohesive narrative of the story.
Bring up the Bodies is the sequel to Mantel's Man Booker Prize winning Wolf Hall. Bring up the Bodies tells the lesser known story of Thomas Cromwell, the King's chief minister. Cromwell was under the wing and patronage of Cardinal Wolsey and all thought he would go down with the fall of the Cardinal but somehow he rose even higher. As Henry's right hand man Cromwell is called upon to do anything the king desires and make the impossible possible.
When Henry grows tired of his second wife Anne Boleyn and wants to seek a divorce after all he put the Church, England and his people through when divorcing his first wife Katherine of Aragon to marry Anne in the first place, the inner court is stunned. He calls upon who else but Cromwell to make it happen. If your knowledge encompasses Tudor history then you know Cromwell does in fact get Henry his divorce and ultimately sends Anne to the tower, then to death. Their child Princess Elizabeth will go on to be one of England's most famous and successful Monarchs.
Bring up the Bodies centers little on Henry as it tells the entire story from Cromwell's perspective. It is nice to hear his fictionalized voice and thoughts because Henry has tended to cast a rather large shadow over the Tudor era and gets most of the attention for himself. Cromwell came from nothing to rise up and become arguably the most powerful man in Henry's court holding even more power than the King himself, it is about time he got his due as the center of the story.
If you are like me and love all things Tudor England then Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies are great reads. If the history and time period holds no interest than obviously don't bother as you will be bored and uninterested from the get go.
If you do enjoy Tudor England I also recommend watching the Showtime series
The Tudors and checking out The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George which is a fictional diary written in the voice of Henry during his time as King. It is a really interesting portrayal of his life and how he might have felt during all the ups and down of his reign. It brings him back to the level of a human being after over 500 years of sensationalized and exaggerated accounts of his life.
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