Series: Thomas Cromwell Trilogy #1
Publication Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII’s court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king’s favor and ascend to the heights of political power
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years, and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. The quest for the king’s freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum.
Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?
In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel presents a picture of a half-made society on the cusp of change, where individuals fight or embrace their fate with passion and courage. With a vast array of characters, overflowing with incident, the novel re-creates an era when the personal and political are separated by a hairbreadth, where success brings unlimited power but a single failure means death.
What are your thoughts? Have you read this book? Would you recommend it to others?
Oh I remember seeing part of an episode of this show once. Haven't read the book though but it sounds good!
Tudor stories aren't my thing, but if it's yours, it could be worth taking a look
I don't really read this type of book but I do hope you love it when you finally get to it. Also hope you are enjoying your current reads.
i don't read a lot books like this, but seeing you have the other two already on your shelf, i hope they are good ones
sherry @ fundinmental
I typically enjoy historical fiction but I havenβt read too much set in the 16th century. It definitely sounds worth trying, though.
I haven't read it but I hope you like it when you do.
This isn't my usual kind of read. Hope you enjoy them.
I've had my eye on this one a few times, but never put it on my shelf. Maybe just try the first few chapters to see which side of the mixed group you'll land on. π
I don't think I know about this one
I will keep my opinions about historical Tudor fiction to myself, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy the read when you get to it! Unless you want to know that I think it is not good, then I would be glad to tell you all about why, haha π
I did like this one when I read it, but it is very big, very slow
I love Tudor fiction but I DNFed this book after a few chapters. I hated the writing style, I hated the layout of the sentences, the way the characters talked and thought…didn't like anything about it really! I hope the TV version is better to watch as I do have that!
I've never heard of this book, but I get nervous when I see really mixed reviews on Goodreads, too! I hope this is a win for you, Carole! π
Probably not something I'd pick up but it does seem interesting. Also, it seems like it might be a slow read as you'd need to really pay attention.
Starting next year I am going to try and read all of the Man Booker Prize books (no time limit), so I will be reading these at some point. This one does sound interesting. The only Man Booker I have read so far is Milkman, and that book seemed to be a love it/hate it book, too. I didn't exactly love it, but I liked it a lot. ?β¨
I usually enjoy books which have won the Man Booker prize so now you have me curious about this series too! I hope you can start the series soon π