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 powerEngland 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 … 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.
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Historical fiction at its best.
Wonderful historical novel about Henry VIII’s England and the characters who inhabited it. I had a little trouble keeping all the Thomases apart, though.
Tudor England from Thomas Cromwell’s viewpoint.
This book is very informative on the time period of King Henry VIII and the rise of power of Thomas Cromwell. The book is thoroughly researched and well written. It is so good in fact that PBS made a Masterpiece series based on the book. The series was also very good.
Hard to read. Couldn’t keep up with characters.
I don’t really get why this book got such great acclaim. It was overly dense and a very difficult read. I did finish it though.
This book presents Thomas Cromwell in a vavorable light. Found it to be a very good historical fiction
Very interesting portrayal of Cromwell, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
The book was tedious to read though is deals with a period of history that has intrigued me.
I anticipated a great read based on reviews. Was sorely disappointed. Slow, cumbersome read. I couldn’t even finish the sample.
A wonderfully realistic depiction of human behaviors and political motivations. It reminded me of political figures I have know and worked with.
Wonderful historical novel – one of the best I’ve read.
I tried to read this when it was first published and could not get through. A couple of years later I tried it again and am glad that I did. I have also read the second book in the trilogy and am looking forward to the final installment.
Impossible to follow who was speaking. One of the few books I bailed on after about 100 pages.
I’m probably one of the few people who didn’t care for this book.
A behind the scenes look at Thomas Cromwell’s influence in Henry VIII’s court. Amazing to think he may have been behind Ann Bolyn’s fall.
I liked most of it, but I thought it was REALLLLLY long.
This book was very informative and historically detailed.
I really enjoy both this and bring up the bodies
The primary interest in this book is historical. Not easy to read or follow but is well-researched and covers aspects of Henry VIII not covered in other accounts.