'Bringing up the Bodies' by Hilary Mantel

Bringing up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel (4)

I will start by saying if you liked ‘Wolf Hall’, you will like this novel. I should also confess that I am enamored with all things Henry VIII. Compared with the present day’s mostly ineffectual monarchy, Henry VIII managed to manipulate his religion and marital status with lasting effects for the country and western world. All this from a Tudor, not even one of the strongest English royal bloodlines. Hilary Mantel has taken this well-known story (in this case, the demise of wife #2, Anne Boleyn) and tells it, once again, from Thomas Cromwell’s point of view. Cromwell is infamous in many ways, though usually as the lowborn executor of Henry’s will – which is often to alter facts to allow the King to do whatever he wants. While the writing is not easy to follow (the large cast of characters with titles differing from names and often the lack of reference to the speaker), it is better than ‘Wolf Hall’, the first in this series.  I also found it easier to read than most non-fiction books about this subject. Ms. Mantel has done an admirable job in bringing out the story while sticking to the plot and nature of the characters as agreed by many scholars. The only exception may be Thomas Cromwell himself. She has given him a humanity and lack of self-promotion that is atypical of most non-fiction accounts.