After reading "Wolf Hall", I knew I'd have to read any sequel to this. I am looking forward to the next one, "The Mirror and the Light" because the story of Thomas Cromwell and/or Henry VIII has not ended, yet.
In this novel, the author focuses on the king's wish to divorce Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell's role in this. Same as the first, Booker Prize-winning novel, we can see a lot what is going on behind the scenes, what the history books don't tell us. Hilary Mantel has a great talent to make the characters come alive again on the pages, to describe them so you really get to know them.
Apparently, Hilary Mantel has written twelve books so far, I am sure I will read more of them.
Hilary Mantel won the Booker Prize for "Bring up the Bodies" in 2012.
From the back cover:
"By 1535 Thomas Cromwell, the blacksmith’s son, is far from his humble origins. Chief Minister to Henry VIII, his fortunes have risen with those of Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife. But Anne has failed to bear a son to secure the Tudor line. At Wolf Hall, Cromwell watches Henry fall in love with plain Jane Seymour. The minister sees what is at stake: not just the king’s pleasure, but the safety of the nation. As he eases a way through the sexual politics of the court, he must negotiate a ‘truth’ that will satisfy Henry and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge undamaged from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days.
In Bring up the Bodies, sequel to the Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel explores one of the most mystifying and frightening episodes in English history: the destruction of Anne Boleyn."
I really liked this one too and can't wait for the next one. I've read a coup of her other books and liked them,but not we much as this series.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of her other books but will certainly try one once I come across them. Hope she'll hurry up with publishing "The Mirror and the Light".
DeleteHave a great week,
Marianne
I too await the third book. It is currently one of my favorite series.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's an amazing series, I love all the details of the history. Can't wait for "The Mirror and the Light".
DeleteHave a great week,
Marianne
A belated happy birthday! I celebrated mine yesterday and I know that's yours too, hope it was a happy one.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Janet, I also knew it was yours but was just not well enough to blog. Had lots and lots of wishes on Facebook, E-Mails etc. and only slowly coming to thank everyone. Like you! And I'm sure you noticed how little I blogged last month. Just not up to it. Haven't even been reading that much. :(
DeleteI hope you had a great birthday. And that you will enjoy your next year with lots and lots of reading. ♥
Marianne
So sorry you've been unwell. As I've told you our daughter suffers from migraine headaches too. I just read an article that discusses the connection between migraines and hypothyroidism. I told my daughter that she should have hers checked because I have hypothyroidism and have taken medication for years. So she might be having problems too. I had bad headaches, not migraines, when I was in my twenties, a time I wasn't on thyroid medication.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely worth getting everything checked that might cause the problem. Unfortunately, I have everything checked ages ago. And again and again. It's nice that they don't find anything "serious" but it would be good if they found something that would help me.
DeleteThanks for your concern.
Marianne