Reviews

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

testaroscia's review against another edition

5.0

Wolf Hall was on the verge of 5 stars. In the sequel Mantel keeps it far more focused, dives in deeper, goes more into the machinations behind the conversations, the pace is balanced (I mean, I think we know how it ends up) so although it moves along nicely we are not hostage to a "thriller pace" I would not be surprised to see the two books being seen in "I, Claudius" category

stephaniesteen73's review against another edition

4.0

A great follow-up to Wolf Hall. In my opinion, a quicker, more compelling read - but maybe it's just because the historical intrigue has ramped up. It never astounds me to read about that period in history - absolutely no one was safe, friend or foe. I look forward to the next installment although I don't want to read about the fate that I know befalls Thomas Cromwell.

rosehw's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Death

Moderate: Pregnancy, Blood, Miscarriage, and Incest

katiedyer80's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5

Wish we got more on the dissolution of the monasteries. JK, thought this was a great sequel, glad to be back at Austin Friars and the Tudor Court, with Mantel's imagining of how Anne Boleyn's downfall is orchestrated.

emzireads's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

wollstonecrafty's review against another edition

hilary mantel's editor told her to clarify whom her 3rd person pronouns were referring to and she found and replaced "he, cromwell" and then never looked back. no i have not heard of literary devices. that particular flourish was the only remarkable aspect of her prose to me, but I was 200 pages in before I realized nothing had happened in the traditional narrative sense, so there was SOMETHING net-like and ensnaring about her writing gliding me along.

in terms of historical fiction as genre: the book's refusal to yield or generate the absolute truth, even from a intimate, limited perspective (he, cromwell), separated it from loads of "juicy historical dramas" that basically function as celebrity tell-alls, albeit about tudor england or whatever. you remain uncertain of whether anne boleyn did commit adultery! it doesn't matter because of the both contrived and coincidental nature of politics and political storytelling -- eg. cromwell spins tales to suit the moment but anyone in the regime could have been the target.

all praise aside, i genuinely hated reading the end I was so viscerally uncomfortable. good for ms mantel for being able to hang out with all these horrible men in her head for years?

jobustitch's review against another edition

4.0

I still can't give it a 5 because of the pronoun situation. It is hard to tell (again) to whom the pronouns refer.

I love the Thomas Cromwell character! He has such good comebacks to the madness that revolves around him. I cannot wait until the next novel.

jrmarr's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, I think even more than I enjoyed Wolf Hall. It seemed easier to read somehow - I remember getting a bit lost with the characters and prose in Wolf Hall, but had no such problems with Bring Up the Bodies. Fascinating period in English History, but from the point of view of a character I have not thought much about before. Very good stuff.

lotiphi's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

curiouslysplendid's review against another edition

Just couldn't get in the mood for this one. Try again another time ☺️