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jaime_c's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
klaireparavel's review against another edition
5.0
Arrange your face. It was a tad confusing to keep track of all the Thomases and Henrys and Williams but otherwise I loved everything about this book, especially the narrator. I should like Simon Slater to read most everything to me. Hilary Mantel humanized Thomas Cromwell to the point of his being charming and charasmatic. Such witty and clever story-telling.
jimbowen0306's review against another edition
4.0
Oh good grief, was this ever a depressing book?
It's set in the time when Henry VIII wants to get a divorce from his first wife (Catherine of Aragon), and sees Thomas Cromwell rise to become Henry's chief advisor during this time. All of this is set against what happens in the country, and to Cromwell.
As a Catholic, I found the book somewhat challenging. I was brought up to think "Protestant Reformation=Bad" and "Catholic Resistance=Good". this book challenges that view, because no one comes across as pleasant (though Cromwell will seem more rounded).
All in all it wasn't bad, just rather depressing. No one seems that likeable after reading it.
It's set in the time when Henry VIII wants to get a divorce from his first wife (Catherine of Aragon), and sees Thomas Cromwell rise to become Henry's chief advisor during this time. All of this is set against what happens in the country, and to Cromwell.
As a Catholic, I found the book somewhat challenging. I was brought up to think "Protestant Reformation=Bad" and "Catholic Resistance=Good". this book challenges that view, because no one comes across as pleasant (though Cromwell will seem more rounded).
All in all it wasn't bad, just rather depressing. No one seems that likeable after reading it.
lunese's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
skimsdmb's review against another edition
2.0
A thorough telling of Henry VIII's courtship of Anne Boleyn told through the perspective of Thomas Cromwell. Way too hard to understand without background knowledge of the Tudor Dynasty.
snowdodo's review against another edition
1.0
Life is too short to waste time on poorly written books. I could not get into this.
On to the next!
On to the next!
emmaje01's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
bluedijon's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely astounding. The care with which Mantel treats her characters, and the deftness with which she creates full, lively, three-dimensional humans with such concise prose is just phenomenal. It's a story we've heard a lot, but her focus on the daily, everyday experiences of Cromwell and both humanizing and illustrating how easy it is to slip into a path from which you have no way out is just so impressive. Like a breath of fresh air, which is shocking given how dense you would imagine the book to be.