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at_the_pinnacle's review against another edition
5.0
It's a difficult read, especially when you're first starting out. However, once you do finally get in to the meat of the story and engage with it, you move into the historical moment and can really connect with the life of Thomas Cromwell, truly understanding him as a person. This is some absolutely marvellous writing from Hilary Mantel, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend anyone who has some time to buy this and give it a go - it is really worth the effort.
testaroscia's review against another edition
5.0
Yes it is long, Yes she could have probably split it with "Bring Up" but it makes temporal sense why she did not do so but these books are seminal if you enjoy Historical Fiction and they deserve full attention. I am also glad I re-read the previous two for the best effect.
irene_chesnokova's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
u5182926's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
willjacks's review
5.0
What an end to a brilliant series. By this book, you really miss the old characters that died in even the first book, showing just how much depth they were given by Mantel. The ending was so poetic and poignant, left a satisfying yet bittersweet ending. A future classic for sure, I just hate the American cover - British copies look a lot nicer.
motherbeetle's review against another edition
paused bc due at library. enjoying, plan to finish another time
kat_sanford's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
agirlcalledal's review
5.0
Almost like a horror novel - you know how it will end but you can't look away. Absolutely fascinating series.
ed_moore's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Mantel’s ‘The Mirror and the Light’ references to Henry VIII being the ‘mirror’ and ‘light’ of all kings, exploring Cromwell in his height of power but as a consequence facing a height of political enemies. It is by far the longest of the Wolf Hall trilogy as Mantel forces the rest of Cromwell’s story into one book, ‘Bring
up the Bodies’ only concluding with the death of Anne Boleyn. Hence, I had to put in significant effort to read all 38 hours of the audiobook before my hold expired.
In the nature of Cromwell’s history, much of the book continues to just document courtly affairs and the constant search for Henry VII’s next wife, many long periods of conversation getting very repetitive and uninspiring. Aside from chronicling courtly affairs, Mantel also included a multitude of flashbacks to previous courtly affairs of the last two books that really added nothing other than dragging out the book further. Ultimately, due to the set up of the previous two books and the repetitive nature of the series there was hardly any character development across 900 pages worth of prose and due to knowledge of the history not much plot intrigue.
That comes across as really scathing but in reality ‘The Mirror and the Light’ was no weaker than the other two books in the series aside from the fact I have therefore read it all before. I can however credit Mantel for her historical efficiency in covering all the courtly events of Cromwell’s life, from having studied the man before I can’t think of any stone she left unturned. Also, despite knowing Cromwell’s inevitable fate and hence the trilogy’s conclusion, having spent so long with him it was still a challenging and emotionally impacting conclusion which was evidently written so much more powerfully than many mundane scenes across the series. That being said, I still stand by my comments regarding ‘Bring up the Bodies’ that it isn’t worth reading past ‘Wolf Hall’ as much of the rest is the exact same, though the conclusion was a highlight of the series, hence my parallel rating to ‘Wolf Hall’.