Book Review - Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)

This isn't really a review as such, due to both the book's complex style and my general ignorance of the period. The best I can do is sum up by experience reading it.

For three years, my copy of Wolf Hall sat on my shelf having only been opened once. The story of a lowborn man rising through the ranks through his own cunning was a fascinating one, but I was daunted by both the length of the book, and its present tense prose, of which I'm not a huge fan. I was also largely ignorant of Tudor England (and still am) so this was another factor that put me off reading for quite some time.

Having read the book, it's clear that you'd have to read it several times to really pick up on the nuances of the text and its characters. Unsurprisingly, you also need an indepth understanding of the period, not just the events, but the people and their personalities. I admit, it got quite frustrating trying to remember which Thomas or Mary was which, or who was related to whom. This obscurity made it hard at times to engage with the text and made reading it feel more like a chore than a pleasure.

That said, I can understand why Mantel wrote this way. The intricacies of the “plot” work to entice the reader, but she holds things back to entice the reader into studying the period more. While I didn't instantly start reading up on Tudor history after I'd finished reading, I can see myself returning to this book repeatedly to try and make sense of it. While not the easiest read, it certainly poses a fascinating challenge. Before returning though, I see I will have to study the period more to gain more from the text.

Mantel's ambiguous approach to history can be seen especially in her treatment of Cromwell himself. Although the whole book is from his perspective, he remains a shadowy figure throughout. There are hints of his ruthlessness (like when he imagines pushing George Cavendish into the Thames), his humanity (when he remembers his lost family) and his beliefs (when he raves against the idolatry of the Catholic Church). These moments of clarity struck me all the more because for the most part, Cromwell was hard for me to figure out.

Perhaps Mantel was trying to hook the reader as I described earlier. Or perhaps she wanted to pay homage to Cromwell's cunning by making him an enigma to the reader. One novel touch was that for the most part, Cromwell isn't referred to by name, but as “he”. This is just one more way to make him seem more like an element instead of a person. In this regard, I can't really say that this book humanizes Cromwell as such, but it still leaves a strong impression all the same.

I can't speak for Tudor experts, but if you're a fan of history or courtly intrigue, I would still say Wolf Hall is worth a look.