It is finally here . . . Hilary Mantel’s sequel to Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies. Is it as good as the Booker Prize-winning first book? YES!!!
The word on the street is that Bring Up the Bodies can be a stand alone novel. I guess that is correct but why would you want it to be? Why would you want to miss reading about the seven years it took Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to be together? All the intrigue and conspiracies involved some of the most famous figures of English history. Cardinal Wolsey did everything that was humanly possible to bring about the conclusion of Henry and Katherine’s “marriage” only to fall from grace and have his secretary, Thomas Cromwell rise in his place. Katherine of Aragon’s fight to remain the true Queen of England and hold her daughter, Mary’s, position as the true heir with help from her nephew, The Holy Roman Emperor and the constant threat of war. The Boleyn family’s rise in power and wealth and always giving advice (good and bad) to the King. Finally, Thomas More, best friend to the King, who while working the keep peace between the Crown and the Church becomes a huge obstacle to what Henry VIII wants more than anything.
These stories are told through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell, a self-made man, can get things done for the King
that no one has been able to achieve and because of this he becomes the second most powerful man in England behind Henry VIII. After working so hard to see Henry and Anne married at last which in turn helped bring the religious reform that Cromwell so desperately strives for, the King sees Jane Seymour and everything begins to unravel. Thus begins Bring Up the Bodies and the three weeks that lead up to the beheading of Anne Boleyn.
Y’all know I have read a lot of historical fiction and the story of Henry VIII and his wives is one of my favorites. What is so different and interesting about Mantel’s telling is that the narrator is Thomas Cromwell. In most stories, Cromwell is this evil guy that you just love to hate but here you realize that though he does everything Henry wants him to do Cromwell knows that his King is very fickle. He knows that Henry could turn on him on a dime and he must tread very carefully. He understands that to achieve what he wants he must make alliances with his enemies but he always knows how to break them when necessary. He is ready to do anything the King asks of him but will he in the end have to pay the ultimate price? And of course, we know the answer but it is such a joy to “relive” it again.
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