Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel has just won the 2012 Man Booker prize for her novel, Bring up the bodies. She won the same award for her first novel in this trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, Wolf Hall, in 2009. Short reviews for both these books appear in this blog. Now we await the third volume in the series.

Bring up the Bodies

This is the sequel to Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize winning novel, Wolf Hall. The story revolves around the life of Thomas Cromwell, Secretary to King Henry VIII and Master of the Rolls as he strives to look after the interests of the King and also ensure his position in the court. 

The story unfolds between September 1535 and the summer of 1536. Henry is married to Anne Boleyn but although she has given birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, she has not been able to provide a male heir to the throne. When Henry becomes infatuated with Jane Seymour he is determined to end his marriage to Anne so that he can remarry. It is left to Thomas to gather the information leading to the trial of Anne and her admirers, to try to placate the rival powers among the nobility who all want the promotion of their interests, to carry out the changes regarding church properties after Henry declared himself head of the church as well as navigating the fragile relationships between England and its neighbouring counties, especially those who support the Pope.

Throughout the book we are reminded that Thomas is the son of a blacksmith and does not belong to the nobility, compounding his difficulties in enforcing his policies. However we are also reminded that he is a fighter who, unlike his rivals for power, has wide practical experience through living in a variety of European countries as well as experience as a banker and a lawyer. 

Thomas carries out his master's bidding but he also looks after his interests and those of his friends. This is particularly demonstrated when the act of prosecuting the young men accused of relationships with the Queen allows him to avenge a previous injustice to his previous master and mentor. The final sections of the book demonstrate Thomas' skill at interrogation and creating a case to serve the royal cause resulting in the execution of Anne and a new wife for Henry.

It initially took me a while to become involved in the book, possibly because I was only able to read small sections at a time, but as the plot progressed I became fascinated with the intrigue of the politics within the royal court. The third volume in this saga is The Mirror and the Light.

Bring Up the Bodies won the 2012 Man Booker Prize and the 2012 Costa Book of the Year.

A detailed review of this book appeared in the New Yorker 7 May 2012 - Invitation to a beheading

A short biography of the life of Thomas Cromwell provides details about his rise to power in the English court - Tudor citizens - Thomas Cromwell

Wolf Hall

Set in the reign of Henry VIII, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel explores the intrigues and machinations of life at Court when King Henry decides to dissolve his twenty year marriage to Katherine so that he can marry Anne Boleyn. 

The book chronicles the rise of Thomas Cromwell from his early life as the son of a violent blacksmith to become the chief advisor to the King. The politics of Court, Church and Parliament are fully described as the struggle to enable the King to marry Anne is played out. 

The aftermath of this decision including the trial of those who oppose the King's remarriage and his new position as Head of the Church in England aligned with the beginnings of the protestant movement overseas and the impact of printing making the Gospel available to common people is explored. 

Fluctuating fortunes of prominent families including the Boleyns, the Seymours and the Howards are documented as well as England's relations with countries overseas. The novel emphasises the instability to the country caused by not having an heir to the Crown. It creates a dramatic picture of life in Tudor England, particularly from 1527 to 1535. 

This is only part of the story. The sequel to this winner of the Man Booker Prize 2009 is Bring Up the Bodies followed by The Mirror and the Light.