Bring Up the Bodies

"Winner"

"I read Wolf Hall and then, when the third novel came out, I read them all in a row. It was a really full-on and very moving experience. In the second one, Anne Boleyn is executed. It’s very good in terms of the politics of it, how Anne Boleyn’s death happens. We know so much about this period. Hilary Mantel is very good on women, too. She’s a feminist writer. You get a sense of all the women in the story, and they have strength and character. I liked the last book in the trilogy the least, perhaps because it’s full of endings. Also, she made Thomas Cromwell a less sympathetic character. I think that was deliberate. And then, of course, he dies at the end. You can really look at the shape of the story once you’ve read them all. One day, I’ll reread them all again, because they were such a treat. Absolutely. That’s got a lot of parallels with today. I’ve only written sections of stories that are historical, but when I’ve been writing them, I’ve seen the parallels with today. That’s partly how I’ve managed to invest those eras with veracity, if you like, with proof and plausibility. Hilary Mantel certainly does that. She takes you into her story."

"But the last novels I read were Hilary Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” and “Bring Up the Bodies,” both of which I enjoyed tremendously. So, let’s just say that Mantel is my favorite living novelist?"

"Now I’m on to its sequel, “Bring Up the Bodies,” which is nicely satisfying my need for more Thomas Cromwell."

"I enjoyed Hilary Mantel’s “Bring Up the Bodies,” almost as much as I enjoyed its predecessor, “Wolf Hall.” Her portrait of Thomas Cromwell is complex and largely sympathetic to a character that is usually cast darkly."