Bring Up the Bodies

Summary (from the publishers): By 1535 Thomas Cromwell, the blacksmith’s son, is far from his humble origins. Chief Minister to Henry VIII, his fortunes have risen with those of Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, for whose sake Henry has broken with Rome and created his own church. But Henry’s actions have forced England into dangerous isolation, and Anne has failed to do what she promised: bear a son to secure the Tudor line. When Henry visits Wolf Hall, Cromwell watches as Henry falls in love with the silent, plain Jane Seymour. The minister sees what is at stake: not just the king’s pleasure, but the safety of the nation. As he eases a way through the sexual politics of the court, its miasma of gossip, he must negotiate a ‘truth’ that will satisfy Henry and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge undamaged from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days.

In Bring up the Bodies, sequel to the Man Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel explores one of the most mystifying and frightening episodes in English history: the destruction of Anne Boleyn. From history’s darkroom, this novel offers a speaking picture to the modern world, a vision of Tudor England so recognizable it defies archaism. It is the work of one of our great writers at the height of her powers.

Review: I won an Advance Reader's Edition of this book as a giveaway on Goodreads. 

Hilary Mantel's sequel has achieved the rare distinction of a higher rating than its predecessor, Wolf Hall. This novel continues to follow the life and times of the crafty Thomas Cromwell during the fall of Anne Boleyn. Cromwell is at the height of his power and he is crafty enough to recognize something that others grasping for power fail to realize - give the king what he wants, whatever it may be. And so, Cromwell does, by orchestrating Anne's destruction. 

Mantel has such an original narrative voice. For example, " he needs to learn to bend with the breeze, like his father; but the time to learn anything is running out fast. There is a time to stand on your dignity, but there is a time to abandon it in the interests of your safety. There is a time to smirk behind the hand of cards you have drawn, and there is a time to throw down your purse on the table and say, 'Thomas Cromwell, you win.'" 

The narration of this novel flowed better than Wolf Hall. Additionally, the plot was more thrilling since Cromwell is now at the height of his power and is in the middle of the story's intrigue. Ultimately, Mantel's   creation of Cromwell is the main appeal for, as Mantel says, he "remains sleek, plump and densely inaccessible, like a choice plum in a Christmas pie." He is inscrutable, revered, contemplative, and sly. He knows silence is generally better than words. Mantel's image of Cromwell is, in a word, brilliant.

Stars: 4.5