(Harper Collins, $29.99)
There are some historical periods that have been well and truly covered. The reign of Britain’s Elizabeth I is one, and the rule of King Henry VIII – with his six wives and penchant for beheading his subjects – is another.
So with the recent abundance of Henry VIII offerings – from TV’s The Tudors, through to Scarlett Johansson and her heaving bosom in The other Boleyn Girl – it’s perhaps understandable that some readers might hesitate to pick up Hilary oantel’s 650-page tome Wolf Hall.
But it would be a shame to miss this riveting reinterpretation of the life of Thomas Cromwell. An English statesman who rose from humble beginnings, Thomas rose up through the ranks of 16th century England to eventually become Henry VIII’s chief advisor during a period of massive social change.
Though Cromwell is usually seen as a calculating and unprincipled backstabber, who manipulated the King for personal gain, Hilary oantel presents him to us as a rational, self-disciplined entrepreneur and an enlightened man. The novel is in two parts. The first section follows King Henry’s advisor Cardinal Wolsey as he falls from power.
The second charts Cromwell’s rise to favour as he clears the way for the King to divorce the Queen and wed Anne Boleyn, who not only has a questionable past, but is also Protestant in religion. These chapters also look at the fierce rivalry that develops between Cromwell and his Catholic rival, Sir Thomas More, as Cromwell becomes more powerful.
Although Hilary oantel opens up this fantastic world of royal intrigue by making us care about the characters, she doesn’t neglect historical accuracy. Not only did she undertake five years of painstaking research for the book, she also modernises the language, making it easy to become engrossed in the story.
For historical fiction fans and regular readers alike, this is a very satisfying book. Hilary oantel is said to be working on a sequel and I, for one, can’t wait to find out what happened next in Cromwell’s extraordinary life.
