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#230 ~ Wolf Hall
by Hilary Mantel’s latest novel first entered my radar through an issue of BookPage, a monthly magazine made available for free from my local library. From the momemt I saw the cover (H8 may not be displayed prominently on the cover, but you can’t slip him by me) and read the review, this book shot up to the tippity top of my “I want, I want” list. When it finally arrived from Powell’s, it felt as precious in my hands as gold. I love it when a book gives me that feeling.
After finishing the novel in December, I haven’t been able to wrap my head around writing a proper review. Instead, I’m just going to give you my overall thoughts about this novel:
- After starting this book, the darndest thing happened – I found myself liking Thomas Cromwell. Despite all that I have read about Henry VIII’s reign and his specific place in that history, I was actually fond of him. I could not believe it. Mantel did not gloss over who he was, where he came from, or what he did. What she did so brilliantly was give him a life, one that was worth protecting.
- I did not read this novel straight through. I don’t think I could have. It took me a little under a month to complete it. I loved Mantel’s writing, but it requires a great deal of concentration. When my attention drifted even a little, I found I had to reread paragraphs to figure out if the “he” in question was Cromwell or another man. When I picked the novel back up, I never had any difficulty remembering where I was and moving forward.
- It was nice to read about this time in Henry VIII’s history from a male perspective. When much of what I’ve read to date is from the female perspective, the “men of the time” have been much more one-sided than they were in Wolf Hall. There is a great deal in this novel about Cromwell’s relationship with Thomas Moore and I found it interesting to view Moore from Cromwell’s point of view. I often found myself comparing his Moore to the Moore of Vanora Bennett’s Portrait on an Unknown Woman.
- It would not suggest choosing this novel as one’s first introduction to Tudor history. Despite a rather exhaustive cast of characters at the beginning of the novel, I attribute much of my enjoyment of this novel to the fact that I have a decent overall knowledge of the life of Henry VIII and the politics of his court. Without that, I could see myself getting bogged down.
- In equal parts I enjoyed this novel and truly respect it for its craftsmanship. However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to everyone. This is a novel for those who love the Tudor time period, are interested in the Medieval English law, or are interested in the growth of Protestantism in England. I think those without that background or types of interest would struggle with it. This isn’t a book I would pick up and read just because it’s a Man Booker Prize winner.
- I purchased this book in hardcover. It is, however, available on the Kindle. I’m not sure how I would have liked the reading on the Kindle, though. I can’t really put the reasons why into words. It just wasn’t “that” kind of a book.
Have you read Wolf Hall? What did you think?
Other Voices:
Boston Bibliophile
Asylum
Fantasy Book Critic
Farm Lane Books
Medieval Bookworm
Related articles by Zemanta
- Hilary Mantel Wins Man Booker Prize (mediabistro.com)
- Hilary Mantel wins Booker for Wolf Hall (cbc.ca)
- Wolf Hall: a worthy winner? (guardian.co.uk)
- Up Front: Hilary Mantel (nytimes.com)
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#222 ~ Her Mother’s Daughter
* This post is brought to you by the nearly 2 feet of snow Mother Nature brought our area over the weekend. Since I couldn’t be out doing last minute Christmas stuff, I spent some time catching up on my reviews. *
Her Mother’s Daughter: A Novel of Queen Mary Tudor
I’m not sure how common it is, but I have some very clear memories of friends at sleepovers daring each other to look into a mirror and say “Bloody Mary” several times. I don’t remember any one actually doing it. We were all too freaked out by what might happen if we did. In Her Mother’s Daughter, Julianne Lee used the Bloody Mary folklore to encompass her story of the life of Queen Mary Tudor. Lee begins her story at the very beginning, when Mary is the beloved daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Once Henry set his sights on Anne Boleyn, she quickly fell from Grace. She no longer received the affection from her father to which she had grown accustomed and she was separated from loving mother. She was declared a bastard, removing her from royal succession. Even still, her father made no plans for her marriage. Without her mother, her father, or a husband, she was left all alone in her early years in the dangerous waters of Tudor England.
Julianne Lee, all too aware of Mary’s reputation, set out to write an even-handed novel about this Tudor monarch. Was she at heart an irrational, murderous woman or did she become the Queen she became due to her circumstances? She structured the novel by beginning each section with a reflection from Mary addressed to the sleeping girls at the slumber party. The story behind the reflection is then picked up by others, both gentry and commoners. This worked well for me because we got the details that only those heavily involved in the drama or living with its fallout would know. It illustrated very well how much Mary’s life was impacted by events and people well outside of her control.
I am not an expert on the life of Mary Tudor, but I knew the basic story when I began this novel. Lee held my interest throughout. In one section, I was so absorbed into the book that she raised my hopes of Mary finding love. I really enjoyed this novel. There was only one part of the story that didn’t work for me well was when it followed Philip after he left England. I understand the intent of that section, but especially since this novel begins with the young girls to whom Mary is appealing, Philip’s exploits are more explicit than necessary. Whether you are new to the Tudors or someone who enjoys this time period as much as I do, you should give Her Mother’s Daughter a try.
Other Voices
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I would like to thank Kaitlyn from Berkley/NAL, Penguin Group USA for sending me a copy of this novel for review.
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From Henry to Anne ~ Happy Valentine’s Day
Mail Online is reporting today about a new love letter from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn written five years before they married. It was held in the Vatican for the last 50 years, but it is now on display at the British Library in London (Medieval Bookworm, if you get a chance, please go and report back!).
Here is an excerpt of the letter from the article:
The letter, written in French five years before Anne became Queen, shows Henry in an entirely different light.
The King gushes: “The demonstrations of your affection are such, and the beautiful words of your letter are so cordially phrased, that they really oblige me to honour, love and serve you for ever, imploring you to agree to continue in this same firm and constant purpose, assuring you that for my part I will outdo you, if this be possible, rather than reciprocate, in loyalty of heart and my desire to please you; and you, without any further ties in your heart, can further this.”
The letter is signed “H seeks A.B, No Other Rex”.
So, Happy Valentine’s Day from the 16th century. You just gotta love Henry…
Thanks to TheBookImp for the heads-up on Twitter. This has made my day!
#135 ~ My Lady of Cleves
My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was the most unlikely of all of Henry VIII’s wives. She did not especially want to be queen, she was not physically beautiful, and she was rather forced upon him in order to produce an heir. Yet, along with Katherine of Aragon, she is a wife to which Henry should have cleaved to permanently. She is also my favorite. The first time I learned of her and found out that she was from a territory that is now the Netherlands, she had a special place in this Dutch heart of mine. Therefore, when I first heard of this novel on Reading Adventures, I new that I had to read it. I couldn’t have been more pleased when a wonderful co-worker of mine gave it to me for my birthday. Thank you, Poorna!
From the beginning, Barnes covers the known facts about the search for Henry’s fourth wife, Anne’s betrothal, her first regrettable moments with Henry, their short marriage, and swift divorce deftly. As much as I loved The Boleyn Inheritance, it is the author’s interpretation of those events that make this novel such a delight to read. For example, Barnes’ Anne did not want to leave her country, her family, or her people. This is just as well because her sister Amelia was prettier and was excited by the prospect of becoming queen. To her surprise, Hans Holbien, the artist sent to paint the portraits of the royal daughters of Cleves saw a beauty in her that most missed. The way this quality was painted is exactly what captured Henry’s eye. Unfortunately, Henry couldn’t see that when they met in person. The way in which the events surrounding their divorce played out in this novel was interesting and this view of Anne was endearing. I like to think of her in this way.
There was one lost opportunity in this novel. After Henry chooses Anne, we next find her on her journey to England. We do not experience how the news of Henry’s choice impacts Anne, her family, or the people she serves. We do not see her leave her home for the last time. We do not see how being overlooked by a king affected Amelia. As Anne’s life in England as it pertains to the throne are well known, it is precisely those missing details that would really grab and inspire my imagination. Certainly I can make up my own scenes, but I read historical fiction to have those undocumented moments come alive on the page. This was a minor drawback. It did not keep me from enjoying this novel at all. Still, the mild disappointment over what could have been, especially with an author so skilled, remains with me.
My Lady of Cleves is a novel I will always cherish. She was a strong woman who had to work hard to overcome her looks, which always felt like a shortcoming to her. I can’t quite place my finger on a specific passage, but Chapters 17 and 18 were beautiful in the way in which they depict the turning point in Anne’s life. What was accomplished there made the novel and solidified Anne’s place in my heart among Henry’s wives. She deserved the freedom and solitude that she found at Richmond. I’d wager that she was the only woman deeply involved with Henry who died happy and content with her life. I am glad that the author chose to bring Anne to the forefront. Historical figures do not have to be tyrants or tarts to be compelling. Sometimes a heroine with just a dash of fire when scorned is exactly what is needed to satisfy. This novel is a must for Tudor fans, but would be a delight for any reader.
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To buy this book, click here
#70 The Lady Elizabeth
The Lady Elizabeth
I had eagerly anticipated this book from the moment I first heard about it. When I heard that Tracy had a copy, there was virtually no stopping me from purchasing it and reading it immediately. While the writing was equally good here as it was in Innocent Traitor, the euphoric reading high I felt while reading Weir’s first novel did not carry forward into her second. The story of Elizabeth I’s youth leading up to her rise to the English throne feels like well covered territory to me. That which was new or different in this novel wasn’t enough to have me hanging on every last word like before. Perhaps that is the danger of anticipating anything too much.
It’s not that The Lady Elizabeth wasn’t enjoyable. It was never boring. It just was never the captivating novel I was hoping it would be. There was a point fairly early in the novel where a rivalry was building between Kat, Elizabeth’s governess, and the final wife of Henry VIII, Queen Katherine Parr. My mouth almost watered with anticipation when it felt like this was ramping up to something. For me, that build up led no where. Even her encounters with Lord Seymour didn’t capture my imagination the way that they have in The Last Wife of Henry VIII or The Queen’s Fool. In fact, they felt a little flat and forced. I’m not sure if this is because I’ve already read about some of these scenes before or if it is because they were better seen through the eyes of other characters.
The most enjoyable aspect of this novel for me was Weir’s exploration of the father-daughter relationship between Henry and Elizabeth. How strange it must have been for him to fully embrace the daughter of a woman he had tried and condemned for high treason, especially if he had doubts about her guilt. How troubling it must have been for a young girl to feel such strong love for both parents while wondering where her loyalties should lie in the deadly fight that was between them long before she was old enough to know any better.
At the end of the novel, the author points out several aspects of the novel that she felt might be quite controversial. I didn’t find those things controversial at all. This is a work of fiction and, with the exception of making a three year old much wiser for her years than any three year old I have ever met, they were all quite plausible journeys into the “what ifs” of Elizabeth’s life.
I do not say these things to dissuade people from reading this novel. Alison Weir is a skilled author and this book is an good read about Elizabeth’s early life in one place. I would suggest it more to those who have yet to discover her in fiction. For others, it might feel a bit like reviewing for a test you could easily pass without studying.
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To buy this novel, click here
The Rape of Anne Boleyn
Having had the better part of five days to think about the film adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl and the time to read the reviews of other bloggers and movie critics, I feel that there needs to be some discussion about the rape scene. The more I think about it, the more appalled I become. I don’t believe it ever happened and portraying such an act is a disservice to those who had no previous knowledge of Tudor History.
In reality, Henry and Anne’s courtship was about 6 years old before they were married and it was only several months beforehand that they were sexually intimate. While I’m certain that there was something about Anne that fueled Henry’s fire, for her to have kept his interest for that long before the relationship was consummated, there had to be something else there for his desire, there was more to their relationship than just sexual attraction. If his primary goal was to have her, he would not have waited a minute let alone five plus years. Anne was an intelligent and astute woman. She knew that the chase is what kept Henry interested. Still, she knew exactly when the opposite was true. Anne was many things, but she was not a victim. She desired the throne of England and she worked and manipulated her way to just that spot. What she did not take into account was the difficulty in keeping Henry without a male heir. This was a difficulty she created for herself. Had she not gone to the lengths to support the separation of England from the Roman Catholic Church she may never have been Queen of England, but she probably would have kept her head. There is no way to be sure, but I can’t imagine her not being aware of that. I think that Natalie Portman did an excellent job portraying how quickly Anne Boleyn went from having it all to constantly worrying about losing it all.
So why did the movie choose rape as the vehicle for the consummation of Henry and Anne’s relationship? The only rational explanation I can come up with is that the film did not deal with the length of their courtship. It wasn’t just washed over, either. At the end of the movie when Mary’s children were frolicking in the fields with Elizabeth, Elizabeth was very close in age to Henry Carey. Since they eliminated the time and struggle involved with breaking with the Roman Catholic Church, they needed another device to explain Anne’s pregnancy at the time of their marriage and her coronation. This bothers me. Henry was no saint, but he still deserves honest treatment.
A Royal Disaster?
The Other Boleyn Girl was my introduction to modern historical fiction, Philippa Gregory, and my beloved Tudors. When I heard the news that a film based on TOBG was in the works, I was thrilled. It was a such a powerful read and I was hopeful that it would make a wonderful movie.
It didn’t take long for people to start crying foul. Simon & Schuster released a mass market paperback version of the novel featuring the cast of the movie and people started arguing that Philippa Gregory was a sell out for allowing this to happen to her novel. I don’t have any strong opinions about book covers. I’m not sure how much control Gregory would have had over this publication as I would think that was part of the movie rights deal. If I were an author, I don’t think I’d turn down movie rights just because of any associated mass market paperback. Besides, it really is a great book. If throwing Scarlett, Natalie, and boob-grabbing Eric on the front cover encourages others to read it, what difference does it make? The grumbling about the book cover didn’t affect my anticipation. When the trailer was released, I got even more excited.
Recently, the first review of the movie has been posted on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m not familiar with Emanuel Levy’s movie criticism, but his review touched on the fears many have had since the movie was announced:
British TV helmer Justin Chadwick makes a disappointing feature debut in “The Other Boleyn Girl,” a hybrid of a trashy period melodrama and a stately Masterpiece Theater episode, resulting in a kitschy film that can’t decide how much to exploit its juicy text about King Henry VIII and the various women in his life.
…Indeed, due to its plot’s twists and turns, this costume meller might have benefited from a longer treatment, a mini-series, rather than a saga that rushes from one preposterous event and climax to another.
Still, there are plenty of movies that I loved that didn’t catch on with the critics. While I’d prefer the movie to be a success with the critics, I’ll hold my judgment until after I’ve seen the movie. It’s very possible that Mr. Levy and I will disagree with each other.
What is truly concerning me is the latest news from the red carpet. On Fox News this morning I was greeted with the following sensational headline:
Portman, Johansson Share Steamy Red Carpet Kiss
Ladies and Gentlemen, has it ever been a good sign when stunts like this pop up while promoting a film? Perhaps I’m jaded, but these types of kisses are not spontaneous when done in front of cameras. It also doesn’t fly with me that this happened because Natalie is tired of being seen as boring. My guess is that people are panicking. If the movie is horrible, historical fiction fans will not be stampeding to the box office. They’ll need to pull in the young male audience. How better to do that than to have photos of Scarlett Johannson kissing another woman?
My heart is heavy, but I will still go and see the movie on Leap Day. My hopes and expectations are now very low. Maybe this will prevent me from feeling as disappointed when I leave the theater as I did after seeing Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I didn’t write a follow up to that post because I was hoping that my utter disappointment was due to lack of sleep. That won’t be the case with TOBG. I’ll post my review as soon as I’ve seen it.
LiterateHousewife,
your loyal historical fiction and film guinea pig…
Right Up LiterateHousewife’s …
I am forever be indebted to Betty Jackson for this design for her showing at London Fashion Week:
I now have all the motivation I will ever need to get in shape. I so want to squeeze myself into a pair of Henry VIII hot pants! I only wish I could wear them to the opening of The Other Boleyn Girl later this month…
#53 Queens of England
Queens of England by Norah Lofts
I took the girls to the library last Saturday and was actually able to get them to stay in the children’s portion of the library for long enough for me to pick out some books. There is a member of the Historical Fiction board named Divia who happens to make spectacular book suggestions and I was curious to see how many of those books were available. I’m not typically a big user of the library as I have a hard time returning books on time. Still, even the small fines do not come close to the total amount of buying a book. In 2008 I’m vowing to buy very few books (no more than one per month – unless I get gift cards or find out that I’m the only living beneficiary for an amazingly huge inheritance).
While I picked up Nefertiti and The Blood of Flowers, I also looked up what was available by Norah Lofts. I’ve recently started to hear good things about her, but didn’t expect to find anything because it is somewhat old. To my delight, the library system has a few of her books. The branch we were visiting had the Queens of England and I couldn’t resist picking it up as well. While the girls sat in the miniature tepee and read Christmas books to each other (Allison’s stories border on the bizarre with sentences almost always ending in “he/she said), I opened the book and started reading. I absolutely loved the overviews on each queen. There wasn’t a great deal of coverage on any one woman, but there was just enough to give you a feel for what she might have been like.
I was not surprised in the least that the Kings of England were not faithful to their Queens, I did find the number of sexually ambiguous or homosexual Kings interesting. While Queen Isabella is vilified as the She-Devil of France, Edward II had many male “favorites.” In fact, he so “favored” the Despensers (a father and son) over his wife and his duties as the King that he ended up losing his crown as a result. All the same, it is her reputation that was ruined. Go figure…
There were a couple of times where I got a little lost in Lofts’ narrative from time to time. For some odd reason, it was usually within the second paragraph written about the current queen. As I didn’t have this problem with Elizabeth of York through Elizabeth I, this had more to do with my limited knowledge of British history than it does with Lofts’ writing.
As Elizabeth II was the reigning monarch in 1977, the year in which this book was published, there is a chapter devoted to her. I found that to be my favorite portion of the book. Ever since watching “The Queen” this year, I’ve become quite fond of her. Without any history other than what was ever reported in the tabloids about her children and daughters-in-law, I didn’t think much of her at all. I can very distinctly remember being upset for Princess Diana after her death because of the way the Queen and company were acting. That movie and reading this book in particular have opened my eyes a great deal to the role of the monarchy. As Diana grew up with royal blood in England,she would have known the very basic information that was covered in this book. As such, she could not have gone into her courtship and marriage to Charles as the innocent lamb she would have liked everyone to believe. She knew what she was getting herself into. I am thinking specifically about her statement that there was “three of us in this marriage.” Only one mistress – and a female at that? Those are much better odds than many of the past Princesses of Wales had.
What I really took away from this book was a much broader picture of the history of the British monarchy. As my loyal readers are well aware, I’ve spent a good portion of 2007 with Henry VIII, his six queens, and his three heirs to the throne. It was really nice to learn where it all started.
She's My Queen
#52 ~ The Autobiography of Henry VIII
The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers
As 2007 was the year that I fell in love with the Tudors, what better way to close it than by reading this book by Margaret George? It was a great choice. From the beginning where Will Somers and Catherine Carey Knollys exchange letters regarding the “manuscript” of Henry’s memoirs through the very end where Will writes about Henry’s funeral it is a pleasure to read.
Having read all of Philippa Gregory’s Tudor series and the Carolly Erickson’s The Last Wife of Henry VIII first in no way diminished this book. George’s descriptions of the executions of Anne Boleyn and her male companions gave me an almost physical response despite the fact that I knew what was going to happen. I had a hard time getting to sleep the night I read those accounts. I found myself willing Catherine Howard to get a clue/brain and change her behavior. Alas, she did not.
It was interesting to see how different authors portrayed the different historical characters. For example, Mary Boleyn is portrayed completely different here than she is in The Other Boleyn Girl. She is simply a royal whore in this book while she is a woman forced to become a token in her family’s plot in Gregory’s novel. It may simply be naive on my part, but I hope that she really was a woman of some virtue. Someone had to have been. I also enjoyed the characterization of both Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Charles Brandon.
In the other books, Henry came off as plain crazy and perhaps even a touch evil. In George’s book I liked that Henry felt more human. We can all delude ourselves when we want reality to fit into a specific box. It’s just that Henry had executioners available to take care of the messier realities. I really enjoyed this version of the love affair between Henry and Katherine of Aragon. How might history have changed had their son lived? Where would the Tudors be today? Although this book was over 900 pages long, it was a quick and enjoyable read. It was a wonderful way to complete my reading goal for the year.
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To buy this novel, click here
Book Blogger Con
Have you heard about the 1st Annual Book Blogger Convention that will be held in NYC during the BEA? You should check it out. I know it will be a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend due to family obligations, but I'll be trolling blogs for up to the minute news.
WE Magazine’s A Woman Blogger to Watch
Literate Challenges
What's in a Name? 3
Random Reading Challenge
