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   Reader reviews of Wolf Hall

Read what people think about Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and write your own review.

Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall
A Novel
by Hilary Mantel
Hardcover: Oct 2009,
560 pages.
Paperback: Sep 2010,
592 pages.

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Rated 1 of 5 of 5 by Voracious Reader
Enough already
Being very familiar with the period, I was looking forward to reading a book from a different perspective and felt completely frustrated. The writing style made it impossible for me to enjoy the book. I started reading the book five times, and I never got into it.

The characters in the book remained flat, the present tense in which it is written grated on my nerves (He enters the room. He sees a chair. AARRGGHH).

She goes back to the library and returns the book. She regrets not having been able to learn more about Cromwell, a fascinating figure in history. She is happy not to have wasted her money on this one and looks forward to reading a good book.


Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Canadian Chickadee
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I found this book exasperating in the extreme. Mantel's gift for a telling phrase is unsurpassed (black fur that ruffled like feathers, ruby rings like droplets on blood on the king's knuckles, e.g.) but I longed for a red pencil to edit this tome! Mantel's use of pronouns is very sloppy -- how many "he's" can you have on a page or in a paragraph without creating confusion? And without a thorough knowledge of 16th century Tudor life and politics, this book would be unreadable. In spite of Mantel's efforts, Cromwell remains a shadowy figure. The only time I felt I really understood him was when he took exception to someone who said "Butcher, blacksmith, what's the difference? They're both tradesmen." When Cromwell thinks, "but any oaf can cut up beef, but it takes someone with real skill to make a knife or a pot or a suit of armour" is the first and only real insight we have into what makes Cromwell tick. Unlike those reviewers who found the book so gripping they couldn't put it down, I found the book a real slog, and not one I will probably ever read again.


Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Dorothy T.
A Short Review of a Long Book
The number of pages is not really why I call this a long book--I kept thinking as I was reading that surely some of it could have been edited, although I have no specific suggestions. I was thankful for the cast of characters list, because I referred to it repeatedly. I did learn much about Thomas Cromwell, however, and my curiosity about the Tudors, particularly the six wives of Henry VIII, was piqued.

This is good historical fiction about a fascinating segment of history, probably a good selection only for a book club whose members like this genre.


Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Frances
Stream-of-Life
I thought this was one of the best novels I've read in a long time. I enjoyed the challenging writing style as well as the story of Cromwell--and it really is Cromwell's story, not so much as a stream-of-consciousness but as a stream-of-life. It's a book to be savored--many times.


Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Barbara Bailey
Another Odd Person Out
I agree with Colin Hamilton and the other reviewers who found this novel less than stellar. We may have different reasons, but the book did not hook me at all and I love British history and a story well told. I read it to the end because I thought I should as I had purchased the book. Of the appealing characters, Thomas Cromwell wasn't on my list although this was his story in many ways. Toward the end the pace seemed to pick up and though I and most readers knew the end, in many ways it couldn't have come sooner.


Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Colin Hamilton
Odd Man Out
If I had not seen so many good reviews I would not have got past the first two hundred pages. Is it me? Why is this such a disjointed novel? I spent most of the time waiting for the story to develop, only for it to go off at a tangent, It isn't helped by knowing the outcome (historically). Does a novel really have to be this complicated? if you have the time to wade through the list of players then maybe you will enjoy the brilliant bits in between. Sorry, I wanted to like it because this is my kind of subject but it was too much like hard work1

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