Hilary Mantel delivers a fascinating historical fiction novel covering Henry VIII's England, centered on the life of Thomas Cromwell. The book is rich in detail and thoroughly researched. Though the story of Henry VIII is a familiar tale, Mantle takes a fresh look at it through the eyes of Cromwell.
She writes in the present tense, which provides a strong fly-on-the-wall sense of actually being there to experience these historical events. However, she also uses pronouns so frequently that it is easy to get lost in the huge cast of characters included this 560 page tome. This is particularly true when listening to the audio book, as I did. The print version of the book has an index of characters, organised according to when and where they lived, with relevant details that help put them in context. It also contains a helpful genealogical table of the Tudors and the Yorkist claimants to the throne.
Mantle weaves a compelling tale which is well worth the extra attention required to keep track of her cast of historical characters.
Sojourner
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