Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

 I don't know how or where to begin with this review so I'm going to try to keep it short and simple. 

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wolf Hall follows Thomas Cromwell, arguably one of the most important people in the history of British Royalty. I'm going to paraphrase here. Essentially, King Henry VIII wants to divorce Queen Katharine, his wife of nearly 20 years, because she has failed to give birth to a male heir. Henry sets his sights on Anne Boleyn and thus begins a domino effect of chaos that changes the course of history forever. Thomas Cromwell is the man who works tirelessly for nearly seven years to make this annulment and remarriage valid in God's eyes. The story in Wolf Hall is everything that takes place within these seven years... but that's not the only story being told in this book. There is a story within and underneath Henry VIII - hidden but obvious at the same time.

Wolf Hall is more about the question of God's will and whether it is more important to live your life to the best of your ability, or live your life in constant preparation for what comes after. How firmly do you hold onto your principals - at what point is your life more valuable than your ideals? It's much more complicated than that, of course, but that's the gist of it. This novel is very philosophical in all regards and Hilary Mantel is a master of layering these little nuggets of theology, philosophy, humanity, and history together and the finished product is a book that is unlike any I've ever read

Hilary Mantel's version of Cromwell, Henry, and Anne's story is complicated for sure. There is an almost constant use of the pronoun "he," which honestly confused me at first. I had to reread the first 50 pages once I realized that "he" refers to Thomas Cromwell like, 95% of time. Once you pick up on that, reading goes much more smoothly. 

There is a lot in this book - incest, miscarriages, adultery, blasphemy, sexual assault, brutal executions, and (worst of all) royal tantrums - but Mantel has given us a version of Cromwell who, though masterfully manipulative, calculating, and often told that he looks like a murderer, is filled with love and family. Cromwell's ability to hold tightly onto the people he loves and feels loyal to despite his rise in the ranks of the hierarchy, is truly aspirational and impressive.

Cromwell as a character is hilarious. He is so funny that there were moments where I laughed out loud at his sarcasm in moments of extreme tension. This is such a great book. It's long and there are so many characters. We move forward in time constantly and new people jump into the fray all the time. Even though it is a more complicated example of historical fiction, Wolf Hall 100% lives up to its reputation. I loved it and I loved my time in Thomas' mind. I already miss him... maybe I should order the sequel real quick.....