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Wolf Hall | 
| Author: Hilary Mantel
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
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Seller: totnes_books
Rating:  378 reviews
Sales Rank: 30
Media: Paperback
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.9
ISBN: 0007230206
EAN: 9780007230204
ASIN: 0007230206
Publication Date: March 4, 2010
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2009 'Lock Cromwell in a deep dungeon in the morning,' says Thomas More, 'and when you come back that night he'll be sitting on a plush cushion eating larks' tongues, and all the gaolers will owe him money.'
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 378
 Fascinating but.... July 29, 2010
Wondereyes
Wolf Hall is really well crafted, but...like similar reviewers I found myself thoroughly perplexed with the dialogue and trying to understand who was talking to who, so much so that in a couple of places I quite literally lost the plot and had to go back and read paragraphs again. I am a particular fan of historical novels but I found myself floundering through the plot and then feeling annoyed with myself that I just couldn't get into it since it has received such high accolade. I also had difficulty feeling any empathy for Cromwell when so many other readers have portrayed his character as some sort of saint. I've read the book twice now and can say whilst I enjoyed the idea of poor boy makes good through hard work etc, it depicted a man who was quite arrogant and ambitious and once he tasted power would forego friendships in order to succeed. I am uneasy with the idea that Cromwell came from such a 'poor' heritage with a violent father and then, having gone to war and returned, magically turned himself into a legal genius. This is where the book lets itself down for me since class-divide was rigid in Tudor days.
Having said that, the novel's ability to bring the reader directly into Tudor England and reflect the turbulent political status at the time was magnificent. The use of the present tense was a clever device in this aspect. The martyrdom of Moore towards the end was extremely well written and his characterization turned the tables on current historical interpretation. I just think it's a shame that Mantel did not do the same for Cromwell's character. This is just my opinion. Maybe it's safer to say I just didn't like him!
The ending clearly opens the door to a sequel. Hopefully the next one will actually have more relevance to the title 'Wolf Hall' and we'll enter the world of the Seymour family.
 Glad I ignored the negative reviews July 28, 2010
LA Hanson
I bought Wolf Hall when it first came out in paperback, along with 2 other shortlisted Booker Prize novels. I waited to read it because I found the negative reviews on here off putting and having read one of the other shortlisted titles (which I wouldn't rate at all), I was wary. Thank goodnes I started reading it yesterday and gave it a chance, although I haven't finished it (hence only 4 stars), I've already read over 100 pages and I am hooked. The writing is true quality a very rare thing these days in novels. Some have said the prose is dull etc, not at all in my opinion, it is rich bringing to life the period and the characters. Yes, there a lot of characters (how could there not be?) but so far I have not found this too confusing or the use of 'he' to denote Thomas Cromwell speaking etc. It is not a book you can skim; the prose is to be savoured. I find myself fully immersed in Tudor England and eager to read more. So to anyone like me who was put off by the negative reviews on here, go for it and give it a chance.
 Turning the Tudor Tables!! July 27, 2010
bonmot
This, by my standards, is a long book but from the first page I found it wonderfully enthralling and brilliantly written. I do not understand the comments I have seen about the text being confusing due to the use of first person speech. In fact, this style of writing, for me, catapulted the characters into the 21st Century, adding a kind of 'fly on the wall' authenticity to the unfolding drama. Mantel's research into the Tudor period is meticulous but the most fascinating thing is how she has taken facts and crafted them into a novel which completely turns the tables on how we previously saw Thomas Cromwell and his role in one of the most important periods of British history. His character is not the cold-blooded, greedy and power-seeking individual he has previously been painted but a man with tremendous intellect, a huge capacity for learning, a man who has changed his fortunes through hard work and observation, coupled with God-given talents. He climbed the social ladder himself but all the while he found positions for any promising, hard-working young people that crossed his path. I found it difficult to dislike him - and cannot wait for the sequel to this book, as it ends at the point when Anne Boleyn has just been executed. There must be at least another 1,500 pages (and 4 wives!) to come!!
Wolf Hall July 27, 2010
F. Jacobsen (U.K.)
Speedy delivery in excellent condition. A fascinating fresh look at historical characters who history has not treated evenhandedly.
 Tedious July 27, 2010
Polly
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I can't write a fair review on this book. It is obviously well researched and written, but I'm afraid I lost the will to read it after the first couple of chapters. Too many characters and not enough interest to keep the pages turning. I felt as if I was listening to a bore at a dinner party. Sorry
Showing reviews 1-5 of 378
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