tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1500590946775347522.post8532420678096089880..comments2024-02-13T02:30:15.796+11:00Comments on Minerva Reads: Wolf Hall, by Hilary MantelSue Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11128625746717614768noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1500590946775347522.post-70030771297415396742012-05-09T10:08:21.955+10:002012-05-09T10:08:21.955+10:00Couldn't have said it better ourselves Eesti. ...Couldn't have said it better ourselves Eesti. And we are now looking forward to reading her sequel, Bring up the bodies.Sue Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11128625746717614768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1500590946775347522.post-35453360872049236812012-05-09T01:39:30.293+10:002012-05-09T01:39:30.293+10:00We want historical novels to plunge us into a worl...We want historical novels to plunge us into a world different from our own while enabling us to understand that world and the people who inhabit it. We want not a series of familiar puppet-figures parroting their famous lines on cue, but portraits of real human beings with strengths and failings, beset by ambitions and lusts and needs and dreads. We want to understand why issues that would not plague any of us for more than a second can have an entire world up in arms. Mantel not only gives us all of this -- she makes it look easy.Eestihttp://destructiveaging.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1500590946775347522.post-24763221370500073712010-02-19T14:47:08.218+11:002010-02-19T14:47:08.218+11:00Thanks Helen ... that's an interesting comment...Thanks Helen ... that's an interesting comment. I wonder how historically valid Mantel's picture of Cromwell's household is? It certainly fleshed him out as a complex character. In one of my online groups, a member said that the picture provided in this novel was more like the picture she learnt BEFORE A man for all seasons which showed More in a positive light and demonised Cromwell. Just goes to show how much interpretation there is in both history and fiction!Sue Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11128625746717614768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1500590946775347522.post-76753793200506191192010-02-19T14:22:45.420+11:002010-02-19T14:22:45.420+11:00I followed up with a new biography of Mary Tudor a...I followed up with a new biography of Mary Tudor as the first Queen. Interesting but missing the political governance curretns running around, but showed how clever Mantel had been in building the pricture of the warm family and friendships in the Cromwell household compared to the dysfunctional Tudor family and the viciousness of court politics.<br />HelenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1500590946775347522.post-65545395171753407492010-01-24T15:55:54.937+11:002010-01-24T15:55:54.937+11:00Thanks Kate. I'm glad you made the point about...Thanks Kate. I'm glad you made the point about public servants! Also, that contrast with the domestic scenes - how enjoyable the Austin Friars sections were...and also it is apparently true that his kitchen there fed large numbers of people. Fascinating man.Sue Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11128625746717614768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1500590946775347522.post-72246351144637117162010-01-24T15:41:43.546+11:002010-01-24T15:41:43.546+11:00It was terrific to read this book, although daunti...It was terrific to read this book, although daunting as well. The list of characters was large, although I loved the contrast of Cromwell's domestic scenes, with the political intrigues of the court and the clergy. He was quite a rounded character, with genuine feeling for his family and loyalty to Wolsely and his staff, alongside his clear-headed pragmatism and 'can-do' attitude. <br />Comwell's contribution to the rise of the bureaucracy and legal framework for the actions of those in power, makes for fascinating reading. A must for all public servants I sugggest! <br />Mantel is working on a follow-up volume, which I think will be worth reading, especially as one becomes quite familiar with many characters after journeying with them to Wolf Hall, although not quite arriving there!katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06366736174044484040noreply@blogger.com