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jennysjw's review against another edition
4.5
The portrayal of Cromwell, the depiction of women in this time period, the court intrigue, the observations and insights, the snarky humor, all of this is so amazingly crafted.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
3.0
Bullet Review:
I'm not going to write a full review for this. I probably shouldn't even rate this, given my complete and utter confusion throughout the course of the novel.
A lot of people have ADORED this book. They have heaped loads of accolades upon it - and I have no doubt that if any of the following attributes apply to you, then you will likewise adore it:
1. Literary fiction is your favorite type of fiction (or one of your top favorites).
2. Historical fiction is your favorite type of fiction (or one of your top favorites).
3. You know the Tudor/Boleyn history inside and out.
4. You didn't enjoy [b:The Other Boleyn Girl|37470|The Other Boleyn Girl (The Tudor Court, #2)|Philippa Gregory|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1355932638s/37470.jpg|3248536], the HBO series "The Tudors" and other similar Tudor historical fiction - or at the very least, the historical inaccuracies bug you.
5. You don't mind third person present with protagonist referred to as "he" in nearly every instance.
If you can say "yes" to any of the above, then this book is for you.
But this is not me. I don't like literary fiction. I don't mind historical fiction, but honestly, the Tudors aren't the most interesting time period for me. I know next to nothing about the Tudors, other than vague memories from high school history (Henry VIII had 6 wives! And he broke the Church of England away from the Catholic Church!) and the meager bits I researched when I read PG's TOBG. I didn't mind TOBG (though it was incredibly cliched and silly), and I think third person present is an awkward style to write in, ESPECIALLY when I don't know who "he" is!
With ALL those above, it didn't make it any easier to listen on audiobook. Honestly, the last half, I gave up trying to understand what was going on. OK, not true - the last 15%, I did make an effort to follow what was going on and I did get a bit more from the text. I nearly got a migraine from all the concentration and still had to find a summary to refresh my memory, but I did it.
So why did I read it and why did I bother to finish it? Because it was a book club choice, and I hate not finishing Book Club Books.
I feel REALLY BAD I didn't like this, because I had ever so many friends who adored it. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to learn more about the Tudors and Boleyns and Cromwell. But this book just wasn't for me.
So I'm rating this 3 stars instead of 2 stars because I think a HUGE portion of why I didn't like this book was because I didn't A) read it in paperback and B) it just wasn't for me. I feel like an uncivilized louse for disliking and writing a negative review, but I appreciate honesty and hope you do too.
(Funny how my Bullet Review is just as long as a real review...)
I'm not going to write a full review for this. I probably shouldn't even rate this, given my complete and utter confusion throughout the course of the novel.
A lot of people have ADORED this book. They have heaped loads of accolades upon it - and I have no doubt that if any of the following attributes apply to you, then you will likewise adore it:
1. Literary fiction is your favorite type of fiction (or one of your top favorites).
2. Historical fiction is your favorite type of fiction (or one of your top favorites).
3. You know the Tudor/Boleyn history inside and out.
4. You didn't enjoy [b:The Other Boleyn Girl|37470|The Other Boleyn Girl (The Tudor Court, #2)|Philippa Gregory|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1355932638s/37470.jpg|3248536], the HBO series "The Tudors" and other similar Tudor historical fiction - or at the very least, the historical inaccuracies bug you.
5. You don't mind third person present with protagonist referred to as "he" in nearly every instance.
If you can say "yes" to any of the above, then this book is for you.
But this is not me. I don't like literary fiction. I don't mind historical fiction, but honestly, the Tudors aren't the most interesting time period for me. I know next to nothing about the Tudors, other than vague memories from high school history (Henry VIII had 6 wives! And he broke the Church of England away from the Catholic Church!) and the meager bits I researched when I read PG's TOBG. I didn't mind TOBG (though it was incredibly cliched and silly), and I think third person present is an awkward style to write in, ESPECIALLY when I don't know who "he" is!
With ALL those above, it didn't make it any easier to listen on audiobook. Honestly, the last half, I gave up trying to understand what was going on. OK, not true - the last 15%, I did make an effort to follow what was going on and I did get a bit more from the text. I nearly got a migraine from all the concentration and still had to find a summary to refresh my memory, but I did it.
So why did I read it and why did I bother to finish it? Because it was a book club choice, and I hate not finishing Book Club Books.
I feel REALLY BAD I didn't like this, because I had ever so many friends who adored it. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to learn more about the Tudors and Boleyns and Cromwell. But this book just wasn't for me.
So I'm rating this 3 stars instead of 2 stars because I think a HUGE portion of why I didn't like this book was because I didn't A) read it in paperback and B) it just wasn't for me. I feel like an uncivilized louse for disliking and writing a negative review, but I appreciate honesty and hope you do too.
(Funny how my Bullet Review is just as long as a real review...)
gbunton89's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emilykarinpeterson's review against another edition
Libby made me return it before I could finish, but I don't think I'm committed enough to place another hold and come back to it later.
dtodd's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m so glad I finally got round to reading this book, which had been recommended by so many friends! I found the writing to be beautifully crafted, and in terms of describing the world, it is probably the most immersive and in-depth historical fiction I have ever read (I read afterwards that Mantel had researched the material for five years before writing).
However, I often found the plot too slow and not engaging enough. This improved when I read it in longer sittings, though there was still too much description and the irregular chapter lengths didn’t help. The characters were engaging when I could keep track of who was who, and they did develop throughout. I think I will read the rest of the series, but not straight away.
However, I often found the plot too slow and not engaging enough. This improved when I read it in longer sittings, though there was still too much description and the irregular chapter lengths didn’t help. The characters were engaging when I could keep track of who was who, and they did develop throughout. I think I will read the rest of the series, but not straight away.
ellathelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
A pretty superb volume, I listened to it as an audiobook from my library (24 hours!) and enjoyed it all. Again, join your local library!
wietse111's review against another edition
4.0
In de serie man booker winnaars, alweer een waar ik niet helemaal van weet wat ik er nou van vind. Hij is deels briljant en deels vreselijk, maar uiteindelijk kom ik denk ik toch uit op best wel heel goed. Je volgt Thomas Cromwell, die als nobody begint, assistent van de kardinaal en uiteindelijk zelfs belangrijkste adviseur van koning Hendrik 8 wordt. Gebaseerd op ware geschiedenis, maar vanuit een vrij uniek perspectief en uiteraard wel met creatieve interpretatie af en toe. Historisch heel interessant, en de wereld wordt echt heel tof neergezet. Was wel echt een pittig boek om te lezen. Veel pagina's, heel veel karakters met veel overlappende namen (waarom heette toen iedereen Thomas?). Het boek heeft ook niet een duidelijke plot met een kop en een staart, het is meer een serie fragmenten ofzo die geleidelijk door de tijd heen gaan maar zonder dat het echt duidelijk is wat of waarom het gebeurt. En dan is de schrijfstijl met de oneindige "hij" waar bijna altijd Cromwell wordt bedoelt ook gewoon verwarrend. Maar ondanks dat alles was ik wel eigenlijk de hele tijd geboeid, dus ergens deed het boek toch iets goed.
jaime_c's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
klaireparavel's review against another edition
5.0
Arrange your face. It was a tad confusing to keep track of all the Thomases and Henrys and Williams but otherwise I loved everything about this book, especially the narrator. I should like Simon Slater to read most everything to me. Hilary Mantel humanized Thomas Cromwell to the point of his being charming and charasmatic. Such witty and clever story-telling.