Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

8 reviews

anditsreal's review against another edition

challenging dark funny informative tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

The writing makes this book. It's funny and clever. Mantel owns language in a way I haven't seen done often. I would highly recommend to any writer, even if you're not interested in the story itself (which I personally am not). It just makes you want to write — and write better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence

Moderate: Terminal illness

heather667's review against another edition

dark informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Grief, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Child death, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: War, Pedophilia, Blood, Genocide, Slavery, and Violence

georgie_mb's review against another edition

informative mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

*phew* I’ve finally finished this! 

I started off reading this as a buddy read with someone else, but unfortunately my friend didn’t make it past the 1/4 mark but I decided to persevere. 

It had been truly fascinating to read about Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power, and there are some brilliant moments to humour and clever speech. However, the main problem I found with this is the flow of the writing. It took me at least 200 pages to get into this (normally I DNF but I kept going because of the buddy read) and then after that, it would be on and off. I would find myself sucked into the story, with pages flying by, only to be chucked out again and left feeling a little lost. She does mention in the notes at the end that it’s hard to please both historian and reader, but I think she could have made it a little easier for the reader to follow, especially as she uses pronouns so much that you never know who’s talking! 

I am glad I read this, as it’s definitely not your everyday novel, but it will be a while before I decide whether to pick up the next book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Child death, Classism, and Grief

ljc35's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Amazing book that demonstrates true talent in writing and captures the imagination with the Tudor Period.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Slavery, and Rape

laurajeangrace's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Infidelity, War, Grief, Infertility, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Torture

jhbandcats's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is probably the fourth time I've read Wolf Hall. I love the writing - it's immediate and it’s subversively funny, and I find myself rereading parts just because I enjoy them so much. The novel opens with a riveting scene of a teenaged Cromwell being beaten almost to death by his father, dazed on the paving stones, crawling away as best he can, wondering if this is the day he dies.

Told in the present tense, it feels as though you're right there with Cromwell as he tries to escape his father's next kick. The attention to detail - the knot in the twine of his father's boot ripping his forehead open - also brings every scene to life.

This obviously doesn't sound like the opening to a funny book, but the sardonic humor makes the corner of your mouth twitch in a smile, and it's so, so clever. There are secret nicknames that are both insulting and fitting - the Princess Mary is a shrimp. When Cromwell leaves home in the morning he pats his wife, kisses the dog. Cromwell's perspective is askew from everyone else's. and it's that difference that results in much of the humor.

I will gladly reread this again in a couple of years. It brings me so much joy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Vomit, War, Child abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Bullying, Death, Gore, Infertility, Blood, Torture, and Violence

quickermorequickly's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Antisemitism, Adult/minor relationship, War, Violence, Torture, Murder, Infertility, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Death, Confinement, and Body shaming

Minor: Incest

nadia's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I first read this book in 2013. I remember enjoying it but finding it quite hard to get into. 9 years later, older, and wiser, I thought I'd have a much easier time with it, but I was surprised by how hard I found it to follow passages of dialogue, the characters and their relationships and motivations, and to fully grasp why or how certain things had come to pass.

However, on the whole, I still found this book intriguing, captivating, and tense at times. I love reading about behind-the-scenes political machinations and strategy, and I've always been a fan of the Tudor period. The writing was excellent, though a few times too many on the ambiguous side, at least for me.

This is one of those books that was a real challenge but I welcomed it and I look forward to revisiting Bring Up The Bodies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism and Adult/minor relationship