A review by waytoomanybooks
A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt

emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

I’ve fully re-embraced my love of Tudor historical fiction since engaging with Wolf Hall—the show and the novels—at the end of last year, and I’ve gone out looking for more works that of the same quality. I have definitely found it within A Man for All Seasons. The play is, by nature, immersive in Thomas’ point of view, and it’s truly heart-breaking to watch his story unfold when one already knows how it ends.

The executions Henry metes out never get any easier to read about or watch, play, book, show, movie, etc. Every time, it makes me feel a bit sick. I think that is why people keep coming back to the people and narratives associated with his reign. It’s like when you lose a tooth, and your tongue keeps going to the sore spot, or when you press on a bruise to see if it still hurts.

Bolt’s prose is sharp, and though his stage directions and set designs are spare, they clearly and easily define the world Thomas is living in, and you can’t help but feel as though you are there with him as it all unfolds and unravels.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings