THE BOOK CORNER

Wolf Hall

by Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel's duly well-praised novel tells the story of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power during the tumultuous years between the fall of Cardinal Wolsey and the rise of Ann Bolyen. If these names are not familiar to you, then perhaps Wolf Hall might be a hard read, but if you have any knowledge of Tudor history and the reputations of these characters, especially Thomas Cromwell, generally portrayed as villain and Thomas More, generally portrayed as a saint, then this complex, beautifully written novel will offer pleasure and insights that will give the reader a beguiling read. In the realm of Joycean stream-of-consciousness, Wolf Hall moves through the early modern world like a roving camera, noticing telling details, snippets of conversation, random brutality, love and loss, and the forceful destruction of the English Catholicism at the behest and for the benefit of Henry VIII.

To American readers, this all might not seem important or relevant, but if you know anything about how our democracy and rights evolved, then you know the roots of American culture lie in the English Protestant Revolution. It all starts here, and Hilary Mantel gives us a masterpiece to discover.

Review by Mark D. Burgh