Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Title: Bring Up the Bodies
Author: Hilary Mantel
Series: Wolf Hall #2
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co., 2012
Source: Library
Read for: Sheer unadulterated delight

In Wolf Hall, Thomas Cromwell helped pave the way for Anne Boleyn's rise to power. However, in just a few short months of marriage, Henry VIII has grown disillusioned with the bride for whom he spent seven years fighting. Now his sights are set on the soft-spoken, plain Jane Seymour -- the antithesis of Anne Boleyn -- and the responsibility has fallen to Cromwell to once again fulfill the king's wishes. This change of favor means that Cromwell must ally himself with those who were once his enemies, and he can't help but note that it isn't only womanly favor with the king that is changing.

While immensely different from the first book of the series, Wolf Hall, in which Cromwell builds his own power and fortune with that of Anne Boleyn, Bring Up the Bodies brought me just as much delight as the first installment, albeit in a grittier, more action-packed way. Wolf Hall was at times dense and meandering, filling pages with poignant personal details about Cromwell's life and family. In Bring Up the Bodies, Cromwell's family is gone, present only in the hawks he has named after his dead daughters and wife. There is no mention of a small dog named Bella, no romantic longings after his dead wife's sister. Instead, Cromwell's life is the delicate dance of politics that brought him to power and that now threatens to come crashing down. Cromwell is often villainized. In Wolf Hall, I couldn't really see why -- I saw the family man, self-made man aspects of him. However, in Bring Up the Bodies, Cromwell becomes more ruthless, more hungry for power. He finds himself not only fulfilling the king's errands, but also indulging his own appetite for revenge. He finds himself relating to his brutal, drunken father, a man who almost killed him multiple times before Thomas left home as a young man. While I liked the rising Cromwell much better than Cromwell in power, the transformation is fascinating.

I also noticed a change in my attitude toward the writing. In reading Wolf Hall, reading was tedious. Mantel's style is distinct and at times difficult. The story is told in the third person limited, and whenever Cromwell is referred to it is as "he," which sometimes lead me to think someone else entirely was speaking. I'm not sure if I became more used to the style or if Hilary Mantel heard the complaints of confusion with Wolf Hall, but generally when Cromwell is referred to as "he," it is followed by a semicolon and the clause "he, Cromwell." This made the reading much smoother for me, and I was more able to enjoy Mantel's sharp, at times bizarre imagery (for example, starting the story out with Cromwell's falcons swooping down on him. They are named after his dead wife and daughters, and it takes a moment to understand the bizarre image, but once it becomes clear it is absolutely unforgettable). While Wolf Hall was certainly rewarding despite the difficulty, Bring Up the Bodies was sheer literary pleasure -- I felt as if I was eating a feast with every beautifully formed phrase.

Plot-wise, there is much more action in Bring Up the Bodies than in Wolf Hall. While this made the reading faster, I actually would have liked more introspection and pausing in Bring up the Bodies. At times I felt I was in a race, trying to keep up with all that happened. While Cromwell's character is being built up in Wolf Hall, I missed some of the character development in Bring Up the Bodies. I felt as if I was expected to know them now, but they all were undergoing drastic changes and I would have liked more insight into the characters.

Overall, Bring up the Bodies is a masterpiece, just like its predecessor. I am hungry for the third volume of this trilogy. While Bring up the Bodies had certain aspects that I didn't enjoy as much as Wolf Hall, it also fixed many of the flaws that bothered me in Wolf Hall. Neither book is perfect, but they are both immensely rich and satisfying.

4.5 stars

Warnings: Language, discussion of bedroom activities of the king and queen

February Prompt -- A Classics Challenge

This month's prompt for A Classics Challenge (hosted by November's Autumn... beautiful name!) is on character. I am a little disappointed that I am not reading a classic I am more involved in, because character is the most important aspect of a book for me. However, maybe it will help me appreciate the book I am reading more if I focus in on the characters.

I am reading Shakespeare's Henry VIII. Lately I have become very interested in Henry and his assorted spouses, fueled initially by Phillippa Gregory novels and enriched further by Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall (which you -- all of you -- should read immediately if you haven't). As I haven't read any Shakespeare histories before and I wanted to read a play for Shakespeare Reading Month and another classics challenge, I thought this was the perfect choice. However, I have been slowly creeping through it, and am still not extremely involved with the characters.

However, one thing that is interesting about these characters is that they take on different personas and attributes as they are interpreted through the minds of different authors. While I am not very deep into Henry VIII yet, my perceptions of the characters are colored by my experiences with them in other books. One thing I have noticed that differs in Shakespeare's treatment of the characters is that Anne Boleyn (called Anne Bullen in the play), who normally is the dominant woman, takes a back seat to Catherine of Aragon, Princess of Wales and Queen of England. Catherine is given much more stage time and much more character.

So to get into the actual prompts...

Level 1
What phrases has the author used to introduce this character? What are your first impressions of them? Find a portrait or photograph that closely embodies how you imagine them. 


I am far too lazy to look up actual phrases used by Shakespeare to describe Catherine (a full week of school will do that to anyone), but my first impression of her in this particular play is that she is strong, despite the fact that she is being beaten down by her husband's rejection and the varying opinions of her people. There is a scene where she begs Henry to consider her, but it doesn't strike me as weak -- rather than begging, it seems as if she is taking him to task for not honoring her as he should. 

I tried to give credit for this source and my computer went kamikaze on me and I lost the website. So, be aware that I myself did not create this image, but some exceptionally talented person.

Although Catherine is supposed to be large by the time these events take place, and although I doubt she is really that pretty at that point in her life, I love this painting, and it is how I picture her. 

Level 2
How has the character changed? Has your opinion of them altered? Are there aspects of their character you aspire to? or hope never to be? What are their strengths and faults? Do you find them believable? If not, how could they have been molded so? Would you want to meet them?

Well, in this retelling in particular, I think Catherine is stronger. While she is a character that I have respected throughout all the stories about her, I think in Shakespeare's version she is more dignified. I would love to meet her.

Level 3
Try writing a short (four sentences +) note or letter as the character, addressed to you, another character, the author, anyone.

So, because I was intrigued by the scene when she begs Henry to consider her, I am going to write a note from her to Henry. I am worried I'll be a little cheesy, so bear with me. 

Dearest Henry,

It pains me that you are pursuing this errant course, and I cannot imagine why you have chosen it. There have been other women before, but they have never threatened our marriage. And in threatening  marriage between the two of us, the most visible couple in our world, you are threatening marriage for all of England. You are showing the gentlemen of England that if they find someone prettier or richer or in any other way better than they perceive their wives to be, they have license to cast her off, with no thought of decency, commitment, or persistence. And aside from the wider issues at stake, I am surprised that the years of our marriage mean so little to you. I have produced a son before -- it is no judgment upon us that he did not live. Children die frequently, and heartbreaking as it is, there is no one to blame. We can produce an heir together. Keep your self-respect and mine intact. Do not do this.

Queen Catherine

Wolf Hall Readalong: Post 3

I finished it!! I am feeling pretty victorious about it, as I was so intimidated at first. I'm not even sure where to start, as far as describing my final feelings.

I guess I'll start with the tumult of the kingdom. This book ends before Henry and Anne fall to pieces, but you can see the evidence of their relationship fraying at the seams. I think Mantel does an excellent job at exposing how very real and confusing situations like that can be, and how well we mask them with our own perceptions of what we think is actually happening.

And then we have Cromwell, who orchestrates everything behind the scenes with complete and total control. He appeases kings and disgruntled dukes, seamlessly weasels his way into being owed a favor by Stephen Gardiner, his chief rival. He is invaluable to Henry and Anne, who look to him to fix every situation. He is seemingly immune to Anne Boleyn's allure, an allure that has captivated almost every man at court, and he is so esteemed by King Henry that he is visited personally in his home by the king when he is ill.

Cromwell's own personal life isn't quite so seamlessly organized; he still misses his deceased wife, Liz, his children and wards make marriages that he doesn't quite approve, he gets sick for what might be the first time in his life. However, he is constantly endearing; he is surprised when people tell him he looks like a murderer (who wouldn't be?); he is pleased with his children's accomplishments (children being a loose term that envelops all the people in his household); he finds himself drawn by the shy, sweet Jane Seymour. I felt as if with every page I loved Cromwell more and more.

And the writing style was so unique, somewhat disjointed and jarring at times, but so powerful and different and evocative. I didn't only know about Cromwell; I felt as if I was with him, I had the feel of him in the room. I haven't felt this close to a character in a long time, and I loved it.

My one complaint with the book was the end -- I felt cheated not to know what role Thomas would play in the dissolution of Anne and Henry's marriage (if he in fact had a role to play); how he would feel to see Jane Seymour courted and married by Henry. I gave in and looked up the Tudors online and learned that Cromwell was actually executed by Henry a few years after the events of Wolf Hall take place. I was sad that this book didn't show it and felt as if Mantel had taken the easy way out.

However, I found out yesterday that she has written a sequel to Wolf Hall called Bring Up the Bodies, to be published in May 2012. I will definitely be on the lookout for that. So now that I know I will have more closure, I have no complaints. Wolf Hall was exquisitely written and executed and I will be recommending it far and wide.

Wolf Hall Readalong Post 2

{Spoilers follow}

This second post for the Wolf Hall Read-along covers parts 3 and 4. Here is what has happened since I last posted: 

Politically: Cardinal Wolsey is more or less deposed and dies. While Wolsey is falling, Cromwell is rising. He never for a moment has a negative word to say about his Cardinal, but while he is away, Cromwell develops uneasy friendships with Anne Boleyn, her sister, Mary, the Duke of Norfolk (the leader of the Boleyn clan, Thomas Howard), and, finally, the King himself. He makes himself more or less indispensable for soothing fluttered feelings and making things happen. He ends up being instrumental in bringing Anne Boleyn to the position of Queen of England. There are also dealings with Thomas More, who replaces the Cardinal as Lord Chancellor of England, and who occupies himself by burning anyone and everyone who supports Tyndale. Tyndale is quite a hero to me, in my limited knowledge of him, so this is a really interesting perspective for me. 

Personally: Cromwell loses more family members and his nephew Richard becomes like a son to him. He also has an affair with Johane, his deceased wife's sister, which is interesting in that it mirrors the King's life to some extent as Katherine was the wife of his dead brother. The relationship doesn't last, making things awkward at home. 

As for me, I am enjoying Wolf Hall more and more all the time. It is definitely slow going; it takes me a few minutes to finish two pages, and this is a beastly old tome so I haven't been doing much reading aside from this. I also occasionally slip up on the use of "he" for Cromwell and will spend a page thinking one man has made a statement when it is really another. 

However, I love the development of Cromwell. I love the way his personality is pervasive, the way his interests are driven by himself and his family, his ability to warp a situation to his needs. I love the way he can go boldly into extremely tense, awkward situations and come out on top. I also love Mantel's unique ways of spinning a phrase, driving its meaning into my mind because of the way the words are strung together, making the images slightly different for me even if I have had them displayed to me before. 

I'm sure I will have much more to say when everything comes together as a whole, so I will just finish by saying that I am loving the richness of this story. It is worth the slow unraveling and at times difficult structure. I am looking forward to seeing how everything plays out in the end, and I am feeling quite grateful that I didn't give in to the temptation to wikipedia Mr. Thomas Cromwell so I could get a grip on what is going on. 

Wolf Hall Read-along: Parts 1 and 2

So, I started reading Wolf Hall. It was intense. {spoilers may follow}

I went into this book knowing that it was about Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell. My knowledge of Henry VIII has come almost entirely from Phillippa Gregory thus far, and either she skipped over Thomas Cromwell or I just didn't pay as much attention to those parts, because I knew absolutely nothing about him. This results in my not knowing what exactly is going on. I know how everything goes down with the King, Katherine, and Anne Boleyn, but the machinations of the government surrounding Henry's whims and upheavals are foreign to me. This makes the book more interesting for me, I think -- I have no idea what will happen as far as Thomas Cromwell is concerned.

This is also a source of confusion for me, in that the story is happening from Thomas Cromwell's eyes. It is actually a very interesting method of story-telling that is at times confusing. The book is in third person, but it is limited absolutely to what Thomas can see and hear. And Cromwell is hardly ever identified -- he is merely "he." This can at times be confusing, especially because it seems that a third of the characters have the first name Thomas, or have multiple names (you know, Thomas Wolsey = the Cardinal = the Cardinal of York and so on). At times I feel like the story assumes a knowledge of what goes on beyond Cromwell's eyes, which can be confusing for me. For example, evidently Cromwell is hated by everyone. I understand that part of this is because the Cardinal is in trouble with the King and Cromwell works for the Cardinal, but I'm not sure exactly where the Cardinal stands and why Cromwell is hated as an extension of the Cardinal. Most of the story so far has dealt with Cromwell's personal life and the broad, general occurrences surrounding King Henry's quandary -- I haven't seen much linking of the two yet.

Other than my vague sense of confusion, however, I am enjoying the story. Despite the occasional confusion with dialogue (the "he" issue), the writing is beautiful and evocative. I feel like the perspective is very fresh as well -- it has a different tone than I was expecting. I like the feel of the person Cromwell is -- inside his mind is a sad place to be, but an interesting one.

I am excited to see where the story leads from here, and am hoping for some more clarity. I might have to do some research to understand it if I continue to feel confused!

Sunday Salon: Challenge FRENZY

SHappy pre-Thanksgiving, Americans, and happy almost-Christmastime, people who celebrate Christmas, and happy winter, everyone else. I started that sentence out wanting to be so very politically correct but it came back and bit me in the butt, as usual. I am looking forward to this week -- I plan on going home to Boise for Thanksgiving, if the weather cooperates. My parents are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the first time ever, and we are excited to be in control of a few things. Mostly, the fact that we are having dinner at 2pm instead of 6pm.

Remember how a few weeks ago, I was feeling so wishy-washy about challenges and how I wasn't sure if I wanted to do them anymore since I couldn't possibly finish them all this year? Well, about that... so many interesting challenges have popped up this month that I want to join them all. Le sigh. So here are all the ones that I am interested in. Will I finish them all? Assuredly not. Will I enjoy tracking down the books I want to read for them and then ignoring them completely? Of course.

The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. Because, as evidenced by the madness that went on during R.I.P. VI, I am very much a seasonal reader. I'm just planning on doing two rereads this year, so the level is Mistletoe:

:: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher - Comfort reading at its best. I'm pretty into comfort reading right now, as I'm sure you'll be seeing on the blog in a couple of weeks, so this fits right in.

:: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - Loved this one last year, and I've dipped into it a few times since last year. I'm excited to revisit, probably on my lovely CRUISE!

Shakespeare Reading Month. I love The Bard, and it's been way too long since I've read any of his plays. I went through a phase in high school when I read most of the comedies, but I've never touched the histories, so I am going to pick up either Henry VIII or Richard III. I'll also continue my slow trek through the sonnets.

The 2012 Harry Potter Reading Challenge is too perfect for me -- I was planning on rereading all of the Harry Potters and then watching the movies next year, probably in the summer, although I've had a hankering lately and might cave sooner. I might do all audiobooks this time, we will see.

November's Autumn is hosting a classics challenge that is a little different. You read seven different classics, and then on the fourth of each month you return to the webpage and answer a question about the classic that you read. This overlaps perfectly with the other classics challenges I am participating in, and I love the idea of everyone answering a prompt about the classic they are reading, so I couldn't resist. {And also, how gorgeous is the name November's Autumn? It made me feel like Anne of Green Gables, geeking out about it.}

And then, as an eclectic blogger, how could I resist Ellie's Mixing it Up Challenge?  The premise of this one is to read books in different genres. Ellie lists sixteen, and I am going for the level of the Mixing Bowl, meaning I will try from 9-12 different categories. Many of them will be categories I am used to, just because that is the nature of the beast, but I am going to try a graphic novel, some humor, and maybe even a travelogue -- all things I haven't experienced before. Hooray!

And then, this morning, I stumbled across the New Adult Challenge. So many people have been saying they wish there were books about adults in their early twenties, and I couldn't agree more, being in that range myself and working on a novel that fits into that range. So I am going to try out this challenge at the Just Graduated level and read 3 books. I am probably going to read The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons and get my little fingers on the Jessica Darling books. Or possibly read The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta, because Jellicoe Road was fantastic.

Okay, and finally, finally, {unless I forgot someone}, the Wolf Hall readalong. I have been wanting to read this baby, and was happy to see this excuse for it. I love readalongs, and haven't been participating in any but my own for months. The schedule is:
{November 28} - Open the book.
{December 4} - Post about parts 1 and 2
{December 11} - Post about parts 3 and 4
{December 18} - Post about parts 5 and 6

I might cheat and post on Saturday, because I like my Sunday Salon posts and I don't like double-posting. We'll see.

I'm not even going to tell myself no more, because that just seems to invite me to give in on more and more challenges. Even though I know I'm going crazy, I can't wait for all of these. I love thinking about the new year and what I will read. I love thinking about books, period. I hope that I possibly inspired you to check out something new. Now I have to go update my sadly abandoned challenge page!