Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall is the tale of the early years of Henry VIII's courtier, administrator and general fixer Thomas Cromwell. It charts the fall of Cardinal Wolsey as he fails to bring about a satisfactory conclusion to Henry's divorce proceedings and Cromwell's own rise after Wolsey's death. I always felt there was more to Cromwell than the ruthless overseer of the dissolution and this is the first novel I have read that makes him feel human; appealing, even. The interaction with his family, in particular his two daughters, is touching and occasionally poignant, particularly his description of his ... more