My main problem with WOLF HALL was grammatical. Hilary Mantel does not have a firm grasp on pronoun agreement. The novel was intended to be written in author limited point of view, where we're in the head of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's principal adviser during the Ann Boleyn controversy. But instead of referring to Cromwell by name she uses "he," or, in rare cases, "he, Cromwell." There are long passages where Cromwell is describing a meeting with Henry VIII or Thomas More, when it's not clear who she's talking about when she refers to "he." Modern writers like to use such stylistic gimmicks as the lack of quotation marks and switching from 3rd person to first between chapters and James Joyce, of course, originator of stream of consciousness, didn`t bother with such silly notions as periods and commas, but none of this stuff bothered me more than Mantel's idiosyncrasy.

WOLF HALL is pretty much a character vehicle. Thomas Cromwell was the most gifted man in Henry VIII's court from 1532-1540. According to Mantel, it was his idea to make Henry the head of the church of England and confiscate monastic lands and income. This ploy resulted from Pope Clement's refusal to recognize the dissolution of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. We also see Thomas Cromwell at home dealing with the loss of his wife and two daughters during the plague, arranging marriages for his nephew and ward, and trying to get the best possible education for his son, Gregory, who was not that enamored of learning.

We also get to eavesdrop on the behind the scenes plotting going on at court. Anne wanted her children to be first in succession, ahead of Mary, Catherine's daughter. The Duke of Norfolk, Anne's uncle, was Cromwell's main nemesis in that the Duke disapproved of the king appointing a layman and son of a blacksmith as one of his councilors. There's also the sad case of Mary Boleyn, whom Cromwell tried to marry off to his nephew Richard. Henry nixed that match because he needed Mary in the bedroom when Anne refused him.

Thomas Cromwell was pretty much a thug as a boy with a brutal father; he ran away to become a soldier in France, then got involved in trade in Italy and Holland, ultimately working his way up to Cardinal Wolsey's lawyer and then Henry's adviser. Cromwell comes off as a decent sort of man. Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor after Wolsey, is torturing and executing heretics with a vengeance and Cromwell does his best to save some of them. He also feels sorry for Mary Boleyn and tries to secure a sinecure for her when she marries a wastrel and moves away from court. The book ends with Thomas More's execution, kind of shock since anybody with a firm grasp of English history knows that Cromwell, himself, was executed after Henry fourth marriage, negotiated by Cromwell, went bad.

The novel is 532 pages long, but Mantel's choice to end it at More's death makes it seem like she didn't know how to finish it. Cromwell was Wolsey's lawyer and they had a close relationship, and More may have had something to do with his downfall, but Cromwell was not the vindictive sort. He actually tries to help More to some extent. The novel does not build toward More's execution.

This is a very disappointing work. Writing hitorical novels as fictional representations of real life obviously has significant problems, which take, perhaps a Tolstoy to do real justice to them. Wolf Hall is not only a poor attempt at an historical novel, if it can even be called that, but the style is turgid, sometimes flippant, but never facile. You have to force yourself to plod through it in the hope that something interesting will appear.
The characters are two dimensional at best. If there were one dimension, her characters would quilify for that category, e.g., Wolsey appears a weeping cartoonish buffoon who lives and acts in confusion, and the reader tires quickly of him, though historically he was a fascinating man, for example.
How this won the Booker prize, or any at all, astonishes me. I've had undergrad writers who wrote better fiction. What was that committee thinking? Did they actually read the novel? What a pity. Read The Glass Room instead. That is a first-rate novel and finalist for the Booker. For Wolf Hall, save your money and eyesight.

Hilary Mantel spins a captivating yarn

Wolf Hall is a tapestry with a rich palette of succulent imagery and savours. It is an epicurean delight for the senses.

The author provides a luminous introspection into the intrigues and personalities around Henry VIII's divorce from Queen Katherine, with its fierce religious and political undercurrent.

Ribald in parts, sometimes bawdy, it maintains a patient and methodical cadence, fully developing the characters and venues of the court and sanctuaries.

Everyone has an agenda here, or is trying to stay out of harm's way of that of others. These are much different characters than that portrayed in the touchstone 'A Man for All Seasons'.

Thomas More, by comparison is a tarnished saint, less than idealistic, Thomas Cromwell, more benign and practical, Anne Boleyn, is vain, plotting and cruel , Henry VIII, a man of grasping ambition, mediocre intellect and shrivelled conscience. It is the Cromwell, though, who Mantel chooses as her primary point of view, just short of making him the first person narrator. The border between the sacred and profane is loosely defined here.

Lists of characters and genealogy provide a helpful reference. I found myself using it constantly to recall people, in the constantly recombining plots and subplots.

Mantel's predilection for favouring pronouns in the place of proper names, which can lead to confusion in a less than attentive reader, is my one gripe with the book. It takes concentration to keep the complex epic composed in one's mind. But Mantel never gets bogged down. Twists and complications in the narrative merge seamlessly from many different points of origin.

In my personal experience I often find women's fiction difficult and opaque. It is just not synchronous with my circadian reading rhythms. But this book adds an intensely provocative perspective of well trod subject matter. In fact it provides a compelling counterpoint to the conventional typecasting in the saga.

This is a worthy recipient of the Booker by gifted writer.

Very, very Shakespearean. Henry's court is steeped in blood and treachery, and your friends become your enemies overnight. The betrayals can come from politics, religion, personal animosity or sexual intrigue, but that Cromwell survives in such a snakepit is ultimate testimony to his being the smartest (that is, the savviest) man in England (after Wolsey dies). This is the court of Denmark recreated; as Hamlet says, "They smile and smile and yet they are villains". Foul, rank and incestuous--what's not to like? Never play poker with a trickster like Cromwell. And Henry is truly terrifying in his corrosive and callous self absorption.

Wolf Hall will be talked about more than any other book this fall. Hilary Mantel won the Booker Prize for this believable historical novel about Thomas Cromwell. Was Cromwell a saint or sinner or a little of both? How did Cromwell outmaneuver Thomas More and gain power with Henry the Eighth? Wolf Hall will be on every bookclub list in 2010. Get your copy now and do not wait for the paperback.