From the Bookshelf of 101 Books to Read Before You Die…

Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1)

Hilary Mantel

Start date: February 1, 2018

Finish date: February 28, 2018

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Jan 25, 2013 Irene rated it really liked it

This historical novel of Thomas Cromwell, set during the struggle to nullify the marriage of King Henry to Catherine and the rise of Anne to the throne, has the feel of an impressionistic painting. I felt as if I were watching a series of lavish tableaus fade in and out of focus rather than hearing a well told story. Because of this, I always felt like a distant spectator to the events and frequently felt disoriented. This is a novel that requires the reader to work. Nonetheless, I did value the ...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Alana rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: biographical, in-a-series, historical-fiction, political, man-booker-prize

I have never struggled so hard to finish a book. It's not that the writing was overwhelmingly horrible or the subject matter uninteresting, but I just could not engage in this book. I didn't care a wit for the characters and large sections were so boring that I found myself nodding off and not feeling like I had missed anything. I would rank it a 1 for my enjoyment of it, but I feel the book deserves a little better than that, so I'll give it a 1.5/5. Just not for me. ...more

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