Bring Up the Bodies

A Novel

By: Hilary Mantel

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Man Booker Prize, Fiction, 2012

The sequel to Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times best seller, Wolf Hall delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice. At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne's head?

©2012 Hilary Mantel (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

what a downer

I finally realized why I don't enjoy the talented and accomplished Simon Vance as a narrator: his voice strikes me as chilly, even though I realize he might in real life be the warmest-hearted person I could ever hope to meet. But what this meant for my "Bring Up the Bodies" listen is that I was left wondering if Hilary Mantel was telling the story of a man (Cromwell) corrupted by power, who had lost some of his human qualities—or if it was just that Simon Slater (for Book One of the series) was better able to express Cromwell's tenderness and regrets. I couldn't tell if Cromwell had changed, or if I was just confused by the change in narrator. Also, while "Wolf Hall" chronicles the rise of the plucky Cromwell and equally plucky Anne Boleyn, and it's the icky Thomas More who loses his head, in "BUtB" it's the demure (and less fascinating) Jane Seymour whose star is rising, and it's hard not to feel sorry for the innocent and/or naive courtiers who end up paying the ultimate price when Cromwell starts calling in accounts. Despite the excellent writing and narration, I didn't enjoy this audiobook as much as its predecessor.

A marvelous story of history and politics

Dame Hilary Mantel thoroughly deserved her Man Bookers for these books. With unique styling that the reader quickly gets used to, in this volume she tells the short and tragic history of Anne Boleyn, from the perspective of King Henry VIII's right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell. A historical fiction to be sure, but as with the best of that genre, a source of the truth of that period more memorable than a dozen biographies. The performance was letter perfect. Read these before you see the TV series if you want to make sense of it.

A great way to experience a great book

Would you consider the audio edition of Bring Up the Bodies to be better than the print version?

This was a great way to experience a great book. I read Wolf Hall in the print edition and enjoyed it, but this was a much more engrossing experience.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Simon Vance's reading was excellent. It was always intelligible; there was differentiation between characters in his reading voice, but not in an annoying artifical way.

If you could take any character from Bring Up the Bodies out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The story is told from the point of view of Thomas Cromwell, and a very complex and complicated man emerges from the story.

Any additional comments?

Well worth the time spent, whether in print or via audio book. I used the voice sync feature for the first time on this book; listening to audio 80% of the time, but occasionally switching to the e-book. That is a very nice and useful technology if you want to pay the extra cost (I was trying a free demo.)

Henry and Cromwell

Fantastic! A different perspective and I want more about Cromwell. I thought I knew Ann's story. I never considered this view.

Wonderful read. Live in Cromwell's world.

Narration was excellent. Full of lovely subtleties and clear throughout complicated dialogues. There are times I got lost in the details and all the names, but backtracking a bit helping me follow everything.

Gorgeous read.

Royal Historian Buffs

Narrator brings you into cold, dark settings of castle chambers, into open fields and dark forests and into loud, festive banquet halls.. But at times it became monotonous. Great read for people interested in Henry VII during Anne Bolen's court.

A real life Game of Thrones

What did you love best about Bring Up the Bodies?

The author seems to inhabit the subtle brain of Thomas Cromwell, a master strategist and Machiavelli-like advisor to Henry the eighth. And the reader, Simon Vance, was ideal for the subject, with his British accent and thespian's vocal variety.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bring Up the Bodies?

The execution scene for Ann Bolyn is chilling.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Cromwell himself, with his wry wit, as when he accepts a known spy into his retinue. The spy introduces himself by saying, "Call me Risley". Cromwell shortens this, fondly to a nickname: "Call Me" as if it were the character's first name.

If you could take any character from Bring Up the Bodies out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I wouldn't dine with any of them. I would worry about a misplaced word, a subtle poison, a slim blade between the ribs.

Any additional comments?

I read Wolf Hall in the print version before this one, and I must say that listening to this sequel on Audible was a far better experience.

Better than Wolf Hall

What made the experience of listening to Bring Up the Bodies the most enjoyable?

It was a good retelling of the Henry VIII/Ann Boleyn story.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot developed at a good pace and the characterization was engrossing.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NA

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

NA

Any additional comments?

I was a little surprised by the overwhelmingly depiction in Wolf Hall of Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. In this book, the same laudatory tone continues. If there is any way to view a positive version of the politics of the time, Hilary Mantel will. The characterizations are well done, but I have a hard time accepting the wildly favorable view taken of the Protestant movement in England. I don't have any strong feelings on the matter, but I feel pretty sure that the reality is not as one-sided as it is in this novel. On the other hand, it is a very interesting version of a well-known story

Riveting. Historic fiction at its very best.

A masterfully written story of King Henry VIII at the height of his reign. Mantel understands human relationships and historic figures with their personalities, motivations and fears. It felt like being a fly on the wall.

Excellent read

What did you like best about this story?

Mantel is an excellent story teller with a rich language and a form entirely her own.
In Bring up the Bodies she fully delivers on the expectations I had after hearing/reading Wolf Hall.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Simon Vance reads the novel magnificently and help bring the characters discretely to life, so the story and characters and dialogue stands out and the narrator is almost unnoticed in the background.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

One of the best audible reads out there.