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

Clear POV and virtuoso performance

Would you consider the audio edition of Bring Up the Bodies to be better than the print version?
No. I would consider it as good as the print version (high praise!) I used Whispersync along with the Kindle edition I already owned, and the transitions were seamless (technically, but also aesthetically.)

Who was your favorite character and why?
In a book about Cromwell, from Cromwell's point of view, it's hard not to say....Cromwell. Gregory, Christophe, and Jane Seymour all come into focus in this novel, and through the narration. (Readers remember them in the first book, but they get more time on-stage in this one.)

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
So much of the genius of this audio is in Cromwell's internal dialogue, and Simon Vance somehow manages to indicate by subtle inflections of tone and timing when Cromwell is speaking aloud in the action of the novel, or whether he is ruminating (which gives meaning and depth to the novel.) Side note: Simon Vance's performances are always precise. For this title I was glad to know the correct pronunciations of some of the place names.

If you could take any character from Bring Up the Bodies out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Thurston. Because he's a cook.

Any additional comments?
I love Hilary Mantel's work, but it can be off-putting at first. Just remember that every single thing in WOLF HALL and BRINGING UP THE DEAD is from Thomas Cromwell's point of view and dive in! Highly recommend....

Absolutely stunning.

Would you listen to Bring Up the Bodies again? Why?

Yes!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Thomas Cromwell, of course!

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

All of them--he was unbelievably good at inhabiting each character with slight changes of inflection and accent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

When angels and devils switched places by the minute.

Fantastic sequel.

Intricate historical detail delivered in effortless prose. Insight empathy and a grasp of history matched only by vocabulary. I highly recommend these two tomes penned byantell

Behind the door and under the bed

Where does Bring Up the Bodies rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best!

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

The book had so many outstanding and memorable moments that I could not possibly single out one.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Vance has the ability to bring life to a variety of men and women with believable sh*ts in accents, intonations, and emotions.

Any additional comments?

As a student of the Tudor dynasty, I crave historically accurate and compelling interpretations. Until now, my attention has centered on the royals with barely a nod to the supporting cast. Mantel has done an outstanding job fleshing out Cromwell's character and bringing him out from behind the door. My only quarrel with this second book is that Henry VIII is portrayed as a buffoon, driven by his single minded desire for a male heir. Although Cromwell held considerable power, he did not match Henry in intelligence and ability to bring peace to a nation ripped apart by its devastingv civil war that brought the
Tudors to the throne.

The Best of the Best!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was just about the most riveting historical book I have read in a long time. I was absolutely rapt and listened as I walked my exercise walk and I never walked so far in my life!

What did you like best about this story?

Everything!

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Mr. Vance is absolutely the best narrator I have heard. His ability to go from character to character without over-doing the change in tone was amazing!

Who was the most memorable character of Bring Up the Bodies and why?

No doubt, it was ThomsCromwell - what a guy!!!!

Any additional comments?

I hope Hilarty Mantel has more wonders up her literary sleeve!

Well Done

A good story. Not really riveting narrative, but interesting. Must needs pay attention to all the details and nuances of the various relationships. Overall, a classy production. Worth a listen.

A Mystery Examined

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

I would enjoy this book in either audio or print.

What did you like best about this story?

The in-depth look at the reign and purported affairs of Ann Boleyn are very well done. You do not really know if any affairs were actually consummated, just as history does not really know. It is a mystery for which we will never really know the answer, but as told here the probability is low. The characters are well fleshed out and believable. Cromwell of course is portrayed as a very complex and deep individual. You come away from the book with a nuanced look at the period and its characters. I especially like the examination of the thought processes Cromwell goes through in dealing with the events of the time.

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

My primary reaction is a feeling of sadness for the fate to which so many individuals get caught up in as a part of the court intrigues surrounding Henry the 8th. It reminds me of insects getting caught up in a spiders web. They struggle but the outcome is foreordained.

Intimate and detailed account of a pivotal time

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is a sequel that delivers on the promise of the first in the series, is even richer in the depth of its characterizations, and leaves the reader hoping for more. Though ostensibly a story of Henry VIII and the reverberations throughout his reign and all subsequent history of his cataclysmic second marriage, the book brings to the forefront the fascinating architect of many of Henry's legacies, both good and bad, the brilliant Thomas Cromwell. Though fictional, the portrait of Cromwell is detailed and highly plausible, and affords the listener a new viewpoint from which to view and judge the action of an otherwise too oft told tale.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Simon Vance never disappoints. In this narration his finest achievement is to maintain throughout the listener's intimacy with Cromwell's inner thoughts, yet at all times preserving the clarity of the narrative. The novel deserves the accolades it has received, and Vance's partnership with the author and superb translation of her intent has resulted in a literary listening experience of the first rank.

English Exceptionalism, the birth of a nation,

Where does Bring Up the Bodies rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among my very best audio experiences. Prose at it's most powerful. As with all historical fiction, we read to inhabit the characters as the events unfold. Mantel brings us inside Cromwell's consciousness and lets us see his life as he may have experienced it. Not just credible, but delicious with the woven texture of detail and dreams. She has created a world of lethal royal politics I love to visit from the safety of my pillows and comforter. I stop listening and awaken to the safety of my contemporary reality, but anticipate pressing the play button and returning to the all too believable world of terror awaiting Mantel's characters.

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

The King is knocked immobile on the tournament grounds and assumed dead, revealing the fragility of the entire kingdom potentially on the cusp of another civil war. We inhabit Cromwell as he watches the lords drop their courtly masks and betray their true treacherous ambitions. The kingdom is in such a delicate balance we can sympathize with him as he struggles to hold the entire country together and ultimately kill a queen.

Which scene was your favorite?

Mark, the queen's musician, is invited to Cromwell's table and in a flash of provoked vanity brings down himself, the queen and the lords. The scene amimates how an innocent moment can turn into the deepest of inescapable nightmares made real.

Who was the most memorable character of Bring Up the Bodies and why?

Mantel masterfully brings Cromwell to life for us as she helps us answer the question:"How could an abused blacksmith's son rise above all lords to the pinnacle of power as Henry's most trusted agent?" Runaway child, soldier, merchant, banker, linguist, diplomat, theologian, legislator, facilitator, tactician, confidant, husband, kind father and lethal adversary. No other character moves through so many worlds with confidence and stealth. Aren't we all intrigued by gentleness and deadliness in the same vessel?

Any additional comments?

As I first started to listen I thought Mantel was venturing into language between prose and poetry. But as I immersed myself deeper into the story I experienced it as a more elevated prose, a form made more powerful by a masterful author.Although Cromwell is the central character, Mantel animates all the characters with distinctive dialogue, revealing details and layers of personality.Henry is drawn as a powerful king as capable of dominating on the tournament field as creating verse for his lovers. Both queens are made human as they stake out their territory and battle for control of Henry and the kingdom. But it is the dialogue of the minor characters and expertly painted detail that fleshes out the entire story as a most memorable experience.

The sequel is as good as the first book.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys history, biography, and of course, Wolf Hall. This second book in the series is very well written and superbly performed. The period of history starting with Henry VIII and through Elizabeth I is always interesting, and this series is the first I've read which focuses on Thomas Cromwell.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait for the third book, even though I already know how it ends.