Wolf Hall

By: Hilary Mantel

Narrated by: Simon Slater

Length: 24 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII's court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king's favor and ascend to the heights of political powerEngland in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years, and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. The quest for the king's freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph? In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel presents a picture of a half-made society on the cusp of change, where individuals fight or embrace their fate with passion and courage.

With a vast array of characters, overflowing with incident, the novel re-creates an era when the personal and political are separated by a hairbreadth, where success brings unlimited power but a single failure means death.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2009 Hilary Mantel (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

My favorite book

I learn more every time I listen to it - a fantastic book and a wonderful performance.

alsmot time travel

Narrative structure didnt seem super compelling, but I did enjoy the very vivid vignettes that included the weather, what people wore, what they were thinking about, what they were worried about. The lector was superb, too.

Very atmospheric

What made the experience of listening to Wolf Hall the most enjoyable?

Simon Slater's excellent reading

Who was your favorite character and why?

Thomas Cromwell; a man of wit and wisdom

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

The Ambassador

If you could rename Wolf Hall, what would you call it?

Henry VIII's Wise Man

Requires careful attention

If you could sum up Wolf Hall in three words, what would they be?

Visual, compelling, fascinating

What other book might you compare Wolf Hall to and why?

For some reason this book reminds me of Saturday by Ian McEwan for the way it brings you into the life and thought of one man.

Any additional comments?

I tried listening to this book twice in the past, and had to put it aside because my mind wandered, and when it came back, I couldn't figure out where I was and lost interest.

I'm putting in the extra effort this time due to the soon to be available sequel, Bring Up the Bodies (not sure when it will be available on Audible), which see on Amazon has had good reviews for the audio version.

This time, I'm careful to listen when I can give this my full attention, which means that sometimes I have to switch to something else that's not possible. Giving it a careful listen, I agree with past reviewers who give it five stars. This performance is a little hard to follow, but some of that could be due to the text, and reviewers of the sequel say that Bring Up the Bodies is easier to follow than this book. I'm looking forward to reading that as soon as I am done with Wolf Hall. Highly recommended to anyone who can give this their undivided attention!

Best read first

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I found the narrator's portrayal of Thomas Moore distasteful and extreme. I shall have to do more research before I determine if Moore was really as brutal and snide as Mantel alludes. I found it difficult to determine who was speaking at times and the cast of characters was difficult to keep track of. I'd have preferred to read the book prior to listening to the audio so that I'd have brought greater understanding to the listening.

What did you like best about this story?

A fascinating look at a complex and brutal era. The writer makes fine use of language to describe life and portray character's we know by name.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Pause more often rather than rush from one character to the next where, though he did a good job with voice differentiation, I found it difficult to track who was speaking. The one character you could never mistake was Moore, and I'd have preferred less of the narrator's interpretive skill.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes. Most likely.

Great Book

I live this book. I can't wait to read the next one. The PBS series is really good too.

Too Dense - Needs to be read

I could not get through this audiobook. I hope to return to it eventually, but I think it may be a book that is best when read. There are way too many names to keep track of while listening. I like to listen to my audiobooks while walking around or during my commute. I found that this book required too much focus that I kept feeling lost and going back to previous chapters. It would have been much easier to have the book in front of me. I wish this was a more enjoyable audiobook, because it sounds like a great story and I hear the followup book is fantastic.

Simply one of the best books I've ever ead.

Where does Wolf Hall rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

#1, or tied wth Mantel's "Bring Up the Bodies"

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wolf Hall?

Thomas Cromwell is given such a wry sense of humor, there were so many unexpected moments that made me smile in the midst of an incredible amount of character depth and historical context.

What about Simon Slater’s performance did you like?

His voice is gorgeous and he reads dialogue like an Oscar worthy actor. Seriously charming and engaging.

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

The way Mantel handles Cromwell's remembrance of his family- many of whom died from the sweating sickness- is among the most touching and sincere portraits of grief I've found in a book.

Any additional comments?

Even if you don't love Henry the VIII and tudor history, the prose in this book is simply phenomenal. The way the story unfolds with actual suspense and surprise, even when the conclusions are foregone and you know how it ends, are unique in all the historical fiction I've read.

Excellent narrator.

What did you love best about Wolf Hall?

In-depth view of the Thomas Cromwell.

What other book might you compare Wolf Hall to and why?

none

What about Simon Slater’s performance did you like?

His voices were astounding.

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

no comment

Any additional comments?

A very long, but compelling, book.

Great story

Fascinating read about a segment of King Henry VIII’s reign. Initially it was a little hard to keep up with what character was speaking but eventually you learn to distinguish the narrator’s change in tone.