Wolf Hall

A Novel

De: Hilary Mantel

Narrado por: Simon Slater

WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION

In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel's New York Times bestselling Wolf Hall is "a darkly brilliant reimagining of life under Henry VIII. . . . Magnificent." (The Boston Globe).

The basis for the TV series on BBC and PBS Masterpiece starring Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell.

England 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. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and 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?

©2009 Hilary Mantel; (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Had to WORK to stay awake...

Would you try another book from Hilary Mantel and/or Simon Slater?

There could not possibly be a more boring perspective from which to tell the dynamic happenings of Henry VIII's court than that of Thomas Cromwell. In this telling, Cromwell is just a work-a-day secretary/ attorney to Henry. So it's like hearing about say, JFK's presidency from his executive assisant. It is interesting but I cannot fathom the people who say they LOVE this book. I love this time period so I stayed committed despite putting it down and getting lost innumerable times.

What three words best describe Simon Slater’s voice?

He is pretty good.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It was a new perspective on a much told tale.

Great writing but oh so tedious...

Hilary Mantel is a fab writer her craft and description a 10...but ugh such a long tedious venture-z-z-z.

Confused Character

Would you listen to Wolf Hall again? Why?

Not of this performance.

Would you be willing to try another one of Simon Slater’s performances?

Probably not.

Who was the most memorable character of Wolf Hall and why?

Mantel's revisionist view of Cromwell is the heart and soul of the text. More and Henry VIII are distant secondary characters.

Any additional comments?

Slater would often time confuse voices or inflect no voice difference where he had previously provided a distinct voice to a character. Consequently, the listener is often times unsure of who is speaking the text. Pauses were sometimes absent between conversations and even between chapters, adding to the confusion. This latter annoyance may have very well been the result of poor editing. Luckily, I had the text to follow, which helped to clarify the character placement. Anyone without a printed or e-copy of the book will likely run through spells of confusion.

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.