intertext

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall

MMMMmmmm. So good.

I am sorry to finish it, because I have been immersed in the period and in the characters, especially the character of Thomas Cromwell. It's one of those books where it's so great knowing that you have it sitting on your bedside table to read every night. I loved the very tight point of view - you quickly notice that any time there's a dangling "he" it refers to Cromwell. Most of it is very much inside his head. And it's a fascinating head to be inside, intelligent and cunning and observant. I am aware that some people read this as a white-wash of Cromwell, as a counter to the popular image of Thomas More. It's a long time since I saw A Man For All Seasons, or Anne of a Thousand Days, for that matter, and I've never bothered with The Tudors, and don't know enough about the period to be able to argue for one side or the other. I liked this Thomas Cromwell a lot. I'm glad there's to be a sequel, as I want to read more (though in another way, I'm not sure I do...)
I have to thank my friend lidocafe for giving Wolf Hall to me for Christmas, because I loved it, and could never have finished it in a week from the library, and have enjoyed the luxury of savouring it.

I don't know what I'm going to read next.