Bring Up The Bodies
by Hilary Mantel
Award: Booker Winner 2012
Nominations: Carnegie Longlist 2013, Dublin Longlist 2014, Goodreads Finalist 2012, NY Times Finalist 2012, Women's Prize Finalist 2013
Date Read: March 21, 2019
Bring Up The Bodies is a sequel to Wolf Hall and continues the story of Thomas Cromwell, the poor son of an abusive blacksmith who rises to become a prominent figure in King Henry VIII's court. Due to Cromwell's machinations in this novel, he visits retributions on those who either mocked Wolsey's demise or played an instrumental part in it.
Bring Up The Bodies focuses on the undoing of Anne Boleyn and the gentlemen in her court. I couldn't help but marvel at the capriciousness of one's fate, particularly women, in these times - one moment a queen, the next a Dowager under house arrest. One minute a prominent member of the court, the next beheaded for dubious treason charges.
"But a young married gentlewoman has no way to help herself. She has no more power than a donkey..." Women in these times only have their charms to support them but are left destitute if their husbands die or lovers turn a cold shoulder, which is often the case. Constantly figuring out how to commodify their looks or "maidenheads" to their best economic advantage, society leaves them little other recourse to support themselves. I am so relieved to live in modern times where I am valued for my brain and contributions to society and not my uterus. Well, time will tell on that one.
In the end, I almost felt sorry for Thomas Cromwell. His devotion to the king has left his personal life lonely and intimate relationships non-existent. The threadbare excuses he uses to dispatch Anne are clearly not something he entirely believes in and although in the end he looks to the future as an opportunity to shape the future of England, he clearly knows he has compromised his own integrity to satisfy the king's desires.
Again, I marvel at the ability of Mantel to craft a world that is so vivid in detail and intrigue. She is a masterful storyteller and I am in awe of this novel. I almost felt it was a guilty pleasure reading both Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies.
Date Read: March 21, 2019
Bring Up The Bodies is a sequel to Wolf Hall and continues the story of Thomas Cromwell, the poor son of an abusive blacksmith who rises to become a prominent figure in King Henry VIII's court. Due to Cromwell's machinations in this novel, he visits retributions on those who either mocked Wolsey's demise or played an instrumental part in it.
Bring Up The Bodies focuses on the undoing of Anne Boleyn and the gentlemen in her court. I couldn't help but marvel at the capriciousness of one's fate, particularly women, in these times - one moment a queen, the next a Dowager under house arrest. One minute a prominent member of the court, the next beheaded for dubious treason charges.
"But a young married gentlewoman has no way to help herself. She has no more power than a donkey..." Women in these times only have their charms to support them but are left destitute if their husbands die or lovers turn a cold shoulder, which is often the case. Constantly figuring out how to commodify their looks or "maidenheads" to their best economic advantage, society leaves them little other recourse to support themselves. I am so relieved to live in modern times where I am valued for my brain and contributions to society and not my uterus. Well, time will tell on that one.
In the end, I almost felt sorry for Thomas Cromwell. His devotion to the king has left his personal life lonely and intimate relationships non-existent. The threadbare excuses he uses to dispatch Anne are clearly not something he entirely believes in and although in the end he looks to the future as an opportunity to shape the future of England, he clearly knows he has compromised his own integrity to satisfy the king's desires.
Again, I marvel at the ability of Mantel to craft a world that is so vivid in detail and intrigue. She is a masterful storyteller and I am in awe of this novel. I almost felt it was a guilty pleasure reading both Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies.
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