Wolf Hall was our annual epic to be savoured over the summer break. The thought of Tudor history and cold medieval castles was not enticing Christmas fare.
The winner of the Man Booker prize 2009 tells of the rise of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII's divorce from Katherine of Aragon and break from the Church of Rome, and the demise of Thomas More from the viewpoint of Thomas Cromwell, Henry's chief advisor.
It began as a laborious read, Phil preferred to organise our weekend away instead and so spent her time at Hello World Glenbrook booking the Wamberal accommodation for our annual inaugural book club weekend away. A great effort on her part!
The style, even for those who have a knowledge of this period in history was difficult to follow. Mantel uses "He" when referring to Cromwell, which is often, it was confusing as to which "he" was being referred to at the time. I began to feel that the book was written for readers of a much higher intelligence than I can ever hope to have. But eventually it becomes worth the effort as the scores below indicate.
Alison 8
Anna 8
Annette 6
Deb 8
Kristy 8.5
Megan 7.5
Phil 4
Average 7.14
