Is Wolf Hall a difficult read?

Is Wolf Hall a difficult read?

But in fact, reaction from those who struggled to “get on” with Mantel’s novels was along similar lines: that they found them hard to follow. Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies sometimes ask the reader to work hard and so it is proper that the TV versions should occasionally be a demanding watch.

Is Wolf Hall a good read?

From one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of individual psychology and wider politics.

How accurate is Wolf Hall?

While some British historians like David Starkey may call Wolf Hall a “deliberate perversion of fact” (uh, even though Starkey hasn’t read the novels or seen the series hmmm), the actual events that take place are true to history — even if the motives of the characters may be up for debate.

Can you read bring up the bodies before Wolf Hall?

Mantel’s “Bring Up the Bodies”: Yes, you can read it cold. Knowledge of “Wolf Hall” is not a prerequisite to appreciating what “Bring Up the Bodies” describes, because Ms. Mantel sets up her new book so gracefully.

How long does it take to read Wolf Hall?

10 hours and 4 minutes
The average reader will spend 10 hours and 4 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).

Is the Wolf Hall trilogy worth reading?

Highly recommend. I thought this was one of the best novels I’ve read in a long time. I enjoyed the challenging writing style as well as the story of Cromwell–and it really is Cromwell’s story, not so much as a stream-of-consciousness but as a stream-of-life. It’s a book to be savored–many times.

What is so great about Wolf Hall?

Everything a work of literary fiction is supposed to do, Hilary Mantel does masterfully in her historical novel Wolf Hall, including the creation of scenes so vividly immersive and the construction of plots so arresting that you all but forget you’re reading a work of fiction at all.

Is Wolf Hall about Cromwell?

Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf Hall is a sympathetic fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More. The novel won both the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Are Hilary Mantel’s books historically accurate?

He said Mantel’s depiction of More was over the top and “too stark for my tastes”, but it was more scary that the writing was so good that some people think it is true. Mantel has never claimed her novels are anything but fiction, although based on fact and exhaustive research.

Why is it called Wolf Hall?

Title. The title comes from the name of the Seymour family seat at Wolfhall or Wulfhall in Wiltshire; the title’s allusion to the old Latin saying Homo homini lupus (“Man is wolf to man”) serves as a constant reminder of the dangerously opportunistic nature of the world through which Cromwell navigates.

What order should I read the Wolf Hall trilogy in?

The Wolf Hall trilogy is comprised of three books: Wolf Hall (2009), Bring up the Bodies (2012) and The Mirror and the Light (3 March, 2020). It is also sometimes referred to as the Thomas Cromwell series but Hilary Mantel officially refers to it as the Wolf Hall trilogy.