Once the queen's head is severed, he walks away. Didn't Anne die in the previous book? And didn't we deal with the time immediately after her death already? Is this opening line a signal that a big recap is coming? Yes and no. As it turns out The Mirror and the Light is an overlong … Continue reading The Mirror and the Light | Hilary Mantel #Readalong
Lauren Mackay has created a very appealing companion book, to have to hand, whilst reading Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy. I love beautifully produced and packaged books - this is definitely one. Now that I have reread and read all three Wolf Hall books, I suspect I will not need to read them again and … Continue reading Wolf Hall Companion | Lauren Mackay #AWWliterarycompanion
Henry VIII | Meynnart Wewyck circa 1509 Turns out King Henry VIII wrote some poems in his spare time. Or to be more precise, lyrics, as most of his poems were also designed to be sung and played. Some of the lyrics were collated in the Henry VIII Manuscript circa 1522 along with other court … Continue reading Alas! what shall I do for Love? | King Henry VIII #poem
Did you make? Three mammoth books about a fascinating time in history, full of dastardly deeds, changing allegiances and power struggles. A time when loyalty was the name of the game. Treason was the crime. Death by execution the end result. We are all dying, just at different speeds. The pall of death and dying … Continue reading The End #WolfHallReadalong2021
“We are all dying, just at different speeds.” The end is nigh. For our Wolf Hall trilogy readalong and for Thomas Cromwell. I hope you enjoyed your Tudor mini-break throughout April; I certainly did. But I am now more than ready to tackle the final episode in this courtly drama, The Mirror and the Light, … Continue reading #WolfHallReadalong2021
His children are falling from the sky. Part of my desire in (re)reading Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies was to refresh my memory, so that I could have it all front of mind for my very first reading of The Mirror and the Light. As I started BUTB, I realised that Mantel helps … Continue reading Bring Up the Bodies | Hilary Mantel #Readalong
Here we are at the end of March, and hopefully, the end of our (re)read of both Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. A road trip holiday has delayed my ability to finish BUTB on time, but I'm close. Very, very close. My (re)read of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies has reminded … Continue reading #WolfHallReadalong2021 Update
Right from page one, it is obvious to see (as I (re)read), that Mantel is setting up the story to show Cromwell in a favourable and sympathetic light. The first chapter of Wolf Hall graphically, and unforgettably, describes a young Thomas Cromwell being severely beaten by his father, Walter. This is not a one-off event … Continue reading Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel #Readalong
Wolf Hall, and it's two sequels, are a commitment. I had forgotten how much so. Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely loving my reread of Wolf Hall, it's just taking longer than I thought and it's a much denser read than I remember from the first time around. Or maybe, it's just that I'm taking … Continue reading #WolfHallReadalong2021 Update
The Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall Readalong runs from the 1st Feb until the 31st May 2021. I first read Wolf Hall in 2011. I remember that I took it our summer holiday to the beach. After exhausting ourselves in the waves every morning, I would look forward to an hour or so every afternoon, lying in the … Continue reading Wolf Hall Trilogy Readalong Master Post
February will be the beginning of my Wolf Hall Trilogy Readalong. If you'd like to join in, here are some of the why, when and how details. The Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall Readalong: Feb – May 2021 I first read Wolf Hall in 2011 and Bring Up the Bodies in 2012.It is now nine years since I read them. Before … Continue reading Wolf Hall Trilogy Readalong
2020 was the year of many things. Some planned and expected, like the War and Peace chapter-a-day readalong. But many things unexpected and impossible to plan for as well. Who knew that Plague-Lit would become a thing? Or that I would waste one whole perfectly good reading month by feeling weird and distracted about a certain … Continue reading 2021 Here We Come!
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