BRING UP THE BOIDES

I found the book an exciting sequel and contrast to Wolf Hall, and think you will. I so hope Hilary Mantel will complete the trilogy! First of all, the book is several hundred pages shorter than the first. And that, I think, is part of a profoundly different structure. For me, this book moves at a similar pace to Wolf Hall for a hundred pages or more, and then – with the developing Seymour plot, and the opposition forming against Anne Boleyn – the pace accelerates and moves more and more rapidly as the possible becomes the inevitable. As you know, I feel it is important to treat this novel as a novel, but I think Mantel follows history closely in showing who – Fitzwilliam, Carew, the old families with claims to the throne, the Seymours – opposed Anne and supported Princess Mary after Katherine of Aragon’s death, and who fell into line on the side of the Howards and the Boleyns. Well – perhaps just the Boleyns. Of course we will talk about the developing character of Cromwell himself – older now, with a household that he holds dear. Can we form a coherent picture of this man? Do we see a different side of him during his “interviews” with the men who will be convicted of treason and die? Please let’s examine the metaphor that he develops in his mind about the guests at a dinner he hosts – it begins when he first realizes the new task facing him, and recurs, intermittently, till the end of the novel. I think there is much to discuss about the women of this book – how their roles affect their characters. Lady Rocheford, Mary Shelton, Lady Worcester, Bess Seymour, Lady Kingston, others. Look at the women in the Tower and then on the scaffold. I remember that someone, during the discussion of Wolf Hall, remarked that both Henry and Anne are less well-developed characters than others. At least, that is my recollection. Does that continue to be the case? I think there is less development of the history of the period than we found in Wolf Hall – it is volume two of a trilogy, and the focus is narrower. We get reminders of events happening in the larger world, but to me they seem almost dutiful on Mantel’s part. With admirable economy, she stresses that the age of chivalry is breathing its last. As always – how satisfying do you find the end? These are just a few thoughts. Send me yours, and I will forward them to others who show interest.