The Mirror & the Light: A Novel (Wolf Hall Trilogy, 3) Hardcover – Deckle Edge, March 10, 2020

764 pages5 starsThis is both a remarkable and entertaining book.The third book in a trilogy about the life and times of Thomas Cromwell. Raised up from his blacksmith/brewer's son beginnings, through his travels in Italy and elsewhere on the continent to the very heights of King Henry VIII's court. Protege of and successor to Cardinal Wolsey. Lord Privy Seal. Second only to the king - Vicegerent. Member of the prestigious Order of the Garter open to only twenty-five men in the realm. Earl of Essex, made so shortly before his death.The book begins with the aftermath of Queen Anne's death and flashes back to previous time to fill in Cromwell’s life and quarrels with Anne, his friends and his awful home life as a child. The book talks about Walter, Cromwell’s father and the terrible temper he had and how he was very mean to his children. It discusses his now deceased wife and daughters, his nephew Richard and his adoption of Rafe and his relationship with his son Gregory. His relationships with women – great and common.The Pilgrimage of Grace is covered. Next is the marriage of the king to Jane Seymour, the subsequent birth of a son and the tragic death of Queen Jane. The book continues to cover the disastrous liaison with Anna of Cleves which was instigated by Thomas.Thomas must walk a fine line between those who would destroy him (for they are mostly jealous), and the all powerful mercurial temperament of the king.Thomas had a vision of the future that was far beyond the understanding of those around him.Ms. Mantel paints a very real, colorful and comprehensive picture of the 16th Century court of Henry VIII. The reader is stalking the palaces and the streets along with the characters in the book. While he certainly looked out for himself, he was also compassionate. He “saved” people from the king's displeasure or even certain death. These actions turned out to be to his detriment later in his life when those who were jealous and the king being tired of him took against him.It still surprises and confounds me (although it shouldn't, having read as much about Henry VIII as I have), how quickly the king would turn against a person. Was it his knock on the head during his jousting accident, or his bad leg that tormented him so much that he acted so unpredictably? We'll never know.“I should only ever tell the king what he ought to do, not what he could do. For if a lion knows his own strength, no man could control him.” – Thomas More

I must agree with other reviewers. The quality of the pages is downright shabby. After reading and enjoying both previous books, I very much looked forward to this one. Two previous won Booker Prize! Gave it five stars in anticipation of what surely will be an excellent read. BUT...after reading the first 100+ pages, I find myself distracted unnecessarily. My clip on bookmark has damaged several pages. Possibly this was done to mitigate the size/weight of this very large book. Or publisher's cost savings? I would've preferred dealing with a larger edition and more substantial pages. Other books in the series are not like this. Will soldier on and update a content review when I complete the read which, I am certain, will outweigh the annoyance.And now an update...I slogged through to the end because I'd grown to love Cremuel in the first two books. He was transformed into a compelling and almost heroic hero. Certainly not the villain as he's been portrayed in history. Mantel paints vivid pictures of Cromwell's life and his myriad duties. We get detailed pictures of Cromwell and Henry VIII. While it cannot be denied that Mantel's writing is extraordinary, this is a huge 912 page read! The length was, of course, justified by the number of events it covers. At times, it was overly dense with detail and I found myself trudging along and hoping there'd be places where I could dare to scan through some pages. But it spite of it all, every volume is a fantastic work of literary fiction. Worth the read but not nearly as easy a read as the books' two predecessors. Knowing how the protagonist will meet his inevitable end did not doom the enjoyment of the story of Tudor intrigues for me. A life well lived. Crowell never knew what would come next even though the reader does.

In recent years, I have decided to put off reading new book series until all the books have been published. This may be the rare example when that is a mistake. I think I would have liked both this and Bring Up the Bodies better if I had not reread Wolf Hall before reading this. Though there is much to like about this novel, it does not stand as well in comparison to the first book, though I would probably rank it slightly higher than Bring Up the Bodies.As in the previous volumes, Ms. Mantel shows herself here to be a master of character who also has a good control over the history of this period. And yet, the Thomas Cromwell we encounter here seems different in subtle but important ways from the Cromwell of the other novels. Mainly, he comes across as a meaner and more vindictive person than the one that used to slip and slide through problems, and only take vengeance when he had created an opportunity, often through long planning.I also think Ms. Mantel spends too much time in this novel revisiting old events but then presenting a new take on them, mainly to the detriment of Cromwell’s previous analysis. Many times, Cromwell spends pages thinking about things, much more than he did in the past. This book is considerably longer than either of its predecessors; however, it could easily have been their approximate length and the book would have been the better for it.Still, every time Cromwell is put in verbal confrontation with another character, the novel comes alive. The all-too-brief sequence where his illegitimate daughter (an authorial invention), Jenneke, comes from Antwerp to meet him is brilliant. His back-and-forth with his servant, Christophe, is wonderful, as are his conflicts with the nobles like Norfolk. The last section, where he is questioned in the Tower, is perfect.In the end, this is a very good novel even if it doesn’t quite live up to the high standard Ms. Mantel set herself. In fact, I would love to see Ms. Mantel write one more, dealing with the aftermath and Henry’s last two wives. I don’t know from whose perspective she would write it, but I’d be interested in her take.

5 stelle per diversi motivi: consegnato prima del previsto, conforme a quanto descritto e con carattere leggibili senza fatica. Un romanzo che può appassionare, ben scritto .L'ultimo di una trilogia. Riguardo i primi due volumi ho visto la versione cinematografica della BBC, comprato sempre con Amazon. Una sorpresa gradita con attori convincenti.

Chegou rápido e perfeito

This third volume of the Hilary Mantel’s great masterpiece on the life & times of Thomas Cromwell, who rose from a modest birth to become one of Henry VIII's principal court councillors is once again full of intrigue and excitement.A deeply satisfying & rewarding read it reveals the viciousness of the past English monarchy & its abject decadence. The present English kingdom whose roots are completely entwined in the former ones (a duke of Norfolk still exists as I write) deserves to be examined carefully. This work of literature may help! It is high time this vile caste system is abolished as well as the disgusting appropriation of wealth it survives on. All it does is is to perpetuate the immoral disparity of incomes in what is supposed to be a democracy.The trilogy also illustrates beautifully how we humans will go to extreme actions to promote whatever religion we believe in. Often, in so doing, disregarding the very essence of the creed we adhere to. This remains, unfortunately, a current theme in our present so-called humanist world…I hope Mantel wins another Booker prize as she did with each of the first two volumes. She deserves it!There are many lessons to be learned from these books, and the prose transports the reader back to early Tudor times with the ceremonies of the court, the corruption of its members & the ways of its nasty reformation.

This grand finale to the Cromwell trilogy is just superb. While the first two volumes told us the story of Cromwell's rise in rather fast-paced plots, this is slow and quite poetic. This is about the fall of the tragic hero. Mantel makes Cromwell a tragic hero, a man whose tragic flaw brought him down. He rose higher than the king himself. The story is told with amazing dexterity. The history of the time comes alive in this bulky novel. Give it time and you'll relish it. It's not a potboiler.

What's not to like about this book? It makes fascinating reading. If, like me, you have already read Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies then this final book in the trilogy must be on your reading list.The final years of Thomas Cromwell, from his amazing rise in politics and power despite only being the son of a blacksmith, his influence on Henry VIII, how he managed to rid Henry of both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn and finally failed to marry Henry to Anne of Cleves which was the start of his downfall from power.It is exciting, well written, full of historical details - domestic and political - surrounding people who now come to life 500 years later. Henry is a querulous king who never doubts his divine right, but Cromwell has great influence over him which, towards the end dwindles and leads to Cromwell's execution in 1540.The perfect final book detailing Cromwell's life in London , and the lives of the rich and mighty in the 1500's.A must-read!