Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 402
 Heavy going but beguiling! September 1, 2010
Name Withheld (Hereford, Herefordshire)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Reading this book has been a tough slog but I have thoroughly enjoyed the history about which I knew a bit already. Some of the writing is very good and evocative of the period but the use of 'he' for the main character is sometimes awkward. I am pleased that I finished the book and I shall now, most likely, be getting the sequel despite not liking the writing style! It's the total immersion in the period that I enjoyed but I found the sheer number of characters difficult (though there is plenty of help with that in the first few pages of the book to which I did have to refer a lot).
 A good book, but not a must August 30, 2010
Discerning Reader
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you want to read for pleasure and inspiration, you do not need to select a book that is over 650 pages long. To an ordinary reader it seems as if there is some sort of competition amongst writers and publishers to have their books longer and longer. There are some long books that I found difficult to put down, but I do not think that Hilary Mantel's book needed to have been so long. In fact, for me, it would have been more appealing if it had been shorter.
As I started reading the book it was gripping and I could see it was going to be difficult not to read it. However, the initial attraction fizzled out and the only way to finish the book, and then go on to other better reading, was to skip sentences and paragraphs. One problem I found was that there was so much detail that the thrust of the main story was sometimes forgotten.
The other reason why the book was not so appealing was that there were some gaps. For instance, the reader would have liked to have understood how Cromwell managed to get to the very powerful position that he did, when initially he was potentially out of favour as he supported Cardinal Wolsey. Another example is that there ought to have been a little more about the significance of Wolfe Hall and why the ending of the book is regarded by many as being what made the book so great. It was assuming more knowledge about the historical background than many readers would have.
One must, however, comment of the amount of research Hilary mantel must have done to produce the detail in the book, and her ability to write so much, so well.
 A beautiful book August 29, 2010
Mr. R. F. W. Freeman (Buckinghamshire)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I loved 'A Place of Greater Safety' and I loved this book even more. Impeccably researched, beautifully written and utterly credible. Hilary Mantel brings Thomas Cromwell to life. This is a book to treasure and to re-read, probably several times. I can hardly wait for the sequel. A truly well deserved Booker prize win.
A pretty good read August 25, 2010
Booknerd (Liverpool)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I would have rated Wolf Hall a 3.5 instead of a 4 but Amazon wouldn't have it.
I found this to be a good book although I wouldn't call it "the most gripping book you'll ever read" like The Times did. What I liked about it was how it was written in from the perspective of Cromwell, which I haven't considered before. I am hoping there is going to be a sequel, which I think would have the possibility to be even more interesting then Wolf Hall.
The only downfall from this book was at times it was hard to decipher who was saying what, especially if you were not paying attention. Despite that I would recommend it, especially if you are a fan of Tudor historical fiction.
 I thought it was me! August 23, 2010
Mr. I. H. S. Newton
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I thought it was me, but after reading some of the other reviews, I found that I was not on my own. 'Wolf Hall' is a heavy slog and ultimately it seems not worth the effort. Along with other readers I have found it turgid and irritating, for much the same reasons other people have. Disjointed and hard to follow and very boring in places. The use of 'he' to describe a view point, the use of the present tense, even in flashbacks, and conversations turning up in paragraphs. All these things have been pointed out. It seems that the literary establishment loved it. Why do they like such boring books? Every time I see the words 'Booker prize winner' I approach with caution and I should have avoided this, but I let myself be led astray by the reviews of a gang of literary snobs. The number of reviews in the book itself made me feel I was being blungeoned into liking it Just one other thing to add. Ms Mantell some of us are not as knowledgeable about the Tudor period as you seem to assume we are and a bit of background detail would be helpful. Or maybe not, I suppose it would still have been written in the same God awful style, and worse it would probably have been even longer. Then I think I would have lost the will to live.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 402
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