---
product_id: 3976813
title: "Bring Up the Bodies (Wolf Hall, Book 2)"
price: "£16.12"
currency: GBP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/3976813-bring-up-the-bodies-wolf-hall-book-2
store_origin: GB
region: United Kingdom
---

# Bring Up the Bodies (Wolf Hall, Book 2)

**Price:** £16.12
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Bring Up the Bodies (Wolf Hall, Book 2)
- **How much does it cost?** £16.12 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/3976813-bring-up-the-bodies-wolf-hall-book-2)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

WINNER OF THE 2012 MAN BOOKER PRIZE The sequel to Wolf Hall , Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times bestseller, Bring Up the Bodies delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice. At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne's head? Bring Up the Bodies is one of The New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2012, one of Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Best Books of 2012 and one of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2012

Review: Mellifuous, Disturbing, A Great Read - I've seldom seen anything similar to the approving furor over Hilary Mantel's WOLF HALL, and if you had told me that a novel about Thomas Cromwell - most famously seen as a sleazy weasel attacking the saintly Thomas More in the movie A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS - could be fascinating and sexy, I would not have believed you. Mantel's writing, however, was utterly perfect as she twisted expectations by showing More as the intolerant, egocentric, venomous 16th-century anti-hero and Cromwell as a man who, in spite of battering, had become generous, loving, wise, reforming, amusing - calculating and vengeful (the vengeful doesn't really pop up until almost the end of WOLF HALL but it's definitely a trail worth following). So where do you go with one of the decade's most approved books, winner of the Man Booker Prize and other prestigious awards, which was so beautifully written that, while waiting for Part 2, many of us read it multiple times just to savor the ironies, the contrasts? You go on, as life does, and do Part 2. BRING UP THE BODIES gives Cromwell an altogether tougher task. Having become rich and elevated by serving Henry VIII in any way he desires, Cromwell now has to metaphorically enter Henry's bed to get rid of an inconvenient woman. Anne Boleyn has failed to give the King what she promised and that, in Tudor England, was fatal. The current Queen, from the first page of the book, has a metaphysical and literal sword hanging over her head. After the most notorious romance in western history, a stitched-up divorce ripping England from Holy Mother Church, all she can provide to the heir-hungry Henry is - another squalling daughter and a series of miscarriages. Just like her predecessor, the sorrowful Katherine of Aragon. So - Cromwell, the ultimate Fixer for his Machiavellian monarch, is going to have to fix this one as well. At what cost? As the book progressed, an image from the first page kept recurring to me - the falcon, stooping to the kill, bloodied and remorseless. Circa regna tonat , indeed. This story has been told and retold, and the same magic that infused Wolf Hall illuminates this catastrophic event with the same surprises, beautiful writing, subtle penetration, and black irony. Somehow, it seems like an entirely new story, one in which you know there will be bodies but still, for a time, it seems like this doom-laden tale could be rewritten, that it will not end in a stage full of corpses. There is magic in Mantel's prose: "Katherine was not without sin, but now her sins are taken off her. They are all heaped upon Anne; the shadow who flits after her, the woman draped in night. The old queen dwells in the radiance of God's presence, her dead infants swaddled at her feet, but Anne dwells in this sinful world below, stewed in her childbed sweat, in her soiled sheet. But her hands and feet are cold and her heart is like a stone." I waited two years for this book and it was worth the wait. If Mantel can sustain this dark, haunted, illuminating, ironic time-travel for a third book, I will be astounded - but perhaps, not surprised.
Review: Bring Up the Third Installment! - Hilary Mantel writes like a dream and invests in Tudor-court politics an essential believability that speaks brilliantly to her powers of imagination. She might have been a fly on the wall in actual conversations she has spun between Cromwell and Henry - exchanges that mix quotidian events of the pantry with events of great pitch and moment on the Continent - or, more magically, between Cromwell ("Cremuel") and Anne Boleyn, haughty, dismissive, conniving, and insecure for her inability to produce a male heir. This is more a political thriller than simply a historical novel that rehashes one of the most familiar episodes in English history. Yes, we know how this turns out, but we admire the way in which Mantel invests each participant with very specific stakes in particular outcomes and creates a narrative that simply hurtles forward. I miss, however, the dreamy narrative character of the first volume, Wolf Hall, which to my eyes was enhanced by Mantel's use of the third-person singular "he," unmodified, to refer to Cromwell - a trope that mystified many readers who failed to fall into Mantel's particular rhythm. Here, either in deference to readers or editors, she is perfectly clear, repeatedly referring to "he, Cromwell, ... " rather than simply to "he" or "Cromwell," either of which would do the work without the odd stylization. The first volume also covered nearly 50 years of Cromwell's life, was packed widely varied locales and events, sharp observation, a sense of the full panoply of English life in the Tudor, one that breathed naturally and spaciously. Bring Up the Bodies, on the other hand, unfolds in a compressed nine-month timeframe, in the suffocatingly claustrophobic atmosphere of Henry's royal court, thickly populated by credibly wrought historical personages - the only pure creation is Cromwell's entertaining French henchman, Christophe - and all fed by lies, rumor, innuendo, and stiletto dialogue. In this chapter of Mantel's Cromwelliad, Master Secretary comes off significantly less sympathetically - colder, more calculating (if that can even be imagined), and more self-interested (above all in staying afloat) - than in the first novel. His essential humanity, however, repeatedly surfaces, often in the form of an enduring loyalty to the dead Wolsey, Cromwell's beloved sponsor and mentor, and one of two largely absent figures who hovers over the proceedings. The other, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester and Cromwell's most ardent foe, elicits a different side of Cromwell altogether. Gardiner spends most of this story in France in an ambassadorial capacity but is perfectly apprised of Cromwell's doings and from afar works continually to undermine his designs, just as Cromwell works to contain Gardiner's influence at court and among the friends of Catherine, the first of Henry's deposed queens, who have allied with Cromwell against the Boleyns. Yet for all the delights of Mantel's characterization and dialogue (and speculation about what actually happened, for we shall never know), the story seemed at times somewhat cluttered and discursive. I recognize this perception is almost certainly partly due to my American provincialism in failing to keep distinctions absolutely clear: every principal character except the occasional commoner has at least three, and often more, ways to be named - "Thomas Howard" (one of many, many "Thomases"), "Howard," "Norfolk," "Lord High Steward" - and, at times, keeping all the personalities straight made my head spin. (Cromwell the butcher's son also has many titles, but we always know where he is, as the novel's point of view is uniformly Cromwellian. Is he in every scene? Without going back to check, I believe so.) Thankfully, Mantel (or the publisher) provides a dramatis personae, to which I often referred. But his is a dismissable carp: this is a wonderful follow-up to Wolf Hall that whets the appetite for a third and final installment of the Cromwell Saga. It cannot come too soon.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #731,287 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #15 in Renaissance Historical Fiction (Books) #48 in Biographical & Autofiction #829 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 21,408 Reviews |

## Images

![Bring Up the Bodies (Wolf Hall, Book 2) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81z2lTEwIXL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mellifuous, Disturbing, A Great Read
*by S***S on May 10, 2012*

I've seldom seen anything similar to the approving furor over Hilary Mantel's WOLF HALL, and if you had told me that a novel about Thomas Cromwell - most famously seen as a sleazy weasel attacking the saintly Thomas More in the movie A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS - could be fascinating and sexy, I would not have believed you. Mantel's writing, however, was utterly perfect as she twisted expectations by showing More as the intolerant, egocentric, venomous 16th-century anti-hero and Cromwell as a man who, in spite of battering, had become generous, loving, wise, reforming, amusing - calculating and vengeful (the vengeful doesn't really pop up until almost the end of WOLF HALL but it's definitely a trail worth following). So where do you go with one of the decade's most approved books, winner of the Man Booker Prize and other prestigious awards, which was so beautifully written that, while waiting for Part 2, many of us read it multiple times just to savor the ironies, the contrasts? You go on, as life does, and do Part 2. BRING UP THE BODIES gives Cromwell an altogether tougher task. Having become rich and elevated by serving Henry VIII in any way he desires, Cromwell now has to metaphorically enter Henry's bed to get rid of an inconvenient woman. Anne Boleyn has failed to give the King what she promised and that, in Tudor England, was fatal. The current Queen, from the first page of the book, has a metaphysical and literal sword hanging over her head. After the most notorious romance in western history, a stitched-up divorce ripping England from Holy Mother Church, all she can provide to the heir-hungry Henry is - another squalling daughter and a series of miscarriages. Just like her predecessor, the sorrowful Katherine of Aragon. So - Cromwell, the ultimate Fixer for his Machiavellian monarch, is going to have to fix this one as well. At what cost? As the book progressed, an image from the first page kept recurring to me - the falcon, stooping to the kill, bloodied and remorseless. Circa regna tonat , indeed. This story has been told and retold, and the same magic that infused Wolf Hall illuminates this catastrophic event with the same surprises, beautiful writing, subtle penetration, and black irony. Somehow, it seems like an entirely new story, one in which you know there will be bodies but still, for a time, it seems like this doom-laden tale could be rewritten, that it will not end in a stage full of corpses. There is magic in Mantel's prose: "Katherine was not without sin, but now her sins are taken off her. They are all heaped upon Anne; the shadow who flits after her, the woman draped in night. The old queen dwells in the radiance of God's presence, her dead infants swaddled at her feet, but Anne dwells in this sinful world below, stewed in her childbed sweat, in her soiled sheet. But her hands and feet are cold and her heart is like a stone." I waited two years for this book and it was worth the wait. If Mantel can sustain this dark, haunted, illuminating, ironic time-travel for a third book, I will be astounded - but perhaps, not surprised.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bring Up the Third Installment!
*by P***O on June 5, 2012*

Hilary Mantel writes like a dream and invests in Tudor-court politics an essential believability that speaks brilliantly to her powers of imagination. She might have been a fly on the wall in actual conversations she has spun between Cromwell and Henry - exchanges that mix quotidian events of the pantry with events of great pitch and moment on the Continent - or, more magically, between Cromwell ("Cremuel") and Anne Boleyn, haughty, dismissive, conniving, and insecure for her inability to produce a male heir. This is more a political thriller than simply a historical novel that rehashes one of the most familiar episodes in English history. Yes, we know how this turns out, but we admire the way in which Mantel invests each participant with very specific stakes in particular outcomes and creates a narrative that simply hurtles forward. I miss, however, the dreamy narrative character of the first volume, Wolf Hall, which to my eyes was enhanced by Mantel's use of the third-person singular "he," unmodified, to refer to Cromwell - a trope that mystified many readers who failed to fall into Mantel's particular rhythm. Here, either in deference to readers or editors, she is perfectly clear, repeatedly referring to "he, Cromwell, ... " rather than simply to "he" or "Cromwell," either of which would do the work without the odd stylization. The first volume also covered nearly 50 years of Cromwell's life, was packed widely varied locales and events, sharp observation, a sense of the full panoply of English life in the Tudor, one that breathed naturally and spaciously. Bring Up the Bodies, on the other hand, unfolds in a compressed nine-month timeframe, in the suffocatingly claustrophobic atmosphere of Henry's royal court, thickly populated by credibly wrought historical personages - the only pure creation is Cromwell's entertaining French henchman, Christophe - and all fed by lies, rumor, innuendo, and stiletto dialogue. In this chapter of Mantel's Cromwelliad, Master Secretary comes off significantly less sympathetically - colder, more calculating (if that can even be imagined), and more self-interested (above all in staying afloat) - than in the first novel. His essential humanity, however, repeatedly surfaces, often in the form of an enduring loyalty to the dead Wolsey, Cromwell's beloved sponsor and mentor, and one of two largely absent figures who hovers over the proceedings. The other, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester and Cromwell's most ardent foe, elicits a different side of Cromwell altogether. Gardiner spends most of this story in France in an ambassadorial capacity but is perfectly apprised of Cromwell's doings and from afar works continually to undermine his designs, just as Cromwell works to contain Gardiner's influence at court and among the friends of Catherine, the first of Henry's deposed queens, who have allied with Cromwell against the Boleyns. Yet for all the delights of Mantel's characterization and dialogue (and speculation about what actually happened, for we shall never know), the story seemed at times somewhat cluttered and discursive. I recognize this perception is almost certainly partly due to my American provincialism in failing to keep distinctions absolutely clear: every principal character except the occasional commoner has at least three, and often more, ways to be named - "Thomas Howard" (one of many, many "Thomases"), "Howard," "Norfolk," "Lord High Steward" - and, at times, keeping all the personalities straight made my head spin. (Cromwell the butcher's son also has many titles, but we always know where he is, as the novel's point of view is uniformly Cromwellian. Is he in every scene? Without going back to check, I believe so.) Thankfully, Mantel (or the publisher) provides a dramatis personae, to which I often referred. But his is a dismissable carp: this is a wonderful follow-up to Wolf Hall that whets the appetite for a third and final installment of the Cromwell Saga. It cannot come too soon.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brilliant and satisfying
*by K***N on January 26, 2017*

Hilary Mantel is a brilliant writer. Just brilliant. And this is a fascinating story. I had no idea what a clever, diabolical, ingenious, and manipulative person Thomas Cromwell was. He is a man around whom you want to be careful what you say. He can and will use it against you--if it suits his purposes. And since he's right-hand man to King Henry VIII (no slouch at plotting himself), it will sooner or later suit his purposes. He is cold, cunning, intelligent, mysterious, and at times, darkly funny. Yes, the book has humor--but you have to pay attention. Having watched "Wolf Hall" with the inimitable Mark Rylant, I could picture no one else in the role, and Rylant's slim, barely noticeable smile haunted me all through the book. Anne Boleyn, as portrayed by Mantel, is not a particularly sympathetic character, so it's difficult to feel sorry for her. On the other hand, where would she get compassion? She is envied by nearly every woman in the land, constantly berated by royalty and subjects alike, and deserted by everyone close to her, including her own family. She sees life as a fight for survival, and sadly, she turns out to be right. Apparently it is good to be king because Henry has everything on his side, including Cromwell. He's a person you'd want rooting for you too--right up until the moment he turns on you. This is a rich accounting, filled with history and details galore. Mantel brings Elizabethan England to life, from clothing and food to transportation, architecture, politics, religion, superstition, government, everyday life--and torture. It's a robust, unflinching novel filled with fascinating characters. But as intriguing as Henry is, he cannot hold a candle to Cromwell. I read--and loved--Wolf Hall. This is even better. I'm hoping for a sequel. No one writes historic fiction like Mantel. Her research is impressive and her writing is unrivaled. Don't miss this book.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/3976813-bring-up-the-bodies-wolf-hall-book-2](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/3976813-bring-up-the-bodies-wolf-hall-book-2)

---

*Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom*
*Store origin: GB*
*Last updated: 2026-05-14*