The Mirror & the Light: A Novel

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.

What is there left to say about Hilary Mantel? Two-time Booker Prize winner for two of the three novels in the trilogy. Historically precise with gaps filled in by an incredibly imagination. Writing is superb. The audiobook version is also great with a fine narrator.

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.

764 pages 5 stars This 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 just finished this book, and after living with Thomas “Cremuel” Cromwell through three excellent books, I find I am in mourning. I am mourning for this wonderfully human character (as portrayed by Mantel) in all his ambition, vanity, vulnerability, damaged psyche, prodigious intellect, courage, compassion, greed, cunning, and dedication to a goal. I am also mourning for my reading self as finding a book of such high literary quality and depth is a very rare thing. This book also has the added attribute of being the superior of all the books, as the author seems to have reached the full flowering of her powers here. We see the past that shaped Cromwell in much fuller and finer detail: his father and the community he was raised in, his travels and the layer of experience these have added, as well as the experience of the love of a good woman left behind. More fully depicted here is the end of his service to Cardinal Wolsey and the opportunity to ascend to the ultimate service to the ever-mercurial and insecure King Henry VIII. Now we see Cromwell on the knife’s edge - at the zenith of his power and influence, but knowing forces are massing determined to knock him off. The dialogue, both external and internal feels more real and lively. The descriptions of events and more mundane activities are sharper and more memorable; all characters and their personalities more crisply differentiated. An altogether thoroughly satisfying book, but one I found myself lingering over in the final chapters as I approached the knowledge of Cromwell’s ultimate fate. Dear Cromwell, I shall miss you.

OK, I have to give it five stars for sheer quality of writing. It moves more slowly than Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, and at times I had to stop and reread lines or a paragraph to figure out who was speaking or thinking. There are a lot of ghostly scenes as Cromwell, and sometimes Henry, reflect on the things they've done and the blood stains on their hands and souls. You can feel Cromwell's alliances and support systems slipping away from him as everyone tries to survive and not alienate Henry, and the author really develops the sense of foreboding. Henry is old, sick, and the sex is bad, and Cromwell is about to pay the bill. The execution of Cromwell (no spoiler, everyone the least familiar with Tudor history knows Cromwell is offed) is out of body, terrifying, and I kept thinking, how did she think that out, and commit it to paper? I usually need to read Mantel's books twice to get the full depth, and I will this one too. So, Mantel does not disappoint, but the quality of the printing/binding does. I don't mind thin pages, but this book will not stand up to much wear, and I found myself turning the pages very carefully so as not to tear them. They are unevenly cut. Fortunately for me, the whole book appeared to be there. I am hoping there will be better printings, as this one clearly was thrown together. Read it anyway if you love this trilogy.

A number of people have addressed the issues with this book so I will add my review here, as well, to back up the critiques. Mantel is, undoubtedly, a very talented writer. She uses words and phrases you can imagine people actually saying to one another so the dialogues between characters are very well developed. However, it is nearly impossible to tell who is saying what and when and to whom so rereading sentences and paragraphs is almost necessary....until it isn't because I gave up. My impression is that Mantel attempted to write a play wrapped in a book wrapped in Cromwell's mind. The reader is expected to remember characters that, even for someone educated in this time in Tudor history, will not do so successfully. She provides a list of characters at the beginning of the book, again later giving the impression this is like a play, but that list contains true historical figures that often go by other names and some made up characters. When the characters are present, and they come and go in random odd fashion through pages, there's tons of dialogue but it's as if the reader is expected to be present watching the characters speaking, which is, obviously, not possible in order to keep hold of the thread of the story. The other issue I found is that there are statements people make that would not fit in with the times or, at best, not fit in with how someone would address someone else. An example of this is Cromwell's continued reference to Henry's daughter, Elizabeth, as Eliza in the company of people very close to the king. Even with Cromwell's powerful position, it so unlikely he would've referenced her as such to anyone and everyone. I found this true of many of the references to the illustrious personages that would normally have been referred to as "the queen" or "the late queen" or, in the case of Elizabeth or Mary, "the lady Mary". It just didn't ring true. I'd say this book is something I will pick up at a later date and see if I can finish it but that date it not today.

This book concludes Hilary Mantel’s trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. Mantel artfully places the reader in the room as Cromwell, a lowly-born blacksmith’s son, becomes Henry VIII’s proxy to further the King’s interests, whether they be financial, marital, theological, or emotional. Unfortunately for him, he, Cromwell, the Lord Privy Seal is also subject to his master’s mercurial nature. In this last book, the tables finally turn, and his enemies, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, and Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, get the upper hand and turn Henry against him. As the book opens, Anne Boleyn has just been beheaded, and Cromwell uses his political schemes to improve both his own family’s fortune as well as the King’s. He continues to garnish abbeys and Catholic real estate and divide the riches among the nobility. Henry marries Jane Seymour, from a noble English family, which brings marital happiness but does little to secure England’s increasingly fractious position against France and Spain. Upon Seymour’s death after childbirth, the stage is set for Henry to start looking for another wife, this time to consolidate an alliance with Germany. He chooses Anne of Cleves, a choice Cromwell is wary of, and this ill-conceived match begins Cromwell’s downfall. This historical fiction novel puts flesh on a figure known for his dizzying rise from poverty to become King Henry’s most trusted confidante and advisor, Thomas Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal. Mantel writes sharp, witty dialogue that reveals her characters’ strengths and weaknesses. Cromwell, as she portrays him, is visited by his past in dreams and in waking, seeing the ghosts of friends, family, and even Bishop Wolsey, whom he once served. He is a crafty maneuverer, an ambitious schemer, and a skilled reader of the King’s whims and moods. Until the day comes that he falls out of Henry’s favor. I wouldn’t recommend reading this book before reading the first two in the series. It takes some effort to retain the names of all the courtiers, politicians, clergy, and principal players in the Cromwell drama, but Mantel has provided a helpful guide. That said, this is an outstanding conclusion to the trilogy. I recommend the series to anyone who appreciates masterful writing and has an interest in English history.

This book is excellent. The only problem is that, knowing the history of the time. I don't want to finish it - but I will. As a stand alone read you won't get so much from it - you really need to read the previous books of the trilogy first

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.

A Confession: I am just over half way through but felt that I had to share my reaction thus far with other potential readers. Also I need a break - I'm addicted!! I bought the first two books in this series as second hand books. I was so taken with them, I realised what all the fuss was about, so I pre-ordered this last instalment which came in at a great price on Amazon. The Mirror and the Light is a world of consequences: Anne Boleyn and many of her alleged lovers are no more and the backdraft blows through this story. The book is also full of ghosts - ghosts from the story itself and made bigger by being part of English history as well. It is also full of regret and what could have been - of England, Cromwell's life and the King's. And guilt too - which half way through, begins to make itself felt more and more. Mantel creates passages of beautiful descriptive writing as per usual, evidenced in the first two books, but what I really marvel at and enjoy is the mostly visceral dialogue which is enhanced in this volume and moves seamlessly between characters one minute, to what is going on inside the doomed Cromwell's mind the next. There are some brilliant one liners, black humour and put downs in the dialogue. Everyone seems to know what Cromwell has done and that he will somehow pay for it and they do not hold back in pointing it out to him, sometimes joyfully, sometimes ruefully. I particularly like the verbal sparring between Chapuys and Cromwell - this has tinge of genuine affection to it but also comes across as two scorpions circling each other in a fight. You never really know who wins their encounters - they are well matched. Henry is portrayed as growing in his dangerous unpredictability, much to Cromwell's increasing discomfort. And as the supporting characters seem to know - so do we, the readers know from history what awaits Cromwell and again it is the fictional story telling, skilfully layered on top of history itself - like a beautifully constructed dessert - that is so delicious about Mantel's writing - history and fiction so convincingly brought together, their flavours complementing each other and consumed, spoonful after a spoonful, by the reader. There is one scene where the King is talking to Cromwell about Hippocrates 'Life is short, and art is long' aphorism (Vīta brevis, ars longa) as they both reflect on the difficulties of having to rule - or as Chaucer put it 'The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne' (pp.375-376). All I can say so far is that Mantel has made the most of her life and her art. This is tremendous stuff it really is, seriously good story telling with convincing characterisations and again - the history of it all driving it forward. I tell you it is a must read! UPDATE! I have now finished the book, and even though the portents of Cromwell's doom abound (both in the story and in history) it still comes as a surprise and also seems unfair when it happens. It is also surprising who eventually works against him and also grim seeing the means by which he brought about the downfall of others used on Cromwell himself. Fancy living in a time like that - being close to an unpredictable personality like Henry VIII who it seems to me had disposed of Cromwell as a means of getting rid of his own guilt. A time when just an accusation could mean your death. Mantel's writing captures this obscene logic at work and Cromwell emerges as both a perpetrator and victim. Did his low birth impact on his ability to see that he was being used in rich men's dangerous games or was he a chancer whose luck just ran out? Is it more to do with his vengeful mission for Cardinal Wolsey that clouded his judgement? You decide - there is rich story telling in all 3 volumes to help you. BTW - Mantel usefully has a short chapter at the end of the book telling us what happened next to the characters in her story which is very useful indeed. Be warned though that the hardback version is quite heavy, so make sure you are comfortable and well supported as you settle down with it because the hours will pass by as it draws you in and your arm might well ache afterwards!

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.

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