Synopsis
England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith’s son from Putney emerges from the spring’s bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour.
Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to breaking point, Cromwell’s robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. But can a nation, or a person, shed the past like a skin? Do the dead continually unbury themselves? What will you do, the Spanish ambassador asks Cromwell, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him?
Review
I can’t tell you how excited I was when I heard the finally Hilary Mantel had written the final book of her Wolf Hall Trilogy; I preordered my copy six months in advance. The Mirror and the Light starts where Bringing Up the Bodies finished, the execution of Anne Boleyn. After managing to save his position and reputation after the Anne Boleyn situation, Thomas Cromwell still finds himself as King Henry VIII’s right hand man. As he rises even further throughout the ranks, he makes more enemies than friends both in England and abroad as political allegiances change. After the death of Jane Seymour, Cromwell finds himself helping to find a new Queen for Henry, but the King is fickle, and the higher you rise, the further you have to fall. With many wanting him gone, there are no shortage of those wishing to stab him in the back. This is an epic read at nearly nine hundred pages long and is not a book you can read quickly due to the amazing detail of the prose, but is well worth reading.
This is a story I know well as it is one of my favourite periods in history, in England and Europe, but even though I knew how it finished I was still engrossed in this book. So much is going on at this time, there are the ever changing political allegiances, with the Howards falling from grace and the Seymour’s rising when Jane becomes Queen and produces the long awaited for male heir to the throne. In England and Europe the religious tide is changing the war between the Catholics and Holy Roman Empire, and the Lutherian and protestants who want the Bible to be read by all and church services to be spoken not in Latin but their native language. Henry is now head of the Church of England and moved away from the Pope in Rome. In the midst of all this turmoil, Cromwell is at the centre, moving the chess pieces both in England and abroad, trying to do best for King and country. He is the mediator, trying to please all the major players, but also making his own star rise even higher at the expense of his enemies, of whom there are many.
Hilary Mantel tells this story better than any author I have previously read. She has a wonderful writing style that includes an enormous amount of historical detail, detailed knowledge of all the historical characters but written in a style that makes this such an enjoyable reading experience. It never feels heavy going, but you do need time to sit and savour every word and detail to fully get the best out of this book. Hilary Mantel also adds plenty of wit and humour into her writing to lift the feel of the book. In her portrayal of Thomas Cromwell she makes him feel personable, and likeable when he is normally portrayed as being selfish, and a social climber only interested in his own rise and not caring who he hurts. In this book he is seen as man who cared about his family and household who always acted in the best interest of the King and country, but was a victim of his own success. Since reading this trilogy I have a new respect for Thomas Cromwell and his achievements, and that shows the skill of Hilary Mantel and her writing.
As you can probably have guessed I absolutely loved The Mirror and the Light, it is an amazing end to what has been a stunning trilogy of books. Hilary Mantel shows her exceptional skill as an author of historical fiction, the rich detail, the knowledge of her characters and the period and the ability to bring it to life and make it such a joy to read. I really can’t praise this book highly enough, the only downside is that this is the final book and Hilary Mantel has said she is not writing any further books for the foreseeable future. If you enjoy these books as much as me I highly recommend her book set during the French Revolution A Place of Greater Safety. If The Mirror and the Light doesn’t win The Booker Prize, I will be very surprised. This is one of the best books I have ever read, absolutely amazing.
The photo I have used shows my three signed, limited editions of the Wolf Hall Trilogy that are a treasures part of my collection of signed first editions.
