"He can draft a contract, train a falcon, draw a map, stop a street fight, furnish a house and fix a jury." The blacksmith’s son, Thomas Cromwell, is the quintessential 16th century man and the most powerful advisor of Henry VIII. So much has been written about the court and wives of Henry VIII, but Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel stands out heads above the crowd in its elegant prose, its grasp of the dangers that abound by choosing the wrong word or advice, and the sense of malevolence and betrayal seeping from the court to the streets of Tudor England.
The book opens with Thomas Cromwell, almost beaten to death by his alcoholic father and consequently his running away abroad, gaining financial skills and political savvy and then returning to England. He became a protege’ of Cardinal Wolsey, the power behind Henry’s throne who advised him: "If your chance comes to serve, you will have to take him as he is, a pleasure loving prince. And he will take you as you are, which is rather like one of those square-shaped fighting dogs that low men tow about on ropes. Not that you are without a fitful charm, Tom."
In his rise to power, the free-thinking Cromwell, unfettered by all court’s intrigues and machinations, forged ahead with his ideas on education, tolerance, and free worship. Of course, there are many detractors to the role of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII. It is through Mantel’s finely-wrought writing that we feel and grieve with Thomas when his young, beloved wife and daughter died. Mantel’s acerbic observations, wry wit, and contemporary language rather than ye old diction made this book such an engaging read. Rumors have spread that a sequel is being written — I can hardly wait!
I leave you with Thomas Cromwell’s very apt advice: "Love your neighbor. Study the market. Increase the spread of benevolence. Bring in better figures next year."