Okay. So this is the THIRD time I've tried to read Wolf Hall ....

I love Tudor history but I also read about two chapters twice then gave up through boredom.

I really disliked it

For Beyond Black fans Radio 4 did a brilliant dramatisation with Alison Steadman and Rosie Cavalliero which is repeated from time to time.

Worth looking out for!

I thought it was poorly written regarding the overuse of 'he'. Having to go back and reread sentences to work out who 'he' was, is surely a bad idea! Interesting that in the last book, The Mirror and the LIght, she reverts to the proper use of names, which made for an easier read. I would say ditch the book and watch the fab BBC drama, which was very well done.

Yes I gave up too. I found it impossible to know which Thomas was doing what. And I didnt love it enough to persevere.

It was tricky to start with but I ended up loving it. I bought the sequels and will definitely read them this year. I’m not surprised so many have struggled or dislike it though even though it’s mega popular.

I’ve bought a few of HM’s other novels too as I’m intrigued by her writing.

I love Wolf Hall. The humour is wonderful.

I read WH and BUTB back to back 2 or 3 years ago, liked rather than disliked them but didn't find them as special as everybody said. I'm now just over halfway through TMATL and really enjoying it. I'm not sure what is different, whether it's actually better written or whether I just understand more of what is going on because I've read a few other books about the period, both fiction and non-fiction, in the meantime.

I'm sure that's part of it but it's a lot more than that...

I LOVE this book.

I sent it to a (well read) friend of mine, hoping that she would love it too but she just could not get along with it and, to my disappointment, gave up on it.

Something about Hilary Mantel's frequent habit of using, he, Cromwell alienates many readers, I fear.

Are you still going @FleetwoodRaincoat? I’m on page 212 and grinding to a halt. If I don’t love it after 200 pages it’s not going to happen, is it ...?

I spent a couple of years studying tudor history and specifically two of the Thomas characters - More and Cromwell. Two absolutely fascinating men at a fascinating time.

Wolf Hall bored me to tears. I struggle to articulate why but I think it might simply be that Cromwell's interest to me has always been that historically his voice isn't found - as an advisor his job was to do Henry's bidding. His own motivations and role in events are murky and unclear (did he engineer the downfall of Anne Boleyn or just take advantage of Henry's desire to get rid of her, for example?) and this is what makes him so fascinating, a man who held so much more power for such a relatively short amount of time and was an engineer and a victim of factional politics, but he himself remains an enigma. Sort of like Anne Boleyn herself.

I did know about 'he' thing from here before i read it and I have to say it didn't help with my enjoyment of it one bit and I still didn't know what was going on! 🤣

Wolf Hall is the first book I ever gave up on. Slow, too many characters. But also felt like the only person who had given up on it so thank you for not making me feel alone!

Interesting @absolutelynotfabulous, maybe I should try the TV series before continuing with the rest of the book

I tried once, couldn't get into it, then watched the adaptation and tried again. Success! I think you have to have an interest in Tudor history though - it must be really difficult to sort out all those Thomases without some prior knowledge.

THANK YOU for this thread OP!

I'm on my second attempt with Wolf Hall and finding it very uninspiring. It sat by my bed for months after my first try and I thought, dammit, if I can't read it during lockdown when there is fuck-all else to do, I never will. So I'm trying again.

I am utterly infuriated when other people rave about something and I find myself unable to 'get' it. So I will persevere because I want to understand what other people love about it. I'm maybe 1/4 or 1/3 of the way in so hoping I may still get the bug ...

It’s fine if you catch on that “he” is always Thomas Cromwell. I found Wolf Hall okay but no where as good as. Bring Up The Bodies. The Mirror and the Light was so detailed with revelations about so many people that I nearly gave up. However, I persisted and it was worth the trouble.

I am buying Beyond Black too; it sounds just my thing:)

@Stonehopper I hope she's grateful😁

It’s not as good, @TeenyTinyDustinHoffman, much as it pains me to say it, as a huge HM fan.

I think it’s the volume where her commitment to being absolutely historically accurate works least well, as the whole lengthy Pilgrimage of Grace section just feels like an extended and largely irrelevant subplot, when you know the general plot is Cromwell’s downfall. (Obviously it contributed, but what actually happened and whether something works in a novel are two different things, and I say that as someone who has based a novel on historical figures, too.)

I also found it surprisingly depressing to watch TC start being sidelined and overlooked. Maybe because I feel I’ve read far more literary fiction about failure than success.

Having said that, HM at slightly less than her best still hits pretty much everyone else out of the ballpark for me.

I loved Wolf Hall and Being up the Bodies. Every other character being called Thomas makes it confusing but it's easy enough to read. Probably easier if you know something about Tudor History, though, especially in the first book when there's lots more about other noble families and it's all a bit convoluted. I think BUTB is easier in that regard, possibly just because you've gotten used to the central characters.

I've not read The Mirror and The Light, but I've heard generally good reviews from friends who have.

Bored stupid by it.
But, for other books that I have also struggled with, I have found audio books helped (didn't work with this one, it really is tooooo dull).