A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel: worth continuing?

35 replies

LobeliaBaggins · 16/04/2025 11:31

I loved Wolf Hall and I love long historical books, but I just can't get into this. The subject is fascinating but it's so opaque.
Any one read it ( all 800 pages)?

OP posts:

harriethoyle · 16/04/2025 20:46

Gosh, I am also struggling with this book and I love HM so much - reassured to hear I’m not the only one!

kublacant · 16/04/2025 20:38

Yes it’s so worth it! I found the bit when they were all at school hard to wade through but once they meet in Paris and are older it really picks up.

I fell in love with all of them by the end.

rickyrickygrimes · 16/04/2025 20:30

i think you really benefit from having a bit of background of the historical context. I read it really slowly with frequent breaks to look things up and learn a bit more about the people, place and events. I pretty much read it with an iPad to hand 😬 and did make it to the end but it was a slog, though ultimately I’m glad I did.

SheherazadesSpringNonsense · 16/04/2025 20:25

There’s a slow read / readalong starting on Substack next month - I have my copy ready Haven’t read it before although I generally really like Hilary Mantel so looking forward to it.
here: https://open.substack.com/pub/footnotesandtangents?r=1oeyo3&utm_medium=ios

Footnotes and Tangents | Simon Haisell | Substack

Slow reads of great books. Book guides and a reading community to help you get more from the best stories. Click to read Footnotes and Tangents, by Simon Haisell, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

https://footnotesandtangents.substack.com

Octavia64 · 16/04/2025 20:21

I have read it a few times.

the first time I read it I did have Wikipedia on the go at the same time.

i got interested in the period then and did some reading. Without background it’s pretty opaque

Bichette · 16/04/2025 20:19

I loved Wolf Hall and found it a really easy to read.
APOGS however, I must have started it at least 3 times and just can’t get into it.

BuffysBigSister · 16/04/2025 19:06

I'm reading this very very slowly just now. I have committed to 10 pages a day. I am enjoying but I understand why people find it a bit of a slog

BarnacleBeasley · 16/04/2025 13:22

I thought it was brilliant - I think I actually liked it better than Wolf Hall. Though I started off knowing more about the French Revolution than I did about Thomas Cromwell, so perhaps that made it more accessible. Anyway, I'd say it's definitely worth persevering.

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 16/04/2025 13:15

Yes, I thought it was brilliant. It bothered me that not all 3 main characters had a resolution though it felt unfinished

highlandcoo · 16/04/2025 13:08

I read and really enjoyed the Wolf Hall trilogy but like you I struggled with APOGS.
I couldn’t seem to get the three main characters separate in my mind, which made it difficult to understand what was going on.
I like history and especially love France so I should have done better. I know lots of people really rate it.

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