Hilary Mantel has died

[HelloAvocado]

What terrible news. Rest in peace.

It is very sad news, 70 isn’t old these days. Thomas Cromwell was DH’s many-times-Great Grandfather, so it was an extraordinary feeling reading her books and getting a sense of the man.

I have resurrected an old username from several years ago.
Thanks for the wonderful writing, Hilary. My sympathy to your family.

I'm not one to mark the passing of the great and the good, but I am so upset about the passing of Hilary Mantel. What marvels she could have left for us if she had lived a little longer.

I have read Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies (I have not yet started The Mirror and the Light) but I have to read so much for work that I tend to speed read, so although I have enjoyed them, I missed out on some of the delicious subtleties. However, listening to them on Audible has really brought home to me what a marvel they are - I missed so much when I was speed reading on the train!

RIP Hilary (from a history grad)

Bloody hell 70 is nothing. Frightening to die at that age these days.
I need to try again with HM - what's a good starter novel?

Try the short story collection, ‘The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher.’

Then ‘Beyond Black.’

Oh goodness.
A Place of Greater Safety is one of my favourite books of all time.

I was so sad to see this news today. She was such a fantastic writer and gone far too soon.

Thank you - although I did Google to check that wasn't just a political statement! I love short stories so that sounds perfect.

I'm gutted at this news. She was an incredible person.

The Spectator has republished a piece she wrote in 1987 on her time in Saudi Arabia.

I love the idea above about her meeting Cromwell and Wolsey in heaven.

Trouble is, we need her to write it for us…..

Ive just bought that one! Looking forward to reading. I'd only read her Cromwell trilogy.

I really don't believe Cromwell has gone to heaven

Seriously though, awfully sad news. She was so talented, like other here APOGS took me a couple of pick up/put downs but is now one of my favourites.

I'm willing to accept the presence of Thomas Cromwell in heaven as long as I receive assurances that Oliver Cromwell is down there in the filthiest and fieriest pits of hell.

He's running the place @MissHavishamsMouldyOldCake

@JaneJeffer Ha ha yes, Master Secretary to the ultimate boss.

If anyone can do it, Thomas Cromwell can.

I don't think he'd be automatically in hell, by any means. It was a very different time, with different morals, and as Mantel highlighted so brilliantly, he was a truly remarkable man, and a good master, father and friend to many.

Oliver Cromwell <spit> @AquaticSewingMachine

Saw her twice at the Oxford Lit Fest, she was wonderful. I do hope we will see the television version of Mirror And The Light go ahead, with Mark Rylance.

There is a beautiful documentary about her on BBC 2 right now if anyone fancies it.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000g6q4

on i player for a month.

I’m absolutely horrorstruck by this. She was the only living writer whose health I genuinely worried about, and I was delighted she had had better health than she’d had for a long while when writing Wolf Hall, especially as her health problems were in large part the result of persistent medical disbelief and misdiagnosis.

We were lucky to have had her as long as we did, but I’m heartbroken to think I’ll never again read a new novel by her.

I think the reason I’m upset is that I thought she’d put more people in my head.

she was such an amazing combination of
intellect and passion. i really appreciated her openness about endo and
the fact she never had children like me. she really
has made me think about history and human actions in the face of fate in a different
way -
as has CJ Samson with Shardlake actually.