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Original poster

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

113 replies

FleetwoodRaincoat · 06/02/2021 10:25

I can't believe anyone has actually got all the way through it.

I'm equally bored, confused and fed up with too many men called Thomas.

Please tell me I'm not the only one .....

OP posts:
LittleRa · 06/02/2021 14:34

[quote FleetwoodRaincoat]@LunaHeather Because I want to have read one of the "greatest books of all time". But haven't been able to stick with it before. I suspect that, compared to Wolf Hall, it will be a breeze now Grin[/quote]
Reading shouldn’t be a form of self-flagellation for the sake of it, to feel that you’ve read what you’re supposed to. Do you force yourself to eat foods you don’t like because they’re popular with other people? Grin (lighthearted)

Threeleaper · 06/02/2021 17:17

[quote FleetwoodRaincoat]@LunaHeather Because I want to have read one of the "greatest books of all time". But haven't been able to stick with it before. I suspect that, compared to Wolf Hall, it will be a breeze now Grin[/quote]
Honestly, @FleetwoodRaincoat, I don't know anyone other than diehard Tolkien/fantasy fans who would consider LOTR one of the 'greatest books of all time', so let yourself off the hook! I mean, it's a highly influential fantasy trilogy with some excellent parts, but it's also a lot of slightly monotonous and elaborately detailed twaddle about Elves.

Stillfunny · 06/02/2021 22:52

I cant stand fantasy fiction . No interest in it at all. Not books or films . But that is OK. I do like James Joyce , disclaimer, Irish. Does that make me a superior reader or a lesser one ? Who cares ! I am all for being open to new genres and things to try. Try it , dont like some , like others. Luckily there are thousands of books to read .
Reminder: Fifty Shades of Gray - pure shite . Millions sold .

elkiedee · 06/02/2021 22:56

I liked Wolf Hall and the sequel very much, and will be looking to read #3 in due course. Whether you finish it or not, please try and find something that you don't find a chore to read next before you embark on something else you've struggled with. I read LOTR when I was quite young and thought I was really into it at the time but I can't remember why and I have far too many books I want to read or reread at the time to think I'm ever going to find out. My DS1 got completely bogged down in it at some point after March last yaer, and I've been trying to persuade him to read other things instead. He appears to have finished a different book and gone back to Volume 1 of LOTR though.....

HeddaGarbled · 07/02/2021 01:20

If it’s not for you, it’s not for you. I thought it was brilliant.

Respectabitch · 07/02/2021 08:19

I've actually been putting off reading The Mirror and the Light because I can't bear to see Cromwell fall. The flashes of hubris and moral compromise that emerge through Anne Boleyn's execution were so worrying and foreboding.

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 07/02/2021 08:23

I think it seems boring because it is very factual. We've seen a trend of Tudor history being sexed up for tv . We just want to get to the bit where AB gets her head chopped off but the background is years of political back and forth .

TooSensibleOfMyDefects · 07/02/2021 08:28

I've given up once, but planning to try it again at some point this year! Love the tip about 'he' being Cromwell, that actually probably will help a lot.

Atalune · 07/02/2021 08:35

I tried and failed. But it was on the kindle so going back to check bits was tricky. I might try again.

DH is reading LOTR to our 10 year old. They started when she was 9..... I feel sorry for her. But she’s determined to see it through 😅. We read other things too!

Chemenger · 07/02/2021 08:38

I read LOTR as a teenager and loved it. I can’t imagine reading it again now. I think partly it’s because when I was a teenager in the 70’s there was not a lot to do, and long complicated books filled the time Smile. Maybe when I retire there will be long afternoons to while away on books again. I tend to read only in bed now and in short bursts, which make complex plots and large numbers or characters difficult to follow and remember.

rookiemere · 07/02/2021 08:40

I found Wolf Hall heavy going, but Bring up the Bodies definitely picked up the pace. The Mirror and the light was - for me - tedious beyond belief and felt as if the editor was so in thrall to the amazingness that is Hilary Mantel, that they couldn't do their job, book would have been much better with a few chapters taken out.

Spudlet · 07/02/2021 08:40

@Respectabitch

I've actually been putting off reading The Mirror and the Light because I can't bear to see Cromwell fall. The flashes of hubris and moral compromise that emerge through Anne Boleyn's execution were so worrying and foreboding.
I did find it massively affecting, tbh. Even though you know what happens and you can see things starting to spiral, you’re still hoping he’ll manage to turn things around. Despite knowing he won’t.
MsTSwift · 07/02/2021 08:41

I really enjoyed all 3 and now reading the Samson series. But if you don’t enjoy it give up! To my shame I have never finished a Charles Dickens except Christmas Carol.

NeedToKnow101 · 07/02/2021 08:41

I found her writing style hard-going at first, but I got into it and ended up loving the book.

Loads of books and genres I can't / won't read. Don't force yourself!

MsTSwift · 07/02/2021 08:43

Also depends what mood you are in or the time of year. Winter I am up for Tudor books. Summer I’m not. Will read a few light detective type books then want something deeper. Don’t force it though.

Also enjoyed LoTR as a teen wouldn’t read now.

borntobequiet · 07/02/2021 08:43

One of the few books I read straight through and then immediately read again because I really couldn’t bear to put it down. However I did pick up a lot I’d missed on the first reading, it’s not an easy read. Same for BUTB.
The Mirror and the Light I found much harder going. I think Mantel found it much more difficult to write.

MsTSwift · 07/02/2021 08:45

Dh and I call it the “go back test”. If you go to read the book and your heart sinks abit the book has failed the go back test!

tanstaafl · 07/02/2021 08:45

Two books I’ve given up on as they were just ‘slogs’ for me, Ulysses by James Joyce and The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.

Tried to be ‘better read’ but back-fired.

Sometimes I think I’d like to have another look , with the wisdom of years behind me, but there’s too much other stuff to read and what is it I’m proving to myself ?

Respectabitch · 07/02/2021 08:46

@Dontforgetyourbrolly

I think it seems boring because it is very factual. We've seen a trend of Tudor history being sexed up for tv . We just want to get to the bit where AB gets her head chopped off but the background is years of political back and forth .
That is what I loved about it. The particulars of a remarkable, brilliant, morally complex man working his way through a system stacked to the hilt against him. The texture of a life.

So yes, tbh, if you just want sex, blood and action, it's probably not your thing.

@Spudlet Sad it's ridiculous, but that is how involved I am/was. Even knowing from the start how it ends, and seeing him start to tip into arrogance, I want him to see the traps and avoid them. I want him to get up.

Frequentflier · 07/02/2021 08:46

I loved it. I have read the whole trilogy. But each to her own...

Threeleaper · 07/02/2021 08:58

@rookiemere

I found Wolf Hall heavy going, but Bring up the Bodies definitely picked up the pace. The Mirror and the light was - for me - tedious beyond belief and felt as if the editor was so in thrall to the amazingness that is Hilary Mantel, that they couldn't do their job, book would have been much better with a few chapters taken out.
I think Hilary Mantel is a goddess, and I adore and have reread multiple times WH and BUTB, but I was much less impressed with TMatL and agree that her commitment to historical accuracy mars it as a novel — yes, the historical Cromwell was massively concerned with putting down the Pilgrimage of Grace, but as he’s never actually out of London or actually dealing with the rebels, the military action or the negotiations, a huge chunk of the novel felt as though it was being phoned in from the north of England.
pickingdaisies · 07/02/2021 08:58

I picked up Beyond Black and gave up after one chapter. Tedious. There's no way I'm going to try anything else she wrote especially anything really long and continued over three books.
I absolutely loved Milkman although it took me a few pages to settle into the style.

Frequentflier · 07/02/2021 08:59

The Mirror and the Light was very funny in parts. In a dry sort of way.

I also love LOTR and have read it some ten times maybe. I like very long novels.

Sometimesonly · 07/02/2021 09:02

I gave it up first time but (after reading lots of CJ Sansom and feeling very Tudory) I sailed through it and the next installment. I am plucking up the courage to read part 3 but it is seriously intimidating! I might rewatch the BBC series first to get in the mood.

Eekay · 07/02/2021 09:10

I couldn't wait to read it.
I was somewhat disappointed. I found it
underwhelming. The sequel was a bit lacklustre. I haven't tackled the third book yet.
Just something about the style was too understated.
I don't think it can be faulted for detail and it felt "realistic". (I know, how would I possibly know that?!). The characters felt carefully and roundly developed. .
I think it was that I expected a more dynamic book, given the huge drama and peril it describes. The tone was a little flat.
On a more positive note I really do rate her collection "The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher".
I'm not the biggest fan of short stories but I really enjoyed these. Original and clever ideas.