Wolf Hall

[EccentricaGallumbits]

Just bought this so I can avoid doing any real work (again).

I'm onlyon page 29 but wondering if it gets good?

Anyone>?

I'd like to know too, please. I've been so tempted to buy it since I heard the author being interviewed on Radio 4.

why is it adult fiction - is it racy?

I gave up
not my cup of tea

tis v good
i loved it

adult as in a bit more grown up than peter rabbit.

i only bought it because wolf hall is just up the road from me and i've always wanted to live there.

I really liked it - mind you if I don't like it by the end of the first page a book gets slung.

Very atmospheric I thought. Devoured it in a day.

I LOVED that book - took me ages to read it as I deliberately read it slowly to make it last longer! Quite subtle in places so I found it worth absorbing all the detail.

I may re-read it soon...

Loved it - all the negative comments are actually accurate enough, the confusing use of 'he' for example, but they still didn't detract from me looking forward to reading it every night and feeling totally absorbed.

I didn't like it that much. Finished it but never got hooked.

The confusing use of 'he' just annoyed me because I felt I had to really concentrate to read the book, so reading late at night wasn't possible!

I'm halfway through and struggling (I've read about five other books in the mean time). On the one hand it is very well written, but on the other hand it is a little on the dull side.

Funnily enough I did a search on MN yesterday about this book. I've been trying very hard to get into it for a week but have now given up.
I couldn't stand the strange style of writing.

It is weirdly written, and the 'he' thing is a pain, but I finished and sort-of-quite enjoyed it, probably only because I'm a sucker for Tudor fiction and knew who all the characters were already. I'd have given up if I didn't know and love the period. It stops strangely in an odd place, I've heard there will be a sequel.

puts Wolf Hall to good use as doorstop and goes back to Jean Plaidy and Phillipa Gregory

Worth reading but can be hard work, need to really concentrate at times which as FluffyDonkey has already commented can be challenging after long day.

Agree that it's difficult to read Mantel in small chunks. You'd be better off waiting until you've got a couple of weeks off and are able to concentrate on it for long periods IMO.

I loved it in the end, but struggled to start with. It was only a two-hour train journey that I was finally hooked. Without that I would have probably given up as it was just densely written for a few bedtime nibbles at it

Yes, I agree it is dense and you need to concentrate - it's not light bedtime reading. I usually read a book in an evening or two, and Wolf Hall took me ages (several weeks) as I only read it when I was able to concentrate. But it was such a pleasure to read I didn't mind devoting the mental energy.

I started it last week and am enjoying it, but find I need to dedicate time to it, rather than dip in and out

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the dialogue and banter in it which sounded really authentic. I'm sure Cromwell was a bit nastier in real life but it's the best book I've read in a long time and it brought the period alive for me.

I'm loving it. Not much further to go. Found it hard at first until I got used to Mantel's style.

I hated hated hated it and I love all things history. Mantel's style irritated me too much. I sort of got interested a quarter of the way through but then it became a bit of a snoozefest again and I gave up.

Agree with most - it takes some getting into and you REALLY need to concentrate since the 'he' thinkg menas you haven't a clue who's talking half the time but it's worth it - I am looking forward to the sequel so it must have ticked some box!

I loved it, but I love Hilary Mantel. It surprised me because I know (knew) nothing about Tudor history and usually run a mile from historical fiction. I did read it on holiday though - you need a couple of days to read it all in one chunk.

I have just read this on holiday (it was my 'worthy' book to make me feel better about my other trash) and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would - I read it in a couple of days.

I did find the use of 'he' confusing for a bit but then I got used to it. I am not a huge fan of historical fiction but I felt like Mantel really got the voice/style/tone right and wore her research very lightly which are two of the hardest things to do.

I did the Tudors for A Level and at university so it did give me a head start in understanding it. And I didn't spend all my time thinking how anachronistic all the thinking was which is what I usually do with books like this.