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Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel
- Unabridged
Narrator: Simon Slater
Length: 24 hours and 15 min.
£23.99
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Longlisted for 2010 Orange Prize
Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, 2009.
Tudor England. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is charged with securing his divorce. Into this atmosphere of distrust comes Thomas Cromwell - a man as ruthlessly ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages.
©2009 Hilary Mantell; (P)2009 WF Howes Ltd
Critics Reviews
"If the dance between king and mistress is expertly choreographed, it is Mantel's presentation of the common realm - the seething streets of Putney and Wimbledon, populated by drapers and boatmen - that gives this novel the force of revelation." (The Guardian)
"...as soon as I opened the book I was gripped. I read it almost non-stop. When I did have to put it down, I was full of regret the story was over, a regret I still feel. This is a wonderful and intelligently imagined retelling of a familiar tale from an unfamiliar angle - one that makes the drama unfolding nearly five centuries ago look new again, and shocking again, too. " (The Times)
"The reader, Simon Slater, skilfully adopts contrasting voices and the narrative has an immediacy close to a dramatisation... Provocative, rewarding listening." (The Times)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Review
40/43 registered users found this helpful
Past imperfect.
31/10/2009
This is a long, rich complex historical novel and for many people this unabridged audio version will be an excellent way to get to know such a lengthy work. But some caution may be necessary . Simon Slater reads the basic narrative well and gives a gripping portrayal of Thomas Cromwell, the main focus of interest in this account of the reign of Henry VIII to 1535. But although he is clearly aware of the necessity of some differentiation for other important characters, his solutions are not always convincing and fail to do justice to the subtlety and detail of Hilary Mantel's writing :Cardinal Wolsey sounds dimwitted, Thomas More - far from a saintly character in this novel- sounds sly and slimy and the old nobility blustering idiots. In each case there is an element of truth in the portrayal but they come across too often as cardboard cut-outs.
Most readers will also find that they will need to have or to acquire a good knowledge of Early Tudor history to appreciate fully what Hilary Mantel is attempting in this book. There is much fascinating detail and insight to enjoy but in the end I was left feeling the book could profitably have been more tautly focussed and better structured – it seems to peter out rather than reach a proper closure -is a sequel intended?
Certainly then on the whole a worthwhile audiobook but be prepared for a text that is occasionally self indulgent – repetitious and over detailed – and a reading that is enjoyable but unconvincing and inadequate in places.
Most Recent Reviews
Over Long
30/08/2010
Went into this one with an open mind, have been enjoying Tudor history and thought this would be a long...but rewarding listen.
Within about two hours began to find the narrators upper class characterisation (More and others) really grated on me.
Towards the end (I did finish it!) I really began to struggle and honestly felt it petered out.
Learnt a few things but maybe ought to have gone for the shorter version.
Rich stuff
10/08/2010
This is a fine book, as rich as it is long and complex - rewards any effort required to grasp its complexities and characters. At first I was baffled but it has since become one of my favourite reads.
