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Bring Up the Bodies

The Wolf Hall Trilogy, Book 2

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Bring Up the Bodies

By: Hilary Mantel
Narrated by: Ben Miles
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About this listen

Listen to the exciting new rendition of Bring Up the Bodies, read by Ben Miles, who was personally cast by the author and played Thomas Cromwell in the Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. With a historic win for Bring Up the Bodies, the second book in the gripping Thomas Cromwell Trilogy, Hilary Mantel becomes the first British author to be awarded two Man Booker Prizes.

Winner of the Man Booker Prize.

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year.

By 1535 Thomas Cromwell is chief minister to Henry VIII, his fortunes having risen with those of Anne Boleyn, the king’s new wife. But Anne has failed to give the king an heir, and Cromwell watches as Henry falls for plain Jane Seymour.

Cromwell must find a solution that will satisfy Henry, safeguard the nation and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge unscathed from the bloody theatre of Anne’s final days.

An astounding literary accomplishment, Bring Up the Bodies is the story of this most terrifying moment of history, by one of our greatest living novelists.

©2012 Hilary Mantel (P)2020 W. F. Howes Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Science Fiction Witty Funny Royalty

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Critic reviews

"Simply exceptional.... I envy anyone who hasn’t yet read it." (Daily Mail)

"A gripping story of tumbling fury and terror." (Independent on Sunday)

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I couldn’t stop listening! Fantastic narration. Entertaining and fast-moving plot. It transports you into the world of Thomas Cromwell and all the well-known characters of that time, but from an intriguingly different perspective. Can’t wait to listen to the next part!

Fantastic book

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I found this book very interesting most of the time. Some of the names I did not recognise when they were talked about. I googled some to see who they were so I could understand how they fit into the story.
Ann was certainly not portrayed as a good wife. I am sure she was not completely scheming. The description at the end of her execution was quite chilling.
Overall, the book was good. I did find if I lost any concentration whilst listening to it, I had to go back and listen again.
In my opinion, if you like history and are familiar with the entourage around Henry VIII, Hilary Mantel brings this period to life.

You must listen with no distractions

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Excellent narration by Ben Miles, although his portrayal of the women in the story makes them all sound slightly contrived and a bit pathetic … which in the co text of Hilary Mantel’s writing they are not.

Utterly brilliant writing.

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A brilliantly crafted and written and painstakingly researched. Captured my attention and curiosity. Highly recommended.

Mantel at her best

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Having read Wolf Hall in book form I thought I would go for the audiobook for Bring up the bodies. Ben Miles has done a great job of narrating the story. No faux accents, just simply story telling and what a story and Hilary Mantel was so good at bringing her characters to life. What a special series this is turning out to be. Not stuffy or dry, you do not need to be a history buff to enjoy hugely

The final book in the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, is in my audible library but I am going to lave it a while as I do not want to say goodbye yet to Thomas Cromwell just yet. What a complex and interesting character he was, incredible to have a career which took him from extremely humble beginnings to the very heart of Henry VIII’s court.

Book or audio get this book!

First rate all round

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