Read: 22nd December 2012
Rating: 3/5
I really love Hilary Mantel and this book was no different. The characters were solid, the plot interesting and the execution impeccable. The first three quarters of the novel I consumed in one night. I absolutely adored it. The thing that really let the novel down was the last section. Particularly the last three pages.
I literally adored the book until page 190!
I did feel more could be made of the end in general. From the moment Joe runs off I felt Mantel runs off too. There are some really fantastic twists and turns at the end after Joe’s departure that Mantel briefly touches on and I think the book would benefit if they were expanded on... it could also be I just didn’t want the book to end.
The characters were so fascinating. Each one follows a Joseph Campbell style transformation which I love from the Giant right down to Bitch Mary. This intense focus on every character just made you invest even more into the novel as a reader.
The execution is also phenomenal. The movement of the two main characters constantly close, hearing of one another, lives encircling each other and yet not meeting until a climactic point where everything changes. Then from that point onwards the stylistic ways she presents both characters movements and emotions intertwined and yet separate... she really is a MASTER!
Not quite “Wolf Hall” but I loved it all the same!
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