ORR #8: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Name of Book: Bring Up the Bodies
Author: Hilary Mantel
Pages Read: 64/432
Genre: Historic Fiction

This book was recommended to me by my mother. She said that the author, Hilary Mantel, is a really good writer and that she has won a lot of awards for her books. This particular book has won the award called "2012 Man Booker Prize". This book is about a man named Thomas Cromwell, and he is the son of a blacksmith. This story takes time in the 1535, during the ruling of King Henry VIII. This book is the second part of a trilogy. The first book is called Wolf Hall. The book is about the man, Thomas, who has battled for seven years, to marry a girl named Anne Boleyn. Henry is beginning to "give up" on his wife, she has failed to give him a son and her intelligence and ability to take risks will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. The main character, Thomas, is ready to bring Anne down., and in order to do that he has to work with his enemies (the papist aristocracy). I really like the quote "What, more of us are saved? Or our good works are not entirely useless in God's sight?", because it sort of made me think about the fact that we all die, at one time or another and what difference does it make in the world if we do right, or if we do wrong.

This book is really interesting, and it makes you feel that you are there, in the year 1535. You can see everything clearly (the imagery words are very illustrative). I haven't really known much about the English history and all the kings and queens, but this book has sort of made me look at it. Also at the first few pages you have a mind map of the king's rivals from the House of York and the Tudors, which helps you understand the whole conflict of the book. I really want to read on, and finish this book soon, because it seems like a really quick read.