Book Review
Dec. 21st, 2020 10:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Mirror & the Light
by Hilary Mantel
This is the third and final volume in Mantel's trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, covering the period from Anne Boleyn's execution to Cromwell's own execution. The writing is just as beautiful and rich as I'd expected. Mantel gives us an intimate and complex portrait of Cromwell as he rises to the height of power under Henry VIII while working to root out treasonous conspiracies, bring down his enemies, and remake the religious and political life of England. Along the way, he ruminates on his past and deeds he is proud of and those he feels regretful over. We see a man who is capable of great arrogance and ruthlessness, and of compassion and care.
Mantel also brings the Tudor world to life, in her evocation of both the interiors and exteriors, and the objects that her characters live in and amongst. I especially liked the descriptions of food and mundane household objects.
Mantel's writing and pacing are gorgeous. This is a very thoughtful book, one to linger over and savor. The recurring images of Icarus, embroidery and its uses, blades and their sharpness, were beautifully threaded through the prose so that their symbolism could add depth and meaning without being too obvious or belabored.
by Hilary Mantel
This is the third and final volume in Mantel's trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, covering the period from Anne Boleyn's execution to Cromwell's own execution. The writing is just as beautiful and rich as I'd expected. Mantel gives us an intimate and complex portrait of Cromwell as he rises to the height of power under Henry VIII while working to root out treasonous conspiracies, bring down his enemies, and remake the religious and political life of England. Along the way, he ruminates on his past and deeds he is proud of and those he feels regretful over. We see a man who is capable of great arrogance and ruthlessness, and of compassion and care.
Mantel also brings the Tudor world to life, in her evocation of both the interiors and exteriors, and the objects that her characters live in and amongst. I especially liked the descriptions of food and mundane household objects.
Mantel's writing and pacing are gorgeous. This is a very thoughtful book, one to linger over and savor. The recurring images of Icarus, embroidery and its uses, blades and their sharpness, were beautifully threaded through the prose so that their symbolism could add depth and meaning without being too obvious or belabored.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-22 05:02 am (UTC)I am glad she stuck the landing! I read Wolf Hall around the time it came out, but have not yet continued.