Sorry kids, no feet.

I understand how this book can be as polarizing as it is. Knowing that I went into this book prepared to either love it or hate it. While I don't think it's the best book every written, I do think it's worthy of 4.5/5 stars. Note: I won't be putting spoilers in this review as it is my opinion that most of the events in this novel are historical events most people are aware of.

The thing I appreciate most about Mantel's work is the point of view she elected to use in telling a story that's been told a million times before. Judging by the sheer amount of books in existence today, it's really easy to write a book about the sex and scandal that apparently ran rampant during the reign of Henry VIII. Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for a fat, juicy Tudor novel. It just seems easy to dig up old rumors about things like Henry's harem of mistresses, Henry's dozens of bastard children or Anne's adulterous acts. Instead of telling a story the same way for the hundredth time, Mantel decided to take an often overlooked character like Thomas Cromwell and give the reader an in-depth look at the political landscape of Henry VIII's reign.

Mantel's writing style did take some getting use to. Once I caught on to how things worked, I found myself intrigued by Mantel's take on the various players especially Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn is one of those historical everyone has an opinion about. People either admire her or think she got what was coming to her. I wouldn't consider Mantel's Boleyn to be admirable but I don't felt Mantel's Boleyn was an evil, sixth-finger hiding witch. To steal a word from someone, Anne comes off as formidable. She is not a pawn in her family's games. At a point, Anne was completely in control of her own destiny. When one door closed, another opened. Unfortunately, I think we all know how that's going to work out for her.

A downside to this novel was it's length. There were times where I found myself thinking "Why is this even necessary?" A few of Cromwell's flashbacks seemed irrelevant and tended to disrupt the flow of the main plot.

I look forward to [b:Bring Up the Bodies|13507212|Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)|Hilary Mantel|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330649655s/13507212.jpg|14512257]. I am interested in seeing Cromwell through. I already know what happens but I want to know how Mantel interprets the coming events.