Bring Up the Bodies

Title: Bring Up the Bodies
Author: Hilary Mantel
Pub Date: 2012
Genre: Historical Fiction
Nutshell: This was not the easiest book to read, due to the density of the research. However, if you're a fan of the time period or subject matter, it's worth the effort.

**This review does technically contain 478-year-old spoilers. But I get the feeling that if you're unaware of the events surrounding this book, you're probably not going to be much interested in the book itself anyway.**

Bring Up the Bodies is the second in Hilary Mantel's trilogy (Wolf Hall, this book, and the upcoming The Mirror and the Light) about the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the one time Secretary of State to Henry VIII. In this novel, he is at the height of his influence. At the beginning, he has engineered the marriage of Henry and Anne Boleyn. By the end, he has presided over their divorce and Anne's execution.

The events follow the historical record pretty closely, with the only fiction being the private thoughts of the players involved. It is told from Cromwell's point of view, what he sees and feels, what he guesses about the thoughts and feelings of others. There is no particular bias one way or the other about the events or the people. Anne is not seen as a blameless martyr, but neither is she a wanton slut. She is the victim of Henry's inability to sire a son, her own sharp tongue, the upward mobility of her family, and a hundred other small things that require her removal. Henry is somewhat petulant, as you might expect of a man raised as royalty, but certainly commanding of respect.

It is Cromwell who is the main focus here -- a good choice, as he was in many cases in the best position to narrate (and in many cases create) the events at court. He is an ambivalent character, completely at home with his moral ambiguity, his tendency to rationalize whatever necessary in order to do Henry's will and further his own cause. He does not seem overly conflicted by the choices he makes and the events he sets into motion. He is a perfect self-made Renaissance man, one who embodies all the good and bad of his time. One admires him for his astuteness even as you are made uncomfortable by the easiness with which he makes decisions.

The overall tone of the book is slightly gossipy, which is perfectly in keeping with the period. Court life was rife with gossip and innuendo, and the idea that nobody -- not Cromwell, not Henry, not anyone -- can be perfectly sure of what's happening is certainly true to the era.

Mantel's research into her time period is extensive and obvious. This novel is an excellent picture of the English court of the era, rife with small details. The story combined with these historical flourishes bring the time to life in a way many straight histories fail to do, by keeping the reader interested enough in the narrative to continue through the more minute elements. Her style is easy to read -- certainly not overly formal or stilted, but not completely out of sync with the subject at hand either. There is no slang or modern slips that take the reader out of the narrative.

I'd recommend this book to someone who has the time and patience to sit down and pay attention to it. It's not a light read for anyone unfamiliar with the period, and even for a history nerd like me it wasn't particularly easy fare. It was definitely enjoyable, and I will probably read the other books in the series at some point (this one was available at the library).