The Mirror and the Light

Earlier this year, the final installment in Hilary Mantel's trilogy about Thomas Cromwell was released. Being a huge admirer of Mantel's writing, thanks in no small parts to the previous parts in the trilogy: Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, I had been waiting eagerly for part three to come out and, as soon as I was aware that it had been released, I wasted no time procuring a copy of my own and, having read it, here are my thoughts on it.

The Mirror and the Light, as the third volume is called, covers the last five years of Cromwell's life. Cromwell is now at the height of his power, having the King's ear and being regularly rewarded with new titles and lands in recognition of his services. Of course, such a good thing can't last forever. As he, Cromwell works tirelessly to create a new England and tries to keep the increasingly moody Henry happy, his enemies; among them, the Duke of Norfolk and Bishop Stephen Gardiner are busy working in the shadows, plotting his downfall.

Considering the high quality of its predecessors, not to mention the amount of time that have passed since last we ventured into Mantel's version of Tudor England, it is only understandable if the reader has some concern as to whether or not The Mirror and the Light will live up to expectations. As far as this reader is concerned, it definitely does.

With The Mirror and the Light, Mantel concludes what is, without a doubt, among the finest works of historical fiction that I've ever read. Mantel's prose is as rich as ever and throughout the volume's eight-hundred plus pages, I was kept in suspense, this despite knowing full well what Cromwell's ultimate fate would be (after all, he was an actual historical figure), wondering if this would not be the moment when he, Cromwell, would slip up and thus, fall from grace. As with many great stories, whether they are based on history, or completely made up by their creator, its not so much what happens in The Mirror and the Light that's important, but rather how and why it happens. 

In conclusion, a magnificent novel, well worth the long wait. 

Wolf Hall: The Mini-Series

As you may or may not know, I'm a fan of historical fiction and among the best works in that genre that I've read recently are Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Out the Bodies, the first two books in a planned trilogy, written by Hilary Mantel. So, when I heard that BBC was making a mini-series based on these books, I was, of course, eager to check it out. I was not disappointed with the result.

For those of you not familiar with Mantel's novels, Wolf Hall is the story of Thomas Cromwell, the son of a blacksmith, who ran away from home at an early age to escape his abusive father and eventually ended up becoming the right-hand man of the infamous Henry VIII. In her books, Mantel draws a nuanced and human portrait of a man who has often been depicted as a pure villain (see Robert Bolt's excellent play A Man For All Seasons for an example of this). In the mini-series is portrayed by Mark Rylance, who does an excellent job. Rylance's Cromwell is a subtle man who never allows his true feelings to be known and who always measures his words before speaking. That is, until he has his enemies where he wants them, at which point, he strikes without mercy.

Rylance is backed up by a strong supporting cast. Damian Lewis plays Henry VIII in what must be one of the best performances of his that I've seen. Lewis' Henry is a terrifying portrait of a capricious and unpredictable individual whose power has clearly gone to his head and Anton Lesser does an excellent job as a very negative depiction of Thomas More. At one point, More utters his famous "I say none harm, I do none harm" - line, which prompt a furious Cromwell to throw the words back in More's face: Cromwell mentions some of the men who More had tortured and burned for being heretics and then asks him how he can claim to do "none harm".

Since she's such an important character, I should also mention Anne Boleyn, played by Claire Foy. Honestly, Anne was my least favorite character, both in the books and the mini-series. This version of her comes across as petty and arrogant, to the point where I found myself wondering what Henry could see in her. That said, she does become more sympathetic in the last two episodes, as her imminent end comes closer and closer.

Wolf Hall is not a series for the impatient viewer, much like its protagonist it takes its time to achieve its goals. Despite the somewhat slow pace, I was never bored watching the show. My only quibble with it is a certain scene: At one point, Cromwell witnesses a play in which his late patron, cardinal Wolsey is carried off to hell by demons. Cromwell silently swears vengeance against the people involved in the play. The scene itself is fine, its the way the show keeps returning to it that I have issues with. Showing the scene once or twice to make sure that the viewer remembers why Cromwell is persecuting these men is fine, but after awhile I found it repetitive. I get it, move on.

As I said though, this is a fairly minor complaint. As a whole, Wolf Hall is an excellent adaptation of Mantel's novels and something that I recommend to anyone who wants to watch a well-made historical mini-series in the vein of I, Claudius and the like.