Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall *** 1/2

Wolf Hall is a historical novel that takes place during the reign of Henry VIII, specifically the period during which he sought to annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. I'm not usually a reader of historical fiction, but I am a fan of Hilary Mantel and Wolf Hall won the 2009 Man Booker Prize.

The main character is Thomas Cromwell, who rose from humble beginnings to become the King's most powerful  advisor. The book tells a well-known story from a new angle. Mantel is more interested in character than in plot, which is good for me but fans of historical fiction might find it a bit too slow moving. 

For the most part, Mantel's writing is beautiful without drawing attention to itself. However,there is one pervasive problem with the prose: it is often difficult to determine who the word "he" is referring to. It's a problem Mantel must be aware of, because she sometimes resorts to saying "He, Cromwell, ..."

I've now read three books by Hilary Mantel, all enjoyable and all very different: a contemporary thriller about expatriates in the Middle East (Eight Months on Ghazzah Street), a satire about a fat psychic whose spirit guide is an obnoxious drunkard (Beyond Black), and this historical character study. I don't know what to expect when I read a Mantel book, except that I will like it.