I'm happy to have caught up again, having fallen disastrously behind. (House-moving and travelling are all very well, but they get in the way of the really important things in life: BOOKS.) In an effort to get back in the game, I've been listening quite intensely over the last couple of weeks, and I'm now definitely at the point where I can hardly bear to continue (but will, obviously...). Such darkness. So many burnings. So many horrible memories creeping out of Cromwell's past. Such a ridiculous king... Thanks, Simon, for your expert guidance (your "eel boy" exposition a couple of weeks ago was particularly memorable). I'm in now till the bitter end (albeit hiding behind the sofa).
I'm not usually a wreck when reading, but I feel like I'm falling with Cromwell. Ridiculous King (shh, don't say it outloud), knives out, my one hope is that Anna will survive with some measure of dignity. Acck, to be a well born woman in those times, truly a curse. I find that I hurt the most for Gregory, now a man and able to assess how low his Father's fortunes lie.
Eee yes, it isn't just Cromwell that makes jelly of our insides now: there's poor Anna, unloved and unwanted and frankly insulted in a strange land; and poor Gregory. You've got to fear for whoever gets caught up in the wreckage when the house falls in.
Mantel can pack so much into a moment. Henry says to Cromwell, "Come apart." Cromwell thinks, "Disassemble? Disperse?" Then he collects himself. It's interesting that he recalls an incident with More. To make a bad pun, once More was killed, somehow Cromwell was unmoored. He needed More in opposition to remind him what he was fighting for.
This section frustrated me. Henry wants to blame everyone but himself. I fear Call-Me was correct about the fact that Cromwell should've brought Norfolk down. (I hope Cromwell finds a way to bring Norfolk down as he goes down).
Thomas Cromwell without a plan is a scary thing to witness. And those boys mocking him are a sign that the tide has turned, and slowly but surely, Cromwell's blood will be spilled.
A sharp quote from this section: "At the first moment he saw Anna, he saw himself in the mirror of her eyes. From that instant it was written that there would never be love or affection between them." For a king who is hellbent on "love," this moment with Anna was a shock to his ego.
Gosh, I'm so happy to live in the 21st century with a kind king!
I'm a bit behind with my reading but I know I'll finish it by the end of the year. I feel connected to this slow-reading community and know that I'll absolutely love the sense of achievement when completing a year of reading Wolf Crawl with everyone. On the 31st December we can cheer together!!
I always love catching up with Cromwell on a Sunday and then listening to your post. Not loving it so much these days, my stomach churns a little reading it and I want to tell Cromwell to stop now. He knows himself he is making mistakes but he is too far in to come out unscathed and so are we as readers, on we must go!
This is the risk we run when we read Mantel: it does things to your insides. I've read ahead so I can finish the newsletters before Christmas, and it is not easy!
It has been very interesting to see London for myself- though I haven't been able to keep up with the reading whilst here, I have been able to watch The Mirror and the Light on the BBC! Better than nothing.
On the subject of Geoffrey of Monmouth, I have been teaching my friend the Kipling poem / song Oak Ash and Thorn. She said "What does it mean 'New Troy Town, of which was London born?"
When I looked into it I found it was a Geoffrey reference- a Just So Story to explain the name Trinovantum, which he took from Caesar referencing the Celtic tribe the Trinovantes. Monmouth thought Trojan Brutus founded the city, which I'm sure we discussed somewhere back in the hazy distant past, i.e. the first few months of this year.
Cromwell "is always inclined to think the world will turn our way" but it is getting harder for us to share his optimism. The king will not be advised by him, Fitzwilliam insists that he "will not be stuck with the blame", Norfolk is suspiciously bright-eyed, Sexton and Culpepper are bold in their mockery, and messages arrive with the seals already open. Even Wyatt's spectacular diplomacy undermines Cromwell's position while making England safer.
There were some mesmerisingly awful scenes in this section, from Henry's ill-fated idea of nourishing love to the clumsy attempt at showing affection that leaves Anna rigid and flattened.
I was left pondering the many 'what ifs' in this section and wondering whether things could have turned out differently:
"He thinks, I spoke to him as a subject to a prince. What if I had taken courage and said: Henry, I am advising you, man to man, not to do it?"
I haven’t quite finished the chapter yet but hoping to catch-up over the next two weeks while I’m on leave from work. Another fabulous summary with lots of lovely rabbit holes. Thanks Simon 🙏🏼
Finally catching up! And feeling the shadow of dread falling on Cromwell. I was reminded of my last year at my longtime job... new manager, new senior VP, new CEO and suddenly I could not do anything right. I started dreading going in to work, in a way i never had before. Then I was pink slipped as part of a mass layoff, after 28 years of otherwise fully satisfactory performance. I was angry at how it all unfolded, but at the same time I was not entirely surprised, and it was almost a relief that the stress was over and the work was simply not my problem anymore...! Of course, unlike Cromwell, it was only my job that I lost...!
Lori, just catching up here. I feel your pain. I find myself running a small non profit, and a job I once enjoyed I now dread. I almost hope I tank the organization so I can go back sleeping at night. And reading! Enjoy your freedom!
I'm happy to have caught up again, having fallen disastrously behind. (House-moving and travelling are all very well, but they get in the way of the really important things in life: BOOKS.) In an effort to get back in the game, I've been listening quite intensely over the last couple of weeks, and I'm now definitely at the point where I can hardly bear to continue (but will, obviously...). Such darkness. So many burnings. So many horrible memories creeping out of Cromwell's past. Such a ridiculous king... Thanks, Simon, for your expert guidance (your "eel boy" exposition a couple of weeks ago was particularly memorable). I'm in now till the bitter end (albeit hiding behind the sofa).
Congratulations, Linda! You've caught up just in time for the worst. We need all the support we can get now!
The disguise bit when Henry surprises Anne of Cleeves is one of my favorite parts of the whole trilogy. What a delicious disaster!
You can almost physically feel Gregory’s urgency when he storms through the door and asks his father how he could possibly have allowed this farce!
It's one of my favorite parts too!
I'm not usually a wreck when reading, but I feel like I'm falling with Cromwell. Ridiculous King (shh, don't say it outloud), knives out, my one hope is that Anna will survive with some measure of dignity. Acck, to be a well born woman in those times, truly a curse. I find that I hurt the most for Gregory, now a man and able to assess how low his Father's fortunes lie.
Eee yes, it isn't just Cromwell that makes jelly of our insides now: there's poor Anna, unloved and unwanted and frankly insulted in a strange land; and poor Gregory. You've got to fear for whoever gets caught up in the wreckage when the house falls in.
My beloved Cromwell, falling out of favor. I feel like I am reading like this 🫣
I know what happens but I want it to be different, I want our Thomas to fix it.
Great post as always Simon - imagining poor Anna’s reaction to this person descending on her. Shudder.
Hilary Mantel, Led Zeppelin fan!
Mantel can pack so much into a moment. Henry says to Cromwell, "Come apart." Cromwell thinks, "Disassemble? Disperse?" Then he collects himself. It's interesting that he recalls an incident with More. To make a bad pun, once More was killed, somehow Cromwell was unmoored. He needed More in opposition to remind him what he was fighting for.
There is More to come. Sorry not sorry.
This section frustrated me. Henry wants to blame everyone but himself. I fear Call-Me was correct about the fact that Cromwell should've brought Norfolk down. (I hope Cromwell finds a way to bring Norfolk down as he goes down).
Thomas Cromwell without a plan is a scary thing to witness. And those boys mocking him are a sign that the tide has turned, and slowly but surely, Cromwell's blood will be spilled.
A sharp quote from this section: "At the first moment he saw Anna, he saw himself in the mirror of her eyes. From that instant it was written that there would never be love or affection between them." For a king who is hellbent on "love," this moment with Anna was a shock to his ego.
Gosh, I'm so happy to live in the 21st century with a kind king!
I'm a bit behind with my reading but I know I'll finish it by the end of the year. I feel connected to this slow-reading community and know that I'll absolutely love the sense of achievement when completing a year of reading Wolf Crawl with everyone. On the 31st December we can cheer together!!
Cheer, and commiserate. We will be like pilgrims at the end of our progress, forever bound together by our shared journey!
What a deliciously macabre way to end this section. “…a cold wind on his neck”. So many references to necks in these books. And most of them in peril.
Yeah. That got me. He seems so....helpless. Which is a weird word to use for Cromwell. But it's never a good sign when someone's neck is mentioned.
Yes, the image makes him feel very vulnerable doesn’t it. Just a human, after all.
I always love catching up with Cromwell on a Sunday and then listening to your post. Not loving it so much these days, my stomach churns a little reading it and I want to tell Cromwell to stop now. He knows himself he is making mistakes but he is too far in to come out unscathed and so are we as readers, on we must go!
This is the risk we run when we read Mantel: it does things to your insides. I've read ahead so I can finish the newsletters before Christmas, and it is not easy!
I’m reading ahead I must confess as we want to watch the last part on BBC next week.
😢
It has been very interesting to see London for myself- though I haven't been able to keep up with the reading whilst here, I have been able to watch The Mirror and the Light on the BBC! Better than nothing.
On the subject of Geoffrey of Monmouth, I have been teaching my friend the Kipling poem / song Oak Ash and Thorn. She said "What does it mean 'New Troy Town, of which was London born?"
When I looked into it I found it was a Geoffrey reference- a Just So Story to explain the name Trinovantum, which he took from Caesar referencing the Celtic tribe the Trinovantes. Monmouth thought Trojan Brutus founded the city, which I'm sure we discussed somewhere back in the hazy distant past, i.e. the first few months of this year.
Oh yes, in "An Occult History of Britain". We are all descendants of Brutus, the giant slayer. I hope you've had a great time exploring London!
Cromwell "is always inclined to think the world will turn our way" but it is getting harder for us to share his optimism. The king will not be advised by him, Fitzwilliam insists that he "will not be stuck with the blame", Norfolk is suspiciously bright-eyed, Sexton and Culpepper are bold in their mockery, and messages arrive with the seals already open. Even Wyatt's spectacular diplomacy undermines Cromwell's position while making England safer.
There were some mesmerisingly awful scenes in this section, from Henry's ill-fated idea of nourishing love to the clumsy attempt at showing affection that leaves Anna rigid and flattened.
I was left pondering the many 'what ifs' in this section and wondering whether things could have turned out differently:
"He thinks, I spoke to him as a subject to a prince. What if I had taken courage and said: Henry, I am advising you, man to man, not to do it?"
I haven’t quite finished the chapter yet but hoping to catch-up over the next two weeks while I’m on leave from work. Another fabulous summary with lots of lovely rabbit holes. Thanks Simon 🙏🏼
Thanks Pina. Enjoy catching up.
Finally catching up! And feeling the shadow of dread falling on Cromwell. I was reminded of my last year at my longtime job... new manager, new senior VP, new CEO and suddenly I could not do anything right. I started dreading going in to work, in a way i never had before. Then I was pink slipped as part of a mass layoff, after 28 years of otherwise fully satisfactory performance. I was angry at how it all unfolded, but at the same time I was not entirely surprised, and it was almost a relief that the stress was over and the work was simply not my problem anymore...! Of course, unlike Cromwell, it was only my job that I lost...!
Lori, just catching up here. I feel your pain. I find myself running a small non profit, and a job I once enjoyed I now dread. I almost hope I tank the organization so I can go back sleeping at night. And reading! Enjoy your freedom!