The moment when his hat tumbles away across the courtyard is so, so chilling. It reminds me a bit of the moment when Cromwell sees a flash of Liz’s white cap in the corner of his eye, but there’s no one there when he turns around. Only this time, everyone is there: be-hatted and coldly standing around him. There’s an eerie feeling to it all that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, the brain slowly catching up with your body’s inner animal sense that something is very, very wrong. Ugh.
Oh, I like that callback to the white cap, Analise. We need to make a list of hats in this story: Henry's stray hat at Wolf Hall, Call-Me's singed feather in his cap, Chapuys flamboyant Christmas hat, the king's turban. And also Anne's French hood, and Jane's... ah, I've forgotten the name of her hood.
I have a half-made list of notes on women's hoods somewhere, not sure whether I'll find time to write it up... My highlight was an uncovering, the time Mary unpinned her hair - and somehow I don't think I'd even included the white cap!
The gable hood, I think! I love the scene in Bring up the Bodies when Bess and Lady Seymour take an old one out of its box and pin it tightly to Jane’s head. She was never officially crowned, but in this way she unofficially was!
I was so shocked with the reading this week. The turn for Cromwell is much like SPOILER ALERT the death of Petya in War and Peace. You expect it for so long and then it springs up and surprises you. The themes of birds and sunlight in this section are heavy to bear. I was so distracted by the light, that I didn't notice the end creeping in. To be given a new title and then to be taken to the Tower.
I can't believe we're in the final weeks of this reading. Mantel has led us to a heartwrenching end.
It really is a masterful trick, isn't it? Despite knowing the history and seeing all the signs building, you still can't help but hope that this time it will turn out differently for Cromwell. Even having read it before I was surprised.
I found the exchange between Cromwell and Avery interesting. Even though Cromwell had just been promoted he was keen to set in motion his back up plans for money abroad. Avery in fact comments “ your lordship is talking as if your fortunes were reversed”. I think he was hoping that now he was made Earl “all is mended” but also very aware of how exposed he was if the king turned against him.
The speed of Cromwell’s fall, a mere 21 pages from the quote of the week to Cromwell being arrested. My head is spinning, my heart is pounding, some heartbreaking weeks ahead.
Well spotted. I did wonder though: he told Avery to make the money available to Jenneke. It is as though he does see himself in the clear now, and risks giving away his security. I suppose we will never know if he had money squirrelled away, or where it ended up.
Oh we knew it was coming but when it struck, Cromwell’s choreographed downfall left me low for a couple of days. He was (is) my hero, at least for these reading hours, even if he never deserved my hero worship. Simon, your ruminations around the plot are a treasure.
I didn't want to get to the end of this reading. I also didn't want to turn the page to find June and July 1540 waiting for me. It's strange, though, that the first time I read this I got to the end of the book, blinked out at the window, and discovered it was winter outside. I will be doing that again this time around, too.
It should be flaming June. But Cromwell later says the weather is wrong for the mood, so perhaps he would prefer us to be reading these last chapters in dark winter.
The speed of his descent amazes me. Did he know about his fate for certain when he gave Christophe his dagger? He said he didn't need it anymore. Now I think it's because the fight was out of him. He knew he was defeated when he lost his temper with Norfolk.
There are very few people In this world I know as well as Cromwell, the character, thanks to Hilary and Simon.
Yes, I think he hands over the dagger at his low point, when he thinks the king is about to destroy him. And then he's made an earl and suddenly feels the protection. Then he half regrets not having it when he is arrested - not that it would have been much use. I'm trying to remember whether we know anything more about the woman in Italy who gave it to him, I don't think we do. His first dagger, he called an 'evil tooth'. He made it himself and killed the eel boy with it. I suppose if this were historical fantasy, Cromwell would have knifed Gardiner on his arrest.
As we come to the end of Cromwell's life, and this trilogy I not only feel saddened by these two things, I am also bereft on account of something that didn't impact my first reading. What adds to my bereaved state this time is the knowledge that these books are three of twelve novels written by Mantel, and no waiting in anticipation will bring any others to our reader's eyes. Mantel's writing is vivid in it's descriptions and her knowledge and portrayal of her characters brings them out of the pages. It has been so lovely sharing this reading experience with everyone on this chat and your weekly summaries Simon have merged so well with Mantel's writing they have brought Tudor England even more to life. Deep breath as we move into the final few chapters.
It's true, something about these slow reads creates a sort of presence or reverence. We have become accustomed to consuming stories so quickly, and forgetting them half as fast. When someone sweated years over a piece of work, it feels right to spend months in the reading of it.
The passage about the trip to the Weald that didn't happen is one of my overall favourites - the combination of Henry’s very detailed 'memories' and Cromwell's gentle "Let us say we did, sir" is so poignant and says so much about their relationship.
I also appreciated Wriothesley's image of playing chess in the dark, and the ongoing theme of the unpredictability of the king’s demands and the constant possibility of dramatic reversals:
- "We servants of the king must get used to games we cannot win but fight to an exhausted draw, their rules unexplained. Our instructions are full of snares and traps, which mean as we gain we lose."
- even Gardiner agrees: "Thomas, we both know what it is to serve this king. We know it is impossible. The question is, who can best endure impossibility?"
And that final walk to the council chamber is brilliantly written, with the slow build of tension as the nape of Cromwell's neck bristles when the others keep their hats on, but his mind doesn't start to catch up to his dry throat and shaking heart until several cheerful paragraphs later...
It’s another tour de force by Dame Hilary: to make us hope when everyone knows he’s doomed. Wonderful stuff, and somehow attuned to the chaos of today’s world, which our Dame cannot have foreseen (surely she couldn’t?!). I liked your Quote of the Week, Simon—I read it twice when I came to it, to feel its pace and excitement—but my QotW comes from a different mood. Gregory tries to console his father for the loss of his property west of London, and recommends St Aelred to him, some kind of medical holy man:
“Gregory says, ‘Take heart, my lord father. Not only was Aelred good for stomach pains, he was sovereign for broken bones. He made the dumb to speak.’
“He [Tom Essex] asks, ‘What did they say?’ “
That’s our man, always seeing what the point is, or should be, not cynical but realistic.
November was a bad month for me for reading but now I'm all caught up with you here! And, oof, I'm going to need company for these last two chapters. I know he was ruthless and did awful things, but Mantel's Crumb is close to my heart. She did the same thing to me last year with some French revolutionaries. <sob>
The moment when his hat tumbles away across the courtyard is so, so chilling. It reminds me a bit of the moment when Cromwell sees a flash of Liz’s white cap in the corner of his eye, but there’s no one there when he turns around. Only this time, everyone is there: be-hatted and coldly standing around him. There’s an eerie feeling to it all that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, the brain slowly catching up with your body’s inner animal sense that something is very, very wrong. Ugh.
Oh, I like that callback to the white cap, Analise. We need to make a list of hats in this story: Henry's stray hat at Wolf Hall, Call-Me's singed feather in his cap, Chapuys flamboyant Christmas hat, the king's turban. And also Anne's French hood, and Jane's... ah, I've forgotten the name of her hood.
I have a half-made list of notes on women's hoods somewhere, not sure whether I'll find time to write it up... My highlight was an uncovering, the time Mary unpinned her hair - and somehow I don't think I'd even included the white cap!
The gable hood, I think! I love the scene in Bring up the Bodies when Bess and Lady Seymour take an old one out of its box and pin it tightly to Jane’s head. She was never officially crowned, but in this way she unofficially was!
Ah of course, thank you!
It was such a stomach-wrenching moment!🫣😫
I was so shocked with the reading this week. The turn for Cromwell is much like SPOILER ALERT the death of Petya in War and Peace. You expect it for so long and then it springs up and surprises you. The themes of birds and sunlight in this section are heavy to bear. I was so distracted by the light, that I didn't notice the end creeping in. To be given a new title and then to be taken to the Tower.
I can't believe we're in the final weeks of this reading. Mantel has led us to a heartwrenching end.
Distracted by the light is a good way of putting it. Mantel makes us think against reason that it is all going to be OK.
It really is a masterful trick, isn't it? Despite knowing the history and seeing all the signs building, you still can't help but hope that this time it will turn out differently for Cromwell. Even having read it before I was surprised.
I found the exchange between Cromwell and Avery interesting. Even though Cromwell had just been promoted he was keen to set in motion his back up plans for money abroad. Avery in fact comments “ your lordship is talking as if your fortunes were reversed”. I think he was hoping that now he was made Earl “all is mended” but also very aware of how exposed he was if the king turned against him.
The speed of Cromwell’s fall, a mere 21 pages from the quote of the week to Cromwell being arrested. My head is spinning, my heart is pounding, some heartbreaking weeks ahead.
Well spotted. I did wonder though: he told Avery to make the money available to Jenneke. It is as though he does see himself in the clear now, and risks giving away his security. I suppose we will never know if he had money squirrelled away, or where it ended up.
Absolutely... What a turn-around... Even though you know what's coming, you don't expect it quite THEN...
Oh we knew it was coming but when it struck, Cromwell’s choreographed downfall left me low for a couple of days. He was (is) my hero, at least for these reading hours, even if he never deserved my hero worship. Simon, your ruminations around the plot are a treasure.
It's such a blow. We've been riding high all year with our hero, surviving and scrapes and flying higher.
It left me low, too. I even took notice of him impatiently racking people - thinking that cruelty would make the end a bit easier on me. No luck.
I didn't want to get to the end of this reading. I also didn't want to turn the page to find June and July 1540 waiting for me. It's strange, though, that the first time I read this I got to the end of the book, blinked out at the window, and discovered it was winter outside. I will be doing that again this time around, too.
It should be flaming June. But Cromwell later says the weather is wrong for the mood, so perhaps he would prefer us to be reading these last chapters in dark winter.
The speed of his descent amazes me. Did he know about his fate for certain when he gave Christophe his dagger? He said he didn't need it anymore. Now I think it's because the fight was out of him. He knew he was defeated when he lost his temper with Norfolk.
There are very few people In this world I know as well as Cromwell, the character, thanks to Hilary and Simon.
Yes, I think he hands over the dagger at his low point, when he thinks the king is about to destroy him. And then he's made an earl and suddenly feels the protection. Then he half regrets not having it when he is arrested - not that it would have been much use. I'm trying to remember whether we know anything more about the woman in Italy who gave it to him, I don't think we do. His first dagger, he called an 'evil tooth'. He made it himself and killed the eel boy with it. I suppose if this were historical fantasy, Cromwell would have knifed Gardiner on his arrest.
As we come to the end of Cromwell's life, and this trilogy I not only feel saddened by these two things, I am also bereft on account of something that didn't impact my first reading. What adds to my bereaved state this time is the knowledge that these books are three of twelve novels written by Mantel, and no waiting in anticipation will bring any others to our reader's eyes. Mantel's writing is vivid in it's descriptions and her knowledge and portrayal of her characters brings them out of the pages. It has been so lovely sharing this reading experience with everyone on this chat and your weekly summaries Simon have merged so well with Mantel's writing they have brought Tudor England even more to life. Deep breath as we move into the final few chapters.
It's true, something about these slow reads creates a sort of presence or reverence. We have become accustomed to consuming stories so quickly, and forgetting them half as fast. When someone sweated years over a piece of work, it feels right to spend months in the reading of it.
Absolutely. I find I now take more time over most of the books I am reading and get much more from them.
The passage about the trip to the Weald that didn't happen is one of my overall favourites - the combination of Henry’s very detailed 'memories' and Cromwell's gentle "Let us say we did, sir" is so poignant and says so much about their relationship.
I also appreciated Wriothesley's image of playing chess in the dark, and the ongoing theme of the unpredictability of the king’s demands and the constant possibility of dramatic reversals:
- "We servants of the king must get used to games we cannot win but fight to an exhausted draw, their rules unexplained. Our instructions are full of snares and traps, which mean as we gain we lose."
- even Gardiner agrees: "Thomas, we both know what it is to serve this king. We know it is impossible. The question is, who can best endure impossibility?"
And that final walk to the council chamber is brilliantly written, with the slow build of tension as the nape of Cromwell's neck bristles when the others keep their hats on, but his mind doesn't start to catch up to his dry throat and shaking heart until several cheerful paragraphs later...
The imaginary trip was poignant.
It’s another tour de force by Dame Hilary: to make us hope when everyone knows he’s doomed. Wonderful stuff, and somehow attuned to the chaos of today’s world, which our Dame cannot have foreseen (surely she couldn’t?!). I liked your Quote of the Week, Simon—I read it twice when I came to it, to feel its pace and excitement—but my QotW comes from a different mood. Gregory tries to console his father for the loss of his property west of London, and recommends St Aelred to him, some kind of medical holy man:
“Gregory says, ‘Take heart, my lord father. Not only was Aelred good for stomach pains, he was sovereign for broken bones. He made the dumb to speak.’
“He [Tom Essex] asks, ‘What did they say?’ “
That’s our man, always seeing what the point is, or should be, not cynical but realistic.
I never did like Call Me. Always had his eye on the prize
Right? He's somehow worse than Riche for it.
November was a bad month for me for reading but now I'm all caught up with you here! And, oof, I'm going to need company for these last two chapters. I know he was ruthless and did awful things, but Mantel's Crumb is close to my heart. She did the same thing to me last year with some French revolutionaries. <sob>
Caught up just in time! And now no more for lack of time...