Hi everyone... Matt the mapper here. I'm delighted and honoured to be involved in the 2025 Crawl, and look forward to all the discussion around these exceptional novels. I'm typing these words from the riverside in Putney, as it happens, inside the church of St Mary's which is the only surviving structure that a young Cromwell would recognise (though it's largely rebuilt). I'd attach a photo, but I don't think Substack allows that in comments. Anyway, more on my own Substack on Friday.
Love maps and have been google mapping every location in W&P this year, so love that you'll be helping along with my need for visual representations of place.
Hey there! Coming from SC— my literary adventure started a few years ago—trying to define and to understand what makes great literature. I am working my way through American “Southern Literature” to include Flannery O’Connor, William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Harper Lee, Eudora Welty and many others. In reading these authors, I wanted to know who they admired. That list includes Virginia Woolf (so I read her), Nabokov, Doestoevsky, Tolstoy … and here I am.
Looking forward to all your insights.
And, yes, my knowledge, of the Cromwell time period is nil.
Hi everyone, I’m joining Woldlf Crawl in 2025 after taking part in Simon’s War &Peace slow read in 2024. It was such a fantastic experience that there was no question I’d join this year. Looking forward to hearing the comments from old and new subscribers
Hello from northwest Washington state in the U.S. This year, I participated (still participating; we’re not done quite yet!) in Simon’s slow read of War & Peace. It has been such a rewarding experience that I jumped at this chance to read in community again with Simon as our insightful guide. Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy has long been on my list. The use of nature as plot device was one of my favorite parts of W&P, so maybe I’ll take up your challenge to track the seasons, Simon. Hello to you all. Looking forward to reading with you.
Welcome back, Mary! Both Bea and I have had the idea of a calendar of book of hours, that compiles all the references to the weather and the seasons in these books. It is steeped in the English climate, which is to say it rains a lot, but when the sun shines you feel uncommonly alive!
I love your attitude to rain! I'm from England (& now living back here) but lived in Seattle for a few years - we met people there from all over the US who constantly complained about the rain, but we felt right at home.
Hi everyone, I'm Georgia, & this is my first slow reading experience! I can't think of an author who would be more rewarding to read slowly and carefully. Thank you for having me. I've been a Hilary Mantel fan since I was fascinated by the French Revolution as a teenager, a long time ago now, and came across A Place of Greater Safety. Really excited to start
Hey Georgia! Great to have you. We're going to read APOGS safety later in the year. I'm a bit nervous about it, partly because of my sketchy knowledge of the period, but mostly because I am terrified about that book and how it ends! But I feel Mantel will be with us in spirit, willing us along.
I'm sure she will! I'm so impressed by how much background and information you've put together for Wolf Crawl - I have to admit I don't know a huge amount about the Tudors, apart from what I've picked up reading Mantel and others, but I have a feeling by the end of the year I'll know a lot more and get a lot fewer of the characters confused. Thank you for doing this! :)
Hi all! I’m Emma from Australia. I’ve been working my way through many classic and award winning books of late and have really enjoyed guided read-a-long experiences through the Audrey app community, so this seemed right up my alley!
Like Theresa, my knowledge of this time period is extremely minimal, so I’m very glad to have the opportunity to read these books in a way that will help me appreciate them; undoubtedly much more than I would have been able to manage on my own.
Hello my name is Freya, I'm English but live in the mountains of Northern Tuscany. I was involved in the War and Peace slow read and to my surprise it's been one of the best reading experiences I've ever had. I'm v much looking forward to starting Wolf Hall but am also anxious about it ... will I understand it, will I enjoy it. I studied Tudor History A Level donkey's years back and remember nothing! I'm hoping the Wolf Crawl revives a passion as War and Peace started a new passion. I found footnotes and tangents to be v knowledgeable and a very safe place to express my thoughts. Everyone I came into contact with was interesting. I'm really looking forward to this readalong.
Hello! I'm Katie coming from the States - Lancaster, PA to be exact. I've never done a slow read before and heard about this from a podcast and thought it was a great place to start. I've never read Mantel before!
Hello everyone. Glad to be here. I am in the United States; a retired Psychologist, Univ professor now living in Summerlin/Las Vegas Nevada! I love English history from the fall of the Romans, vikings, anglo saxons, Plantagenets and onward to the tudors- I guess I am an anglophile. Looking forward to this experience.
I am Lonny, Dutch, living in Sweden. For a while now I have been wanting to read this trilogy and this seems to be a very fun and rich way of doing it. Looking forward to crawling with you!
Here is another Dutch Wolf Crawler. My name is Marjolijn. Last year I read along with War and Peace. I am an author and a teacher of children's literature.
Another War & Peace reader excited for Wolf Crawl ‘25. I’m from Pennsylvania, US. Simon’s guidance was extremely valuable in 2024, so I’m looking forward to this one.
Hi everyone! I’m Shruti from India. I’m an author and work as an editor. Like most of you, I love going down rabbit holes and miss my academic days of deep research so viscerally. A chance tweet by one of you here (Sarah M) nudged me to discover and sign up for this years Wolf Crawl. I do feel equal parts excited and nervous about having zero context to Tudor history. I’m so chuffed to be learning from all of you and take this SUPER SLOW in 2025!
Hey Shruti! I love how so many happy accidents led people here. We will take it super slow and hey by the end of the year you're going to know an awful lot about Tudor England, and hopefully a bit further afield too! Plus, we've got some of the best writing ahead of us.
Hi, there. I'm Cheryl from Fox Island, Washington. I first heard about Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel, and Simon's slow read approach from the podcast A Strong Sense of Place. I just retired from elementary teaching, and so I'm refurbishing my brain to read adult fiction. I love a good rabbit hole to jump down, and having a community to jump with seemed like a very good idea. I know a bit about Tudor history, but there are lots of gaps. I'm looking forward to seeing how all the pieces fit together, with Mantel's story and all the supporting material. I can't wait to get started!
Hi everyone! I’m Sara from Australia. I read Wolf Hall years ago and loved it and have wanted to read the rest of the series but knew I needed to reread Wolf Hall again before diving into book 2 and 3 so when I saw this slow read I jumped at it. Can’t wait to get started.
I’m from Toronto, Canada, and have been part of the 2024 War and Peace slow-read cohort. I found Footnotes and Tangents quite by accident at the end of 2023, and decided to participate without giving it too much thought. I’m so glad that I did, because it has been such a rewarding experience. Thank you, Simon! I’m looking forward to becoming a Wolf Crawler in 2025. It sounds like it’s going to be a great year!
Really looking forward to this, especially with the maps etc. Love St Mary’s in Putney - every time I walk down / up the river when I visit London I think of Thomas escaping Walter.
Something I want to plan at some point is a walk of the sites (from Putney to Tower Hill?). Ben Miles and his brother did something similar when they put together their Wolf Hall Picture Book. A Wolf Crawl meet up in London should definitely happen.
Hi everyone... Matt the mapper here. I'm delighted and honoured to be involved in the 2025 Crawl, and look forward to all the discussion around these exceptional novels. I'm typing these words from the riverside in Putney, as it happens, inside the church of St Mary's which is the only surviving structure that a young Cromwell would recognise (though it's largely rebuilt). I'd attach a photo, but I don't think Substack allows that in comments. Anyway, more on my own Substack on Friday.
Love it, Matt. Channelling Crumb from Putney on this bright winter's day. Great to have you onboard.
Hi Matt, I’m a big fan of your Londonist time machine newsletter so looking forward to having you involved in this
Love maps and have been google mapping every location in W&P this year, so love that you'll be helping along with my need for visual representations of place.
I so enjoy your Londonist time machine newsletter - I am a map geek and love so much your mapping project!
Thanks Susana!
Hey there! Coming from SC— my literary adventure started a few years ago—trying to define and to understand what makes great literature. I am working my way through American “Southern Literature” to include Flannery O’Connor, William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Harper Lee, Eudora Welty and many others. In reading these authors, I wanted to know who they admired. That list includes Virginia Woolf (so I read her), Nabokov, Doestoevsky, Tolstoy … and here I am.
Looking forward to all your insights.
And, yes, my knowledge, of the Cromwell time period is nil.
What a fabulous journey you are on, Theresa. Cromwell and Mantel will be a bit of a detour, but one you will hopefully find worthwhile!
Hi everyone, I’m joining Woldlf Crawl in 2025 after taking part in Simon’s War &Peace slow read in 2024. It was such a fantastic experience that there was no question I’d join this year. Looking forward to hearing the comments from old and new subscribers
So lovely to see so many familiar faces as well as new readers here! Hey Sarah!
Hello from northwest Washington state in the U.S. This year, I participated (still participating; we’re not done quite yet!) in Simon’s slow read of War & Peace. It has been such a rewarding experience that I jumped at this chance to read in community again with Simon as our insightful guide. Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy has long been on my list. The use of nature as plot device was one of my favorite parts of W&P, so maybe I’ll take up your challenge to track the seasons, Simon. Hello to you all. Looking forward to reading with you.
Welcome back, Mary! Both Bea and I have had the idea of a calendar of book of hours, that compiles all the references to the weather and the seasons in these books. It is steeped in the English climate, which is to say it rains a lot, but when the sun shines you feel uncommonly alive!
I live in the Pacific Northwest. Rain is my love language. As I settle into the book, I’ll see if I’m up to your beautiful challenge.
I love your attitude to rain! I'm from England (& now living back here) but lived in Seattle for a few years - we met people there from all over the US who constantly complained about the rain, but we felt right at home.
Hi everyone, I'm Georgia, & this is my first slow reading experience! I can't think of an author who would be more rewarding to read slowly and carefully. Thank you for having me. I've been a Hilary Mantel fan since I was fascinated by the French Revolution as a teenager, a long time ago now, and came across A Place of Greater Safety. Really excited to start
Hey Georgia! Great to have you. We're going to read APOGS safety later in the year. I'm a bit nervous about it, partly because of my sketchy knowledge of the period, but mostly because I am terrified about that book and how it ends! But I feel Mantel will be with us in spirit, willing us along.
I'm sure she will! I'm so impressed by how much background and information you've put together for Wolf Crawl - I have to admit I don't know a huge amount about the Tudors, apart from what I've picked up reading Mantel and others, but I have a feeling by the end of the year I'll know a lot more and get a lot fewer of the characters confused. Thank you for doing this! :)
Hi all! I’m Emma from Australia. I’ve been working my way through many classic and award winning books of late and have really enjoyed guided read-a-long experiences through the Audrey app community, so this seemed right up my alley!
Like Theresa, my knowledge of this time period is extremely minimal, so I’m very glad to have the opportunity to read these books in a way that will help me appreciate them; undoubtedly much more than I would have been able to manage on my own.
Hey Emma! Lovely to see you've come here from Audrey. I'd love more people to know about their guided audiobooks.
Hello my name is Freya, I'm English but live in the mountains of Northern Tuscany. I was involved in the War and Peace slow read and to my surprise it's been one of the best reading experiences I've ever had. I'm v much looking forward to starting Wolf Hall but am also anxious about it ... will I understand it, will I enjoy it. I studied Tudor History A Level donkey's years back and remember nothing! I'm hoping the Wolf Crawl revives a passion as War and Peace started a new passion. I found footnotes and tangents to be v knowledgeable and a very safe place to express my thoughts. Everyone I came into contact with was interesting. I'm really looking forward to this readalong.
Welcome back, Freya! I think you'll surprise yourself, just like you were surprised by War and Peace! Let's take it one week at a time.
Hello! I'm Katie coming from the States - Lancaster, PA to be exact. I've never done a slow read before and heard about this from a podcast and thought it was a great place to start. I've never read Mantel before!
Hi Katie! You are in for a treat, or perhaps a sumptuous Tudor feast!
Hello everyone. Glad to be here. I am in the United States; a retired Psychologist, Univ professor now living in Summerlin/Las Vegas Nevada! I love English history from the fall of the Romans, vikings, anglo saxons, Plantagenets and onward to the tudors- I guess I am an anglophile. Looking forward to this experience.
You're going to be very at home here, Deborah!
Hi fellow crawlers!
I am Lonny, Dutch, living in Sweden. For a while now I have been wanting to read this trilogy and this seems to be a very fun and rich way of doing it. Looking forward to crawling with you!
Hello! Now we need to find out whether we have any other Dutch or Swedish Crawlers with us!
Here is another Dutch Wolf Crawler. My name is Marjolijn. Last year I read along with War and Peace. I am an author and a teacher of children's literature.
Another War & Peace reader excited for Wolf Crawl ‘25. I’m from Pennsylvania, US. Simon’s guidance was extremely valuable in 2024, so I’m looking forward to this one.
Welcome back, Pam!
Hi everyone! I’m Shruti from India. I’m an author and work as an editor. Like most of you, I love going down rabbit holes and miss my academic days of deep research so viscerally. A chance tweet by one of you here (Sarah M) nudged me to discover and sign up for this years Wolf Crawl. I do feel equal parts excited and nervous about having zero context to Tudor history. I’m so chuffed to be learning from all of you and take this SUPER SLOW in 2025!
Hey Shruti! I love how so many happy accidents led people here. We will take it super slow and hey by the end of the year you're going to know an awful lot about Tudor England, and hopefully a bit further afield too! Plus, we've got some of the best writing ahead of us.
Hi, there. I'm Cheryl from Fox Island, Washington. I first heard about Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel, and Simon's slow read approach from the podcast A Strong Sense of Place. I just retired from elementary teaching, and so I'm refurbishing my brain to read adult fiction. I love a good rabbit hole to jump down, and having a community to jump with seemed like a very good idea. I know a bit about Tudor history, but there are lots of gaps. I'm looking forward to seeing how all the pieces fit together, with Mantel's story and all the supporting material. I can't wait to get started!
Hey Cheryl! Congratulations and happy retirement. I'm so glad you found us, and I hope Mantel and Cromwell can help with the brain refurbishment!
Hi everyone! I’m Sara from Australia. I read Wolf Hall years ago and loved it and have wanted to read the rest of the series but knew I needed to reread Wolf Hall again before diving into book 2 and 3 so when I saw this slow read I jumped at it. Can’t wait to get started.
Oh you are in for a real treat! Welcome, Sara!
I’m from Toronto, Canada, and have been part of the 2024 War and Peace slow-read cohort. I found Footnotes and Tangents quite by accident at the end of 2023, and decided to participate without giving it too much thought. I’m so glad that I did, because it has been such a rewarding experience. Thank you, Simon! I’m looking forward to becoming a Wolf Crawler in 2025. It sounds like it’s going to be a great year!
Welcome back, Catherine! Get ready for something a little darker, but also funny and beautiful. It's going to be great.
Really looking forward to this, especially with the maps etc. Love St Mary’s in Putney - every time I walk down / up the river when I visit London I think of Thomas escaping Walter.
Something I want to plan at some point is a walk of the sites (from Putney to Tower Hill?). Ben Miles and his brother did something similar when they put together their Wolf Hall Picture Book. A Wolf Crawl meet up in London should definitely happen.
I would love to join you if you do this!
Definitely!