‘Tommaso, they want you upstairs.’ His movements were unhurried as he nodded to a kitchen child, who brought him a basin of water. He washed his hands, dried them on a linen cloth. He took off his apron and hung it on a peg. For all he knows, it is there still.
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Welcome to Wolf Crawl. I am your guide, Simon Haisell, and this is a year-long slow read of Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy: Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light.
Each week, I dive into the details, with summaries, background, footnotes and tangents to enrich your reading. I am joined on this journey by Bea Stitches, who delves into the archive on our behalf, and Matt Brown, who makes maps to help us find our way through Cromwell’s world.
You can find the reading schedule and plot summaries for the full cast of characters on my website, Footnotes and Tangents. There, you can join other slow reads, including Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie and Pat Barker’s Regeneration.
I start each post with a summary of the week’s story illustrated by a map created by Matt Brown. This week, we are reading the first half of Part Three. Chapter II. Entirely Beloved Cromwell, Spring–December 1530.
UK Fourth Estate edition, pp. 198–236
US Picador, pp. 183–218
US Henry Holt, pp. 162-194 (guide only, editions vary)
Ben Miles audiobook, 7:22:56–8:53:22
First Line: He arrives early at York Place.
Last Line: Wolsey is a merciful man, but surely: only up to a point.
This summary is followed by a few footnotes of interest.
This week, we look at Mantel’s portrait of Anne Boleyn, Cromwell’s Italian secrets and his divided loyalty. We consider his get-rich-quick scheme for Henry, and its ill-fated forebears. And we compare and contrast our Thomas Mores.
In the archives with Bea Stitches, we try to work out what people are wearing under their clothes. And in the Haunting of Wolf Hall, we ask whether Cromwell is in control of his memory system. We close with my favourite quote of the week.
And then it is over to you. In the comments, let us know what caught your eye and ask the group any questions you may have. And if you’ve tumbled down a rabbit hole or taken your reading off on a tangent, please share where you have been and what you have found.
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