Still, he knew how to act when the chance presented itself, how to set his family climbing, climbing, to the highest branches of the tree. It's cold up there when the wind blows, the cutting wind of 1536.
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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, The Inheritors by William Golding and Treacle Walker by Alan Garner.
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 second third of Part Two. Chapter I. The Black Book. London, January–April 1536.
UK Fourth Estate edition, pp. 223–255
US Picador, pp. 187–214
US Henry Holt, pp. 188-214 (guide only, editions vary)
Ben Miles audiobook, 7:26:56–8:30:14
First Line: So here’s the Duke of Norfolk…
Last Line: One day he will give in and invite it to stand by the hearth.
This summary is followed by a few footnotes of interest.
This week, we sup with the devil, and his son, the Earl of Surrey. There is a cobnut conspiracy and a fishing invitation, a poem of Wyatt’s and a song of the King’s. A valiant Bea rises from her sickbed to bring us prophesies from the archive. The ghosts hold off their hauntings for another week, and we end with one of my favourite quotes.
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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