She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam

Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel
HarperCollins

Winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize, Wolf Hall is definitely the best novel that I have read in the past year.  Told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell (but curiously, not narrated in the first person), the book is almost written  as a series of tableaux vivants that describe the comings and goings of all the major players at the Tudor court of Henry VIII. 

The real story, however, focuses on the "upstart" Thomas Cromwell.  The son of a blacksmith and sometime alehouse proprietor, Cromwell manages to  escape his low birth and somehow become one of the most influential legislators and religious reformers of the 16th Century.  Eventually rising to the position of Henry VIII's  "right hand man," it is clear that Mantel's Cromwell has more in common with Machiavelli than just fluency in Italian.  From the outset of this story, Cromwell is observing, guiding, and taking advantage wherever and whenever possible.  He is the embodiment of Castiglione's courtier and Machiavelli's Prince.  Sigh.  The perfect man.

Despite the fact Cromwell is definitely the star of the show, Martel's other characterizations are equally interesting.  She made me hate Thomas More, adore King Henry, and absolutely despise all of the scheming Boleyns.  If you are at all interested in historical fiction, and willing to be surprised by a new twist on old territory, you should definitely read this book.  Five burning heretics out of five.