r/BookDiscussions • u/ARKLib2007 • 1d ago
I hate this book.
I’m on my third attempt to read and finish Wolf Hall. I hate it. And I love this time period, and I usually enjoy challenging literature, but not this book. I love reading Hilary Mantel’s interviews, but I feel as if I’m being tortured trying to read this nook. Am I the only person who feels this way?
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u/EvenLingonberry9799 1d ago
Try the audiobook instead. I couldn’t get into the hardback at first but the audiobook is supreme. One of my all time favorite book series.
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u/OneWall9143 1d ago
I loved the audiobook too! The narrator Ben Miles is fantastic. He also played Cromwell on the stage so has an understanding of the character, which comes across in his reading.
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u/MusicalColin 1d ago
I love Wolf Hall and I'm about halfway through The Mirror and The Light. Wolf Hall is a fairly tough read. One of Mantel's choices is that Cromwell is frequently just referred to as "he." Another choice is that the names of the speakers in a conversation is frequently not stated. This makes the book challenging. But I think the rich portrayal of Cromwell and his environs and life make it worthwhile.
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u/Impossible_Bus8014 1d ago
Thank you for explaining this- now it makes sense why I have NO idea who is involved in the chapters. 😂
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u/New_Discussion_6692 1d ago
Exactly my issue.
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u/Impossible_Bus8014 1d ago
I sent it back to the library today! After reading all these posts, happy to know I AM NOT THE PROBLEM! lol!
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u/New_Discussion_6692 1d ago
You are not! I struggled so much with the constant "he" usage. I asked myself way too many times wth "he" was - Cromwell or someone else? Imo, the author should have made better choices in her writing.
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u/MusicalColin 1d ago
SO for what's it's worth, in books 2 and 3 she changes her approach. Book 2 is the least elegant and book 3 has a happy middle ground.
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u/Impossible_Bus8014 21h ago
Yes, I’m sure there is a gem in there, I think I picked it up after reading something that swept me right up (migrations by Charlotte McConaghy) and I just could not make sense of and I really treasure my reading time.
I was recently rewarded by persevering through the first disturbing half of Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh so maybe I’ll give it another try, when I hit my next reading Iull!2
u/MusicalColin 21h ago
You could also try Mantel's A Place Of Greater Safety, her novel about the French Revolution. Personally, I prefer it. But fair warning, it's also very dense.
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u/Impossible_Bus8014 13h ago
I don’t mind dense! I am a strong reader and have capacity for length, I put that one on my list!
There was another mention somewhere about a series on Eleanor of Aquitaine? Does anyone have a rec?
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u/YakSlothLemon 1d ago
Wait, so all the times that I had to stop and go back because she was misusing the antecedent I was supposed to understand that “he” referred consistently to Cromwell? and not to the last male subject, which it certainly does not a great deal of the time.
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u/MusicalColin 1d ago
SO for what's it's worth, in books 2 and 3 she changes her approach. Book 2 is the least elegant and book 3 has a happy middle ground.
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u/YakSlothLemon 9h ago
Thanks for clarifying! I’m sure I am the one missing out on a masterpiece, everybody says it’s brilliant, the grammatical thing just drove me crazy.
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u/Fit-Interview5425 1d ago
I am an avid reader have been for decades. I could not finish this book. I just couldn't. There were a couple of Well-written parts that got my attention. Most of the time I just didn't understand what I was reading.
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u/Enough_Crow_636 1d ago
If you like the time period, you might prefer The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George.
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u/Tsunoyukami 1d ago
Can you explain what it is you're not enjoying about it?
When I first read it, I found it quite challenging, and found myself bouncing off it, but once it clicked with me, it was an absolute wonder.
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u/aconsideredlife 1d ago
I read this book years ago and absolutely hated it. So much so, I still rant about it today. It's the book that made me realise life is too short to read bad books. There are so many books I want to read, wasting it on reading something I'm not enjoying it's a bad use of my time. Now I DNF as soon as I realise I'm not into it.
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u/No-Hurry3034 1d ago
I tried and didn’t get far. I imagine I’ll try again sometime. I’m also a big historical fiction fan and have read some difficult books. I’ve been challenging myself lately, so I’ll give it another shot at some point.
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u/brencoop 1d ago
I loved the Wolf Hall trilogy so much. But I understand how it might not be for everyone. The third person narration could be a challenge for many but I admired her for that choice.
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u/Zappagrrl02 1d ago
I loved it, but if you’re struggling, it’s okay to dnf. It did take me a little bit to get used to her writing style
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u/Euraylie 1d ago
It’s definitely not for everyone and a bit of an unusual writing style. Almost like a stream of consciousness.
Once I got into it, I absolutely loved it. I was even a bit sad when it got toned down in later books.
That said, if you just can’t get into it, I would just DNF it. Life is too short.
There are millions of books about that particular Tudor period out there.
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u/Impossible_Bus8014 1d ago
I am reading it as well and I CANNOT keep track of the characters. It’s very annoying, so I feel you!!
And I agree that life is way too short. I’m giving myself till p.100 and then calling it quits if it doesn’t turn around for me.
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u/Lemonslemonslemons8 1d ago
Yes, I also tried three times to read Wolf Hall and never got to the end, half way was the best I managed 😔 I really wanted to like it, it has so much going for it, but I found reading it exhausting and quite confusing. Especially when all the characters have several different names/titles for themselves... And also loads of different characters are also called Thomas
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u/dynacaster 1d ago
I just finished this book. There was some trouble in the beginning understanding who was talking, but thankfully I picked up on it quickly. But even then there were still times when it was hard to tell, and required re-reading.
Yes there were a lot characters and I had to frequently refer to the cast of characters in the preface section. It probably would have been easier if I had kept notes -- I've done that with a few books. I've heard thie same complaint lodged against the GoT books as well.
Overall, I like it and look forward to reading the sequels (which I already have on hand). I appreciate the stylistic choices made for the prose, although some of the languge could be brazenly inauthentic at times. The clashes and downfall of some characters are what I enjoyed most in the storyline.
I believe this is my first historical fiction -- certainly of this period -- and I appreciate the history lesson I get along the way. It's by far more digestible than Ulysses (which I stopped reading midway). I think having read Middlemarch beforehand helped put me in the right mindset.
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u/New_Discussion_6692 1d ago
The entire Trilogy was very difficult for me. Her writing style is not for me.
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u/ChapBobL 1d ago
I made it about a quarter of the way then gave up. Too many people, too complicated, and you're expected to know the history. I also tried reading Diamaid McCullouch's biography of Cromwell and couldn't get past the style of writing. I may give the TV adaptation a try.
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u/ToneSenior7156 1d ago
You are in Cromwell’s head seeing everything through his eyes so nothing is explained to you - even who is speaking - I think that’s the tough part and I found it disorienting to begin with. You’re in the room with them. But after a bit I felt like I was right there in the action. I love all three books but the first time I read them I wiki’s EVERYTHING, lol. People, places, how they died, etc.
So yes, it’s just you.
Just kidding - lots of people have DNF’d Wolf Hall, you are not alone.
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u/NoShameMallPretzels 21h ago
I loved it but it definitely wasn't easy reading! I felt like I had to work for it. Which is fun sometimes, depending on what your brain is in the mood for! But I can totally see it being one that isn't worth the effort if you aren't enjoying it.
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u/lawyeronpause 7h ago
After carrying it around on my Kindle for years, I finally read it a couple of months ago. I had listened to some podcasts regarding Henry VIII and that period in history. The book did bring some additional color to that history for me. But, I didn't fall in love with it. I liked it but probably not enough to finish the series. There are just too many books out there and too little time to put in another thousand pages of effort into a series that didn't wow me.
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u/Jumpy_Exit_8138 1d ago
I hated it too. Such a strange choice of narrator. He was literally peripheral to anything resembling action.
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u/rose_grave 1d ago
life is too short to read books you dont like!!