“Wolf Hall”

Forget all those sleazy movies, TV shows, and books on Henry VIII’s infamous escapades with Anne Boleyn. Hilary Mantel, the 2009 winner of the Man Booker Prize, has achieved with “Wolf Hall” what countless others have failed to do: create a stunning portrait of Henry VIII via one of his most elusive and powerful agents, Thomas Cromwell. The real interest, Mantel argues, lies in the king’s self-made right-hand man, whose motivations are, at best, ambiguous, and who shares a surprising lack of interest in the king’s decisions. Mantel has brought back the great English novel, one that weaves together psychology, politics, suffering, and heroism in just under 600 pages. Writes the New York Times: “Thomas Cromwell remains a controversial and mysterious figure. Mantel has filled in the blanks plausibly, brilliantly.”