This book focuses on the dramatic fall of Anne Boleyn, and, despite the inevitability of the outcome, Mantel manages to fill the book with tension. In Bring Up the Bodies, Cromwell is a much darker and more ruthless character, willing to enact revenge on others and do anything he can to retain the King’s favour. The touching moments from the first book that helped to humanise Cromwell, such as the loss of his wife and daughters, are not present in this second book. Perhaps because there is a greater focus on character building in Wolf Hall, I found the sequel to be more plot-driven and fast-paced than the original. (Read my review of the first book here.) I really enjoyed this book, maybe even more so than Wolf Hall. Bring Up the Bodies is the second book in Hilary Mantels’ Wolf Hall series, a trilogy of historical fiction novels that follow the life of Thomas Cromwell and his rise to power in the Tudor Court.
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