I finished this book only because of the challenge to do so. I did not find the text easy to follow and often wondered who was taking. How this book netted a major literature prize is a mystery to me. ( )

It took me a very long time to really get in to this book. Slightly less time to care about the characters - I found the style hard to adjust to. But I'm glad I got there in the end, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel. ( )

The rise of Cromwell around the time of Henry VIII, in a Booker Prize winning novel (never before had there been such literary historical fiction).

I didn't find myself particularly engaged in the story, and I had to work hard to finish it to discuss it at a book club (I gathered all my forces -- audiobook, paper, and ebook). The language was too much work for me given the payoffs, because I never really connected with any of the characters. ( )

This is my second go around with this book. I can't quite believe that the first time I read it was in 2013 . . .it really doesn't seem that long ago.

I am happy to say that I really enjoyed this book more on the second reading. Not enough to award it any extra stars, but the last time it took me around 6 weeks to get through it, and this time I read it in 3 . . .and for me, speed of reading directly correlates with enjoyment.

So what was different? For the most part, it really, really helped to understand that the pronoun "he" was used almost exclusively to refer to Cromwell, and if at any point in time, you didn't know who "he" was, if you mentally substitute Cromwell, then the text becomes clear. I did NOT know this the first go around, nor did I pick up on it, and it became immensely frustrating.

This time I also referred to the cast of characters about 170 times. Seriously. If I forgot who someone was, or wasn't clear, I looked them up. While this sounds like it would be more disruptive, it actually kept me much more engaged in the story because of the improved context.

Because of these two changes in how I read the book, I was finally able to appreciate the brilliant characterization of Cromwell and also some of the sharp wit embedded in his dialogue. Deeply drawn as a brilliant legal mind, an opportunist, a scrappy social climber, a bit of a "dog", loyal, and fearless, Cromwell comes to life. I love books that show characters that aren't all bad or all good, and Mantel does this with subtlety.

The work probably deserves a higher rating, but I still felt that there was a long windedness about it that didn't always serve the reader well. Those who are already familiar with the history would almost certainly give additional stars, but readers who are less so might find it hard to discern exactly what is happening . . .a good amount of the time. My education did not include many specifics on English history and so I am relying on information picked up from watching Showtime's The Tudors, but I feel that was pretty inadequate. Reading this time around with a small group definitely helped as others enlightened the group on the key historical elements regarding the religious views and politics of the time.

This time. Finally. I am ready to move on to [b:Bring Up the Bodies|13507212|Bring Up the Bodies|Hilary Mantel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330649655l/13507212._SY75_.jpg|14512257] with actual enthusiasm. ( )

1520. Inglaterra está a un paso del desastre. Si el rey muere sin un heredero varón, la guerra civil amenaza con destruir el país. Tras veinte años de matrimonio, Enrique VIII quiere divorciarse de Catalina de Aragón y casarse con Ana Bolena. Pero la oposición del papa y de la mayoría de las coronas europeas es tajante, y el rey, enfurecido, pone al límite al cardenal Wolsey, que no consigue el beneplácito de Roma.