Bring Up the Bodies

A Novel

By: Hilary Mantel

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Man Booker Prize, Fiction, 2012

The sequel to Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times best seller, Wolf Hall delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice. At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne's head?

©2012 Hilary Mantel (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Perfection in story and the telling

Would you listen to Bring Up the Bodies again? Why?

After listening to this and the preceding Wolf Hall, I despair of ever having so much satisfaction on an audiobook and its performance. Mantel's writing is exquisite. Each sentence is carefully crafted, balanced, purposeful. The story is amusing, engrossing, horrifying, comforting, and always compelling. If feels like history but somehow one is transported into Cromwell's head and behind his eyes.

And Vance must feel the same way I do. His reading...his performance....is absolutely spot on.

I will NOT enjoy any other book, or pair of books, as much. It's all downhill from here.

I just wish we would get another volume...perhaps it will yet come. The last words in the book state that the end is the beginning.

What other book might you compare Bring Up the Bodies to and why?

I feel like I have had a course in Tudor history, but with a lot more of the important social and economic detail than you would ever get in a classroom.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Pure magic. Seriously, there must be a lot of scholarship....the details are so dense and believable. But the primary thing is the lyrical writing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

It was too short.

Any additional comments?

Regret that I am done with it. Play it again, Sam.

Enjoyed this one!

I am slowly but surely becoming a fan of Hillary Mantel here. The combination between her and Simon Vance is was very much fitting here. Most persons I have heard speaking about "Bring Up the Bodies" generally tends to say that they preferred the book in the series, "Wolf Hall", to this. Personally though, I found that I enjoyed "Bring Up the Bodies" more.

I've always liked to read about this particular era in British History... the era of the Boleyn's. The downfall of Anne and the sensationalism that surrounded this time is something that I would never predict to happen in real life. Seeing what happens through the vantage point of Thomas Cromwell is pretty fascinating if you ask me. Having to manipulate and contort the law the way he did to fit the whims and fancies of the King of England at the time, Henry VIII. The narration was what I have come to expect from Simon Vance to be honest. Simply flawless.

The story is slightly less interesting than Wolf Hall, but it is just a beautifully written and read.

I am sorry that I have finished both Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies as they were so amazing to listen to!

Makes one appreciate The Bill of Rights

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Beautifully and evocatively written, this is the story of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn and her family. It is told through the eyes of Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell. King Henry appears to be a narcissistic psychopath, a problem if not caused by, certainly exacerbated by his lofty all-powerful political position.

Cromwell, on the other hand, is perfectly aware that what he is doing on the King's behalf is morally and legally wrong. He is simply doing his best to avoid being executed himself. If he takes a deadly revenge for verbal slights along the way he pretends not to enjoy it. At the beginning of this novel, Thomas Moore and Cardinal Wolsey, intimate advisers to the King, have already been publicly humiliated and executed. There is no benefit that would allow a shrewd person to get close to this monarch. He is dangerously paranoid and kills everyone he loves.

I'd particularly recommend this book to people who think capital punishment is a valid legal exercise and that public shaming serves some useful purpose. At one point Cromwell is asked by his son if he believes the queen and her "lovers" are guilty. He says, "They're guilty but not as charged." I have to wonder if, even in our own day, people are wrongfully convicted of crimes and even executed just to get them out of the way.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is a book teeming with great characters. Nonetheless I became most interested in Thomas Cromwell the protagonist. His thinking is obtuse. His decisions as sly at Machiavelli's. His ability to see three moves ahead in this dangerous and hypocritical court lifestyle raised him from a blacksmith's abused son to The Earle of Essex.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have and Simon Vance is one of the finest readers of audio books we have currently. His work is consistently engaging and well-researched. His pronunciation is nearly flawless.

If you could take any character from Bring Up the Bodies out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Honestly I'd be apprehensive about getting close to anyone in this scenario. I don't think my life would be worth the price of the dinner. That said I'd probably enjoy a conversation with the Princess Elizabeth even at her young age in this story. She was the one who survived and to some extent lifted England out of the depression of these dark days. She did not survive because she had so many supporters. She survived because she knew when to hold back and when to push forward.

Any additional comments?

Beautifully written, suspenseful, loaded with both physical and mental action. Historical fiction doesn't get better than this.

Loved it.

Beautifully written. Poetic yet vivid use of the language transports you into the heart of Tudor England. I highly recommend it.

Whoever thought this book was possible?

Cromwell was the last person on earth whom I could have envisioned as sympathetic in some way. A wonderful re telling of a difficult set of facts.

Hillary Mantel at her best!

Where does Bring Up the Bodies rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

1 or 2

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bring Up the Bodies?

No particular moment, not a good question in my opinion.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, well done as usual

Any additional comments?

"what goes around comes around"

Brilliant!

This Audible selection is one of the best ever!! I loved it and will listen to it again and again…

Wolf Hall Part 2 does not disappoint

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend it anyone who has enjoyed reading "Wolf Hall" or enjoyed listening to Simon Slater's rendering of Part 1. It seems about half as long.

What did you like best about this story?

The character of Thomas Cromwell...brilliant and badass...

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The dialogue has an additional dimension...and the story requires a superior reader...which Vance is...as was Simon Slater in Wolf Hall.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes...a number of laughs at the wit of Mantel's channeling of Cromwell.

Any additional comments?

I don't know why Simon Slater wasn't chosen to read...since his rendering of Wolf Hall was one of the greatest performances I've heard but Vance does a very good job of it...and the Cromwell voice choices he makes echo Slater's in the earlier book. Hilary Mantel is a superb writer...a witty and brilliant vision of how things may have been in a very mean and ruthless time period. I enjoyed seeing the fall of several of Cromwell's (and Woolsley's) enemies.

Sequel to Wolf Hall. Very good.

This is the sequel to Hilary Mantel’s award-winning “Wolf Hall”. Here we follow Thomas Cromwell, secretary and advisor to King Henry VIII to the beheading of Anne Boleyn. While King henry was enamoured of Anne Boleyn for seven years, which included his divorce and annulment of his 20-year marriage to Katherine of Aragon, his exiting from the Catholic church and starting his own church in England, and his ultimate marriage to Anne, he soon becomes disenchanted with her. Their marriage lasts three years; no son is born alive, and only a daughter, Elizabeth, lives. Katherine finally dies, and within a few weeks of her death, the gossip surrounding Anne grows to a climax as people perceive the king is willing to hear rumors and innuendos about her unfaithfulness to him. Again, Thomas Cromwell is the primary focus of the novel and we see events unfold through his eyes. We see a man who rose to his high office but remains, so far as nobility is concerned, a commoner. He has dedicated his life and service to King Henry VIII but with no illusions that the king and the nobility could turn on him in a moment. He retains his position through his wit, intelligence and long memory regarding the people around him. The weeks involving Anne Boleyn’s trial, and the trial of other men tried for treason for allegedly taking liberties with her, is terrifying. The actual beheading of Anne Boleyn is gut wrenching, particularly when you learn that she must kneel but will have no block to rest her head on. She must kneel perfectly still in one place so the head will come off with one stroke. Reading about this period reminds me very much of the French Revolution period of chaos. I don’t know if Mantel plans more books leading to the eventual downfall of Cromwell or if this is it. Simon Vance does his usual wonderful job of narration with each character having its own vocal expressions, Cromwell always remaining slightly remote and cool. I assume this book will get some awards as well. It is very good.