Paperback, 653 pages
English language
Published Oct. 3, 2011 by Harper Perennial.
Assuming the power recently lost by the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell counsels a mercurial Henry VIII on the latter's efforts to marry Anne Boleyn against the wishes of Rome, a successful endeavor that comes with a dangerous price.England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but he has no male heir. Despite opposition from the pope and most of Europe, he is determined to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The quest for the king's freedom destroys his brilliant adviser, Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum and a deadlock. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. A political genius, a briber, a bully and a charmer, Cromwell has broken all the rules of a rigid society in his ascent to power, and he is preparing to break some more. Pitting himself against parliament, the political establishment and the papacy, he is prepared to reshape …
Assuming the power recently lost by the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell counsels a mercurial Henry VIII on the latter's efforts to marry Anne Boleyn against the wishes of Rome, a successful endeavor that comes with a dangerous price.England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but he has no male heir. Despite opposition from the pope and most of Europe, he is determined to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The quest for the king's freedom destroys his brilliant adviser, Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum and a deadlock. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. A political genius, a briber, a bully and a charmer, Cromwell has broken all the rules of a rigid society in his ascent to power, and he is preparing to break some more. Pitting himself against parliament, the political establishment and the papacy, he is prepared to reshape Efigland to his own and Henry's desires.
The longer this book went on, the less I liked it. After Anne Boleyn married Henry, I felt like the book lost its focus.
The longer this book went on, the less I liked it. After Anne Boleyn married Henry, I felt like the book lost its focus.
