After having trouble with Wolf Hall, I was reluctant to continue with the series. I am glad I did! Bring Up the Bodies was much easier to read than its predecessor. Hilary Mantel (or her editors) finally got rid of the "he" problem with the sometimes awkward construction: "He, Cromwell."

I have learned by now that Mantel is telling the story of Cromwell. He (yes, he, Cromwell) is the center of attention; not Henry, not Anne. Cromwell is really stuck in an ugly place; he has no choice but to do the king's bidding. To Mantel's credit, she maintains some suspense even though we know the outcome. Cromwell is portrayed as a subtle, brilliant, vindictive, selfish man, and I mean this in all the best ways.

My favorite quotes from this book:

By Henry: "We cannot help what we do, really. Once you are thundering down at a man, you cannot check." He says this while preparing for jousting, but really, isn't that just Henry in a nutshell?

By Cromwell: "You know I am not a man with whom you can have inconsequential conversations."