Wolf Hall Review 👑📚 | Why Hilary Mantel’s Tudor Masterpiece is #3 on NYT’s Best of the 21st Century

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Why does Wolf Hall rank #3 on the New York Times Best Books of the 21st Century list? 👑📚

In this video, I review Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, the Booker Prize–winning historical novel that redefined how we see Tudor England and Thomas Cromwell.

This reading is part of my ongoing journey through the NYT Best Books of the 21st Century list that came out in 2024. I’m working from 100 to 1, and since Bring Up the Bodies appears at #95, I knew I needed to start with Wolf Hall, which sits all the way up at #3. 🎯📖

In this review we discuss:
• 📜 A detailed summary of the novel
• 🏰 Cromwell’s rise from blacksmith’s son to Henry VIII’s chief minister
• ⚖️ The fall of Cardinal Wolsey
• 👑 The political maneuvering behind Henry’s break with Rome
• 🧠 Mantel’s research process and historical accuracy
• 📚 How this novel reshapes the narrative of the English Reformation
• 🤔 Whether Mantel’s sympathetic portrayal of Cromwell holds up

As a historian, I also explore the tension between historical fiction and historical fact. How accurate is Wolf Hall? What liberties does Mantel take?

And how should readers approach dialogue and interior monologue in a novel grounded in real archival figures?

If you love serious historical fiction, Tudor history, the English Reformation, Booker Prize winners, or modern literary canon discussions, this is a must-read and a must-watch.

Let me know in the comments:
Do you agree with the NYT ranking?
Is Cromwell hero, villain, or something more complicated?
Have you read the full trilogy?
On this channel, I read widely. Fiction, nonfiction, Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award lists, classics, fantasy, and more. After all, the name of the channel is Spencer Reads Everything. 📚✨

📚 I am currently working through all of the 100 NY Times best books of the 21st century, check out my playlist for more reviews.
➡️    • NY Times Best Books of 2024  

👇 Watch more from these playlists:
📘 Very Short Introduction Series ➡️    • A Very Short Introduction Series  

🎓 The Great Courses Reviews ➡️    • The Great Courses  

🎙 Welcome to Spencer Reads Everything, where we review books of every genre.

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0:00 Hook
0:25 Introduction
2:12 Hilary Mantel
3:51 Spoiler Warning!
4:42 Wolf Hall Summary
9:25 Historical Value
14:04 Personal Reaction
15:58 Who is this for?
16:59 Who is this NOT for?
18:08 Final Thoughts