Mantel paints Tudor England in such colour that it seems to snap into reality: the lusciousness of the food, the scents rippling into the air and, above all, the sheer detail of the clothing. When the effort kills her, Cromwell helps his king shop abroad for a fourth wife: Anna of Cleves, the German princess whose looks do not live up to her portrait. The new queen is pale, placid Jane Seymour, whom Mantel depicts as a still pond with hidden depths, possessing a quiet wit that surfaces in rare moments and a kindness that will serve her ill at court.īut the weight of a kingdom's hopes lies heavy on the son in her womb. He has helped remove Katherine of Aragon, Henry's first wife, and ruin Anne, ripping their respective daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, from the succession. He has done the dirty work of keeping the kingdom together and is loathed for it throughout the land by lords and the laity alike. He has reached his apotheosis as Baron and Lord Privy Seal.
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