'The Mirror & the Light' by Hilary Mantel is the final volume in the Thomas Cromwell trilogy, delving into the life of Cromwell as he navigates the treacherous political landscape of Tudor England, serving King Henry VIII. The novel captures the intricacies of court intrigues, historical events, and Cromwell's internal musings, providing a vivid portrayal of a man striving for power and survival amidst changing alliances and looming downfall.
Mantel's writing style brings the 1500s to life in a historically accurate yet modern way, weaving together a narrative that keeps a tight focus on Cromwell while also exploring the lives of other compelling characters. skillfully depicts Cromwell's gradual downfall, his political maneuverings, and the complex relationships within the Tudor court, offering a masterful completion to the trilogy that immerses readers in the world of Henry VIII's reign.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The novel contains themes of violence, beheadings, executions, and political betrayals, which may be disturbing to some readers.
From The Publisher:
The brilliant #1 New York Times bestseller
Named a best book of 2020 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, The Guardian, and many more
With The Mirror & the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with her peerless, Booker Prize-winning novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man's vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage.
The story begins in May 1536: Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith's son from Putney emerges from the spring's bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour.
Cromwell, a man with only his wits to rely on, has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry's regime to the breaking point, Cromwell's robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. All of England lies at his feet, ripe for innovation and religious reform. But as fortune's wheel turns, Cromwell's enemies are gathering in the shadows. The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry's cruel and capricious gaze?
Eagerly awaited and eight years in the making, The Mirror & the Light completes Cromwell's journey from self-made man to one of the most feared, influential figures of his time. Portrayed by Mantel with pathos and terrific energy, Cromwell is as complex as he is unforgettable: a politician and a fixer, a husband and a father, a man who both defied and defined his age.
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This entire series was a revelation. The world lost an amazing human and one of the century’s best authors when she passed.
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About the Author:
Hilary Mantel is the two-time winner of the Man Booker Prize for her best-selling novels, Wolf Hall, and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. Both novels have been translated into more than 35 languages, and sales for both books have reached over 5 million copies worldwide. She is the author of more than a dozen books, including A Place of Greater Safety, Beyond Black, and the memoir Giving Up the Ghost. In 2014 she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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