In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII's court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king's favor and ascend to the heights of political power
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years, and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. The quest for the king's freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum.
Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?
In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel presents a picture of a half-made society on the cusp of change, where individuals fight or embrace their fate with passion and courage. With a vast array of characters, overflowing with incident, the novel re-creates an era when the personal and political are separated by a hairbreadth, where success brings unlimited power but a single failure means death.
First published in 1958 and set in the early 17th century, this bestselling novel—and follow-up to Katherine—follows Elizabeth Winthrop, a courageous Puritan woman who finds herself at odds with her heritage and surroundings. A real hist...
THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER...NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king. A rich and compelling novel of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The Other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordin...
In the spirit of Loving Frank and The Paris Wife, acclaimed novelist Melanie Benjamin pulls back the curtain on the marriage of one of America’s most extraordinary couples: Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. “The history [...
The second book in The Cousins’ War series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory, The Red Queen moves to the Lancaster side, in a story of a determined woman who believes she is destined to shape the course of history....
Philippa Gregory, "the queen of royal fiction" (USA Today) Presents the first of a new series set amid the deadly feuds of England known as the Wars of the Roses. Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this d...
Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable contribution in modern fiction: a new perspective of female life in biblical society. It is a vast and stirring work described as what the Bible might have been had it been wr...
A glorious, sweeping novel of desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed. In The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert returns to ...
Gone with the Wind is turned upside down in this stunning debut novel of the antebellum South, a tragic story of pageturning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.When a white servant girl violates the order of pl...
Narrator: Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin Published: 04/26/2010
In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history. The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family—all with the ex...
AudiobooksNow review by Saundra foderick on 2017-11-30 23:59:01
Enjoyed Mantel's Bring up the Bodies and Wolf Hall, so expected to like this as well. Problem is, the reader has one simpering high voice for all female characters, a French accent for Eustace Chapuys that reminds the reader of comic book French characters (think Peppy LePeau), and other oddities. So, I cannot give a high rating to an otherwise enjoyable book.
