Bring Up the Bodies

Bring Up the Bodies is a historical novel by Hilary Mantel; sequel to the award-winning Wolf Hall; and part of a trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the powerful minister in the court of King Henry VIII. It won the 2012 Man Booker Prize and the 2012 Costa Book of the Year. The final novel in the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, was published in March 2020.

Bring up the Bodies
First edition
AuthorHilary Mantel
Audio read bySimon Vance
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThomas Cromwell trilogy
GenreHistorical Fiction
PublisherFourth Estate (UK)/ Henry Holt and Co. (US)
Publication date
8 May 2012
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages432
ISBN978-0805090031
OCLC773667451
823.92
LC ClassPR6063.A438 B75 2012
Preceded byWolf Hall 
Followed byThe Mirror and the Light 

Plot

Bring Up the Bodies picks up shortly after the conclusion of Wolf Hall. The King, and Thomas Cromwell—now Master Secretary to the King's Privy Council—are guests at the Seymour family manor, Wolf Hall. The King shares intimate moments with Jane Seymour and begins to fall in love. The King’s relationship with his present queen, Anne Boleyn, is stormy: sometimes loving, sometimes characterised by angry quarrels. In private, the King tells Cromwell, ‘I cannot live as I have.’ He tires of his wife who gives him neither peace nor sons and wants his marriage ended; Cromwell promises the King he will find a legal way to make this happen.

Ever the dealmaker, Cromwell tries to negotiate a voluntary dissolution of the marriage through Anne’s father, the Earl of Wiltshire, and her brother, Lord Rochford. Wiltshire is willing to negotiate; but Rochford is intransigent, telling Cromwell if Anne and the King reconcile, ‘I will make short work of you.’

Cromwell enquires amongst those close to Anne and hears rumours she has been adulterous. The musician, Mark Smeaton, and Anne's sister-in-law, Lady Rochford, are especially helpful in passing rumours. Cromwell begins to build his case against Anne. With enough testimony to have her arrested and tried on capital charges, the King seems willing to see Anne destroyed if it serves his purposes. Mindful that many of those closest to Anne relished the ruin of his old mentor, Cardinal Wolsey, Cromwell relishes the opportunity to bring them down as well. In the end, Anne and several of her confidantes, including her brother, are tried and executed. Cromwell is sure not all the evidence against them is true; but he is willing to do what he must to serve the King, and to avenge Wolsey; and having begun the process—and if he is to survive—he must see it through. The King focuses on a new marriage to Jane Seymour; Cromwell is rewarded for his efforts with a barony, and his position as the King's chief adviser seems assured.

Publication

Bring Up the Bodies was published in May 2012, by Harper Collins in the United Kingdom and by Henry Holt and Co. in the United States, to critical acclaim.[1][2]

Reception

Janet Maslin reviewed the novel positively in The New York Times:

[The book's] ironic ending will be no cliffhanger for anyone even remotely familiar with Henry VIII's trail of carnage. But in Bring Up the Bodies it works as one. The wonder of Ms. Mantel's retelling is that she makes these events fresh and terrifying all over again."[2]

Adaptations

In January 2013, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) announced it would stage adaptations by Mike Poulton of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies in its winter season.[3]

A six-part BBC television series Wolf Hall, the adaptation of the books Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, starring Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis and Jonathan Pryce broadcast in the UK in January 2015[4] and the United States in April 2015.

Awards and honours
gollark: No.
gollark: > And in about 140 years you wont really care about anything anymore.Are you assuming my mortality‽
gollark: I assume in some cases it's meant ironically, but who even knows.
gollark: The internet really seems to love hating furries for some reason.
gollark: >5mW is non-eye-safe, I think.

References
  1. Atwood, Margaret (4 May 2012). "Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel". The Guardian (review). London. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  2. Maslin, Janet (1 May 2012). "A Canny Henchman, Targeting the Queen". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  3. "David Tennant to play Richard II at the RSC". Daily Telegraph. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  4. "Wolf Hall adaptation planned for BBC Two". BBC News. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  5. Flood, Alison (5 December 2012). "EL James comes out on top at National Book awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  6. Staff writer (2 January 2013). "Hilary Mantel wins 2012 Costa novel prize". BBC News. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  7. McCrum, Robert (29 January 2013). "Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies: a middlebrow triumph". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  8. Rahim, Sameer (29 January 2013). "Costa Book Award: who would dare refuse Hilary Mantel her crown?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  9. Staff writer (30 January 2013). "Hilary Mantel wins Costa Book Award". BBC News. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  10. Daley, David (23 December 2012). "The What To Read Awards: Top 10 Books of 2012". Salon. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  11. "Shortlist for 2013 Walter Scott Prize Announced". Borders Book Festival. 18 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  12. "Tan Twan Eng wins The Walter Scott Prize". Borders Book Festival. 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
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