The Mirror and the Light

England; 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; Thomas 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.

Wolf Hall

England; the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne; but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his
chief advisor; charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into
this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell; first as Wolsey’s
clerk; and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a
brutal blacksmith; a political genius; a briber; a charmer; a bully; a man with
a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in
pursuit of his own interests; he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is
for himself.

Bring Up the Bodies

With this historic win for Bring Up the Bodies; Hilary Mantel becomes the first
British author and the first woman to be awarded two Man Booker Prizes.By 1535
Thomas Cromwell is Chief Minister to Henry VIII; his fortunes having risen with
those of Anne Boleyn; the king’s new wife. But Anne has failed to give the king
an heir; and Cromwell watches as Henry falls for plain Jane Seymour. Cromwell
must find a solution that will satisfy Henry; safeguard the nation and secure
his own career.