The Mirror and the Light

Finale. Spoiler alert: in the third installment of Hilary Mantel’s novels featuring Thomas Cromwell, he dies. Readers who loved the first two novels may be pleased that it takes almost eight hundred pages to wrap up his story in the finale titled, The Mirror and the Light. Even for those readers who already know the details of the historical period covered, Mantel finds ways to maintain our interest in whether King Henry will die before Cromwell. Mantel also finds ways to help readers understand both the consistency of the main characters and how they change over time. Cromwell’s machinations in service of the king have made him weary. The same ways in which he vanquished adversaries are now used by his enemies to bring Cromwell down. Fans of historical fiction can admire the ways in which Mantel brings the people and time to life as we read all three books. Historians may quibble about her hits and misses, but for readers looking to escape and be entertained, this book will be a pleasure. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Mirror and the Light from amazon.com.