Darlings, This Book Would Have Been Better, If Told From The Viewpoint Of The Royal Dwarf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     I am telling you, girls, good as Hilary Mantel's second novel in the Wolf Hall Trilogy is, the Royal Dwarf steals the show!  At first, she is just a plump, little lump, hovering in Lady Anne Boleyn's chamber, cackling maniacally and making manic gestures.  She goes from this to aggressive sexual behavior, where she runs throughout the castle, pulling up her skirt, and showing everyone she can what is referred to here as "her quinny."  Guess I am a bit naive, dolls; I certainly know--or think I do--all the terms for the male genitalia, but hardly the female!  "Quinny?"  That is a new one, to me.  I hope some dumb, uninformed "Judge Judy" candidate type, does not name a child or pet this!  What a time there would be in public school!!!!!!!!!  That is, if the teachers knew anything! Which I would not be too sure about!!!!!!!!!!

                                    I could just not get enough of the Royal Dwarf, reading this book! And, I am telling you, if this is made into a movie, it would not surprise me if Linda Hunt (assuming she is not thought over the hill!!!!!!) would be cast, in this pivotal role!!!!!!!!!!  Or maybe Jennifer Dundas, if she could actually get hired for some A-list film work!!!!!!!  She's certainly short enough!  And she can act!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     The problem with the book is that the trilogy, as Mantel has set it up, is basically about Thomas Cromwell, so he is the true star.  While the Royal Dwarf livens things up, there is not enough of her, which is why I personally wanted the story told from her point of view!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       The book is also quite a stylistic departure from "Wolf Hall."  The first volume in the trilogy, maybe because of its being such, was extremely detailed, densely worded and just a bit on the
pedantic side. It was fascinating, nevertheless.

                                          I was expecting the same thing with this book, but the more I got into it, details and all, the more it read like well written popular fiction.  I finished the last 100 or so pages in a single sitting,
my eyes riveted to the page, unable to tear myself away from a story I knew in the first place.  Forty or more
years before, I had seen the movie, "Anne Of The Thousand Days," with Richard Burton as Henry VIII, a young and captivating Genevieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn, and Irene Pappas as Catherine Of Aragon!!!!!!!!!!  As these characters are prominent in this novel, I could not get the images of these actors out of my  mind.  Nor, as Anne was being led to her execution, could I erase from my mind the cries of the crowd, in the movie, jeering at her, "Poor King's whore!!!!!!!!!"

                                           Whether Anne was a victim or a vixen History has not still not wrapped its definitive fingers around, which is why the subject continues to be grappled with.  Despite knowing basically how things turn out here, the riveting quality of Mantel's writing makes "Bring Up The Bodies" (and there IS a meaning to the title!!!!!!!!!) a compelling read!!!!!!!!!!

                                             I cannot wait for the third book, to see how she brings it all together!!!!!!!!

                                              And, please, bring back the Royal Dwarf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!