Though historical fiction isn't a genre I have much familiarity with, this book was engrossing enough to get me out of my comfort zone. Awareness of the Tudor England time period might give the book a greater sense of irony, but I found the characters and their various political maneuvers were plenty interesting without prior knowledge. The terse and quietly expressive writing makes the setting feel uncertain and alive without the characters feeling like modern 21st century inserts. You might learn something by accident after reading this book, but it never feels like homework.
Publisher's description:
Assuming the power recently lost by the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell counsels a mercurial Henry VIII on the latter's efforts to marry Anne Boleyn against the wishes of Rome, a successful endeavor that comes with a dangerous price. Employing a vast array of historical characters, and a story overflowing with incident, the author turns Tudor England into a compelling piece of fiction. Mantel re-creates an era when the personal and political are separated by a hairsbreadth, where success brings unlimited power but a single failure means death.