Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

If you’re going to get yourself laid up in bed with a foot operation for a week or so, this is the book for you. It is a piece of wonderfully intricate, detailed historical fiction, dealing with the early part of Thomas Cromwell’s career with Henry VIII. Mantel gives Cromwell a human face, a far more familiar aspect than you get from the historical accounts, where he appears as a brutal and manipulating force (which I’m sure he was). This book is a fascinating exploration of the complex politics of the time – it certainly makes the nonsense the current political parties get up to seem like kiddies’ play! A definite 5 star read this one.