An utterly unreadable book. Probably the most boring novel I have ever encountered.

Its fundamental failure is that there is hardly any novel in it at all — there is no story. The historical background has been recreated superbly, but who would want to look only at the background of a painting that says nothing? Who would want to listen to nothing but an accompaniment without a leading theme?

The author seems more interested in reconstructing historical stage directions than in creating a living narrative.

In addition, the exhausting and at times almost experimental narration often makes it difficult to understand who is actually speaking and what is happening.

The novel is supposed to tell the story of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s trusted adviser, yet its central character remains surprisingly pale. Often referred to simply as “he”, he disappears among dozens of other figures presented with almost equal emphasis.

Even if Cromwell had been brought more clearly into the foreground, however, it would have changed little. For most of the book, he does nothing beyond moving from place to place and taking part in one conversation after another.

The book lacks psychological depth. We do not discover the characters’ true motivations, their inner conflicts or the intellectual disputes that might hold the reader’s attention.

Mantel’s fundamental mistake seems to be a failure to understand the novel as a story about something — rather than merely a reconstruction of an era.

Boredom.

Unless otherwise indicated, quotations have been translated for this article from the Polish edition.