Wolf Hall
by Hilary Mantel
★ Top 25 book of 2009 · #14 on Best Books of 2009
Covering 1500 to 1535, this historical novel offers a sympathetic fictionalised portrait of Thomas Cromwell as he climbs to power in Henry VIII's court. It launched a trilogy and earned major literary prizes.
Best for: Readers who love Tudor court drama and richly told historical fiction
Wolf Hall is #14 on BookWard's Best Books of 2009, out of 42 2009 books that cleared our data bar.
What Wolf Hall is about
Thomas Cromwell begins as a teenager who runs from his abusive father and tries his luck as a soldier in France. By 1527 he has become a lawyer, a husband and father of three, and the right-hand man of Cardinal Wolsey. Then personal loss strikes: the sweating sickness takes his wife and two daughters, and his sister-in-law Johane comes to keep his house.
When Wolsey falls from favour for failing to secure Henry VIII's annulment from Catherine of Aragon, Cromwell vows vengeance on those behind it and finds a place on the King's council. He goes on to advise Anne Boleyn and help prepare her path to the crown. Running from 1500 to 1535, this Booker Prize winner is a sympathetic fictionalised biography of Thomas Cromwell's rapid rise to power in the court of Henry VIII. It is the first of a trilogy.
Wolf Hall on the Best Books of 2009
Wolf Hall came out in 2009. Of the 42 books first published in 2009 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #14 on our Best Books of 2009 list.
Why it made the list: 397 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (38 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2009 list
- Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Travis Bradberry, #12
- The Forty Rules of Love Elif Şafak, #13
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind William Kamkwamba, #15
- The 50Th Law Robert Greene, #16
See all Best Books of 2009 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2008 Best Books of 2010.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 329 want to read it, 13 are reading it now and 55 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4 out of 5 from 38 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 69 | 55% |
| Reader love | 60 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 55 | 20% |
Questions about Wolf Hall
When was Wolf Hall published?
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel was first published in 2009.
Was Wolf Hall one of the best books of 2009?
Wolf Hall is #14 on BookWard's Best Books of 2009, out of 42 2009 books that cleared our data bar. 397 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (38 ratings).
Why is Wolf Hall on the Best Books of 2009 list?
397 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (38 ratings).
More of the best books of 2009
- The Last Olympian Rick Riordan, #1
- Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, #2
- The Maze Runner James Dashner, #3
- The Help Kathryn Stockett, #4
- Dork Diaries Rachel Renée Russell, #5
- I Will Teach You to Be Rich Ramit Sethi, #6
See the full Best Books of 2009, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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