We’ve come to the end
Like the previous volume in the trilogy, TMATL opens with Cromwell reflecting over a dead person. In this case it is the freshly beheaded Anne Boleyn and the five men who were accused of having an affair with her, Then it’s business as usual.
At this point of the book Thomas Cromwell is King Henry the VIII’s right hand person and he has a lot of problems to solve. There’s the king’s first daughter Mary, who is declaring that she is the rightful heir, The king’s niece who decided to marry without her uncle’s permission, errant bishops, papists, illegitimate children, finding a wife for his legitimate, potential wars, strained relations between France and England, there’s uprisings, financial problems and a resurgence of a plague. Plus king Henry’s health and temper are getting worse AND although he finally gets that coveted heir, his wife dies and he needs a new queen.
And Cromwell has to solve it all.
Cromwell is unstoppable, unfortunately he lets all the power go to his head and after the unwise choice of siding with an Anabaptist, he is accused of treason and is killed as well. All three books end with a execution but this one is by far the most emotional one.
I have spoken about the other themes in the past volumes : animal imagery, social class, tapestry and mythology so I won’t go into them and rather focus on the new themes which emerge,
The Mirror & the Light has many passages devoted to Cromwell’s past exploits in other countries. These were just hinted at but now we see how they shaped his way of thought. Not only is Cromwell remembering about his youth but his more immediate past is haunting him in the shape of ghosts of the people he allowed to be executed (quite a Shakespearean move)
The reader is also presented with a Britain which is divided, a place full of unrest and rebellion. All their leader can do is act like an infant and contradict himself while whining about how wife number four (Anne of Cleves) does not satisfy him , also acting upon whim – does it sound familiar?
One last theme which stood out was how power corrupts. In Cromwell’s case, it leads to his downfall with all his trusted associates turning against him and finding insignificant details in his life and twisting them around so they look like Cromwell was committing treason. Saying that he did the same thing to St. Thomas More and Anne Boleyn. It could be a case of just desserts.
As always, the writing is impeccable. There’s a bucketload of gorgeous sentences, light crumbs of humor and labyrinthine descriptions. TMATL is a wordsmith’s dream. Not too mention that the last chapter could possibly the best piece I’ve read in quite a while.
Saying that I did find the book a bit flabby at times and felt that it could have needed a bit more editing. Plus what was the significance of introducing a new character in the form of Cromwell’s illegitimate daughter? to show fatherly instincts? so yes, the book is flawed but, honestly after investing so much time in this trilogy and reading Mantel’s goose flesh inducing prose, an extra 100 pages is really a minor irritation. TMATL is a fitting conclusion.
So now get up
The first two volumes of the Cromwell trilogy:
The Bobsphere 