In her award-winning trilogy of novels about Thomas Cromwell, the consigliere and fixer for Henry VIII, Hilary Mantel explores the dynamic of how the son of a violent and abusive father, over many years as a soldier, a merchant, and ultimately a self-made lawyer makes his presence known at court through his sharp insights and practical wisdom. Those of noble and aristocratic birth do not appreciate the rising influence of this low-born peasant. Early in the first novel in the... Read more