The Mirror and the Light
The Wolf Hall Trilogy, Book 3
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The Mirror and the Light
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Narrated by:
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Ben Miles
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By:
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Hilary Mantel
About this listen
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020
The long-awaited sequel to Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, the stunning conclusion to Hilary Mantel’s Man Booker Prize-winning Thomas Cromwell trilogy.
‘If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?’
England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith’s son from Putney emerges from the spring’s bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen. Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to breaking point, Cromwell’s robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. But can a nation, or a person, shed the past like a skin? Do the dead continually unbury themselves? What will you do, the Spanish ambassador asks Cromwell, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him?
With The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man’s vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage.
©2020 Hilary Mantel (P)2020 W. F. Howes LtdListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
“You’ll frequently hit the rewind button to fully appreciate the many, many perfect passages.” (Irish Times)
“Actor Ben Miles played Cromwell in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, making him the perfect choice to narrate the remarkable final instalment in the Man Booker Prize-winning trilogy.” (Vogue)
What listeners say about The Mirror and the Light
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Donna B
- 08-03-20
I don’t have a problem with the narrator.
Several chapters in, and I’m really enjoying this. The narration is fine. Hearing Cromwell speak with an estuary accent raised my eyebrows a bit at first, but I got used to it.
Only problem is I read the first two books so many years ago, I can’t remember the details of some of the characters. Obviously, the main characters are ok, but I’m struggling to remember which one is Norfolk, and which one is Suffolk for example.
The print book has family trees. That would be useful as a download .
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. J. Slade
- 19-03-20
In Defence of Ben Miles
I'm mystified at the number of negative reviews for Ben Miles. He's a fine actor who played Cromwell for the Royal Shakespeare Company and was Hilary Mantel's choice. The pace is just right and the choice of voices for the characters is well judged. I like that Cromwell sounds like the man he is.
Certainly, the quality of narration can make or mar the enjoyment of an audiobook. My own preference is for a natural delivery rather than the more theatrical approach of some readers.
As for the book itself, it's everything I expected it to be.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- esther curry
- 25-03-20
Sublime narration
What can be added about Hilary Mantel and Ben Miles ! Superb final book I could not stop listening.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nooton
- 16-04-20
A very special author
A unmissable novel of the highest literary merit. An intense political drama with not a word out of place. Outstanding.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-04-20
Wonderful
I thoroughly enjoyed this narration of The Mirror and the Light. Very engaging and very well narrated.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ros
- 14-04-20
Narrator fantastic
I am really fussy about narrators and thought Ben Miles was fantastic. I am so surprised others disagree.
My favourite of the three books in terms of story and narration by far.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul Young
- 14-03-20
Such a shame...
I hate to jump on the bandwagon of poor reviews, and apologies to Ben Miles but the narration on this isn't good...so much so that I've stopped listening and ordered the Hardback. The style, lack of nuance and the subtle intonation of the previous two books are just not there. Maybe I'm just so used to the "voice" (Simon Slater and Simon Vance) of Cromwell from the previous novels I'm being harsh, but for me this just doesn't work as well. Ms Mantel should insist on a new version ASAP. Sorry!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-08-21
Well worth your monthly credit!
Great story, great narration too. Not a casual listen - I have been in bed all year with a chronic illness so my brains not good and I can't read. Because of this I had to take a break, listen to the abridged version before coming back to get the full experience. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, even listening the second time!
My other fave Mantel book is Beyond Black. I'm sad but not too sad this has finished as I'm listening to her French Revolution one next :)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- christopher morgan
- 21-07-21
Exceptional!
An outstanding performance by Ben Miles of Cromwell's complex character. A masterpiece of a book bringing Cromwell to life against the backdrop of his past and the treacherous Henrician court.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nicola Valentine
- 15-08-21
Amazing trilogy
How can a story be so utterly compelling when you know exactly how it ends? I just loved this beginning to end
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