Thank You, Man Booker Judges, for Making Me Dance

I was so thrilled this morning to hear that Hilary Mantel had won the Man Booker Prize for Bring Up the Bodies! I had assumed since she got the prize three years ago for Wolf Hall, they'd pass her over.

Sometimes greatness does win out!







(Me dancing around Hilary Mantel. Scary, I know. Good thing it's only virtual.)

Yes, you have to get used to how deep the third person limited POV is, in that Cromwell very rarely refers to himself as Cromwell but as just one more of the many Tudor "he's." My trick was to assume any "he, him, his" without clear precedent was Cromwell. Worked almost every time.

Another writer might have used the first person for this depth of character penetration, but I find the third person is brilliant, as it gives just that bit of distance that suits the historical. Also, I don't know by what conceit Cromwell would be narrating his story in the first person. Journal? Nah. Formal autobiography? Nah. "As told to," nah.

These books had, for me, the very rare quality of making me want to rush ahead with the story, yet linger to admire the wit of the dialogue and beauty of the description.

Anyhow, still dancing!