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Mantel Pieces: The New Book from The Sunday Times Best Selling Author of the Wolf Hall Trilogy

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Excellent set of essays, many covering similar historical periods as those covered in her novels, all well-written with memorable phrases and her wonderful cutting intelligence and humour. I enjoyed getting the benefit of her research on Tudor England and revolutionary France from an angle slightly different than her novels. On Charles Brandon – this essay stood out to me because I realised that while I enjoyed reading the review, it made me not want to read the book

Mantel Pieces: Royal Bodies and Other Writing from the Mantel Pieces: Royal Bodies and Other Writing from the

Anderson's book begins, as it should, with the prodigal, the violent, the gross. But what do you expect? Madonna's wedding was different from other people's. The most famous essay in this collection of pieces that Mantel wrote from the London Review of Books is Mantel’s “Royal Bodies”. The response to this essay was in part anger, in particular because of a description of Kate Middleton that describes as a “jointed doll on which certain rags are hung . . . a shop-window mannequin with no personality of her own, entirely define by what she wore” (269) and “Kate seems to have been selected for her role of princess because she was irreproachable: as painfully thin as anyone could wish” (271) and perhaps most damningly “What does Kate read? It’s a question” (271). Another GR reviewer calls Mantel Pieces an "inessential" Mantel book. I don't know anything about that, I've only read this and the Cromwell novels, but it's definitely one of those collections you shouldn't feel guilty for not reading straight through; if you're like me, you'll probably like it better if you don't. These, in my opinion, were the highlights: In my Catholic childhood, I had a fascination with the stories of women who became Catholic saints, so the essay on "holy anorexia" found its perfect audience. Her piece on the way “royal bodies” are viewed and treated by the public and the media is forceful.Interspersed among the essays themselves are photocopied correspondences between Mantel and her LRB editor, Mary-Kay Wilmers. Many of these are a chore to make out, being both tiny and handwritten, and since they seem to be selected almost at random I'm not really sure what the benefit will be for most readers. Fun if you'd like a glimpse at how the sausage is made, I suppose. Sublime, as you'd expect. What is new, however, is that when she sinks her teeth into a subject, she's brutal: “Our heroine is charmless, foul-mouthed [...] We know that in this film we are seeing the real Madonna - for we know from her other films that she cannot act”. The essays that shine through all focalise on misogyny - the infamous Royal Bodies, the Hair Shirt Sisterhood, and Britain's Last Witch; she takes figures of history who have been mythologised, and dissects the phallocentric iconography that has warped their image. And as someone who is still haunted by periods of physical and mental ill health, Meeting The Devil is the essay that lingers in my mind with a spectral quality. She writes about the visceral and mental aspects of pain so well: Overall, what I enjoyed most was her approach to writing about history, summed up for me in these two quotes: I found every review interesting, even if I thought the book itself wouldn’t be for me. For example, the first review was of Shere Hite’s 1988 effort 'Women and Love'. I’m familiar with Ms Hite’s work from the days when I worked in a bookstore, in California. Mantel nails Hite succinctly calling her work “an uneasy blend of prurience and pedantry”. Ouch! Or, iconoclastically titling the review of Chris Anderson’s book 'In Bed with Madonna' as 'Plain Girl’s Revenge Made Flesh'. These essays are culled from Mantel’s semi-regular contributions to the London Review of Books over a period of many years. Most are based on books she’s reviewing, chosen because they’re of interest to her for one reason or another. The story of a medium prosecuted for being a witch—in the 1940s—greatly interests Mantel, and so interested me, especially as it turns into an indictment of the type of people (gender- and class-wise) deemed guilty.

Solid Oak Fireplace Mantels | Wooden Beam Fireplace Mantels

This collection of essays spans a 30 year period: 1987-2017, so it’s understandable Mantel might have been tempted to make some changes. But no changes were needed. Watching her mind at work, pondering all manner of subjects from monarchy to witchcraft, was awe-inspiring. Like a Tudor detective, Mantel ferrets out the slightest whiff of historical overreach whilst managing to land some sly burns not once, but twice, to the hapless Phillipa Gregory.I am a big fan of Mantel's writing, although as a writer I am constantly depressed by her with the ever present thought of "how does she write so brilliantly" coupled with the knowledge I won't write anything as good. I think this book is really for the hard core fans rather than just anyone who likes her Wolf Hall trilogy or other works. It consists on selected writing from the London Review of books which she is a frequent reviewer for - including her essay Royal Bodies which caused quite a stir a few years ago, (although for those of a calmer disposition with relation to anything to do with royalty it is hard to see why).

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