Review: You Don't Have to Have a Dream by Tim Minchin

I have a nephew graduating from high school in 2026 and I've always loved the graduation addresses that sometimes go viral around this time of year. Favourites from the past have included: The Commencement Speech at the University of the Arts in 2012 given by Neil Gaiman and best remembered for the key message of 'make good art' and the Class Day Address at Columbia's School of the Arts given by David Sedaris in 2023. There are plenty more and occasionally I'm inspired to venture down that rabbit hole again for a little inspiration.

Tim Minchin is an Australian musician, comedian and actor and was awarded the Order of Australia in 2020 for his contributions to the performing arts. He's given an address to graduates on three separate occasions and in this book, You Don't Have to Have a Dream - Advice for the Incrementally Ambitious by Tim Minchin you can read them. In basic terms, there's one about being human, one about being a musician and one about being an actor.

Illustrated by Andrew Rae, each speech is accompanied by an introduction and the content surrounding the essays tie it all together. The speeches are as follows:

• Nine Life Lessons delivered to University of Western Australia, 2013
• The Trick delivered to The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, 2019
• You've Always Wanted to be an Actor delivered to Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London 2015

I've just had a look and these speeches are all available to watch on YouTube for those so inclined and they each contain a few pearls of wisdom like this one:

"A famous bon mot asserts that opinions are like arseholes, in that everyone has one. There is great wisdom in this... But I would add that opinions differ significantly from arseholes, in that yours should be constantly and thoroughly examined." Page 38

In his address You've Always Wanted to be an Actor, Tim tells his audience unapologetically that if they want to make a career as a musician or an actor they need to spend all their time, energy and money getting good at it. They also need to figure out what it is that they're good at. Amusingly, Minchin gives an example by sharing his own strengths:

"The thing I am best in the world at is being a science-obsessed uber-rhymey polemicist pianist singer-satirist wanker." Page 82

Classic! Ultimately however, the language and messages the book contains are clearly aimed at university graduates and understandably best suited to those in the arts industry. This means it won't make an appropriate graduation gift for the recipient I had in mind but was an enjoyable read none the less.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: The 500 Lunches Effect by Nick Bendel

* Copy courtesy of Publish Central *

When I learned Nick Bendel had lunch with 500 different people over the course of a few years and wrote about his experience in a book, I had to read it! At first I was deeply curious about The 500 Lunches Effect - How Social Courage Changes Everything by Nick Bendel. Would the author provide highlights in chronological order, group the conversations by person, occupation, theme of conversation, level of impact or something else entirely? Turns out it was something else entirely and Bendel takes the helicopter view to set out the life lessons he learned about social courage as part of this mammoth social experiment.

Inspired after reading 100 Lunches with Strangers by Kaley Chu, Nick Bendel decided he wanted to go one step - or 400 steps - further and have lunch with 500 strangers. He contacted Kaley in August 2019 and flew to her city to meet up with her for his very first lunch of the experiment. One down, 499 to go! Bendel points out that Kaley's immediate acceptance was an anomaly and that he rarely received an acceptance or even a reply to his invitations.

"During the six years it took to complete the project, I sent thousands of cold messages on LinkedIn* and email. Roughly 90 per cent never replied. Over the years, fewer than a dozen people responded to explicitly decline. Everyone else simply didn't answer. But eventually, 500 people said yes. And those 500 yeses changed my life." Page 16

I found it interesting that some of the lunch guests the author thought would be impressive weren't. And some of the people he had low expectations of ended up teaching him something important. There was no way of predicting which conversations would be challenging or profound, and people who looked accomplished and successful on paper often disappointed him in person. Bendel shares that a few conversations shifted his thinking entirely and a handful of them even changed the trajectory of his life.

Several themes kept showing up, and essentially:

"People want to feel seen. They want to feel heard. They want to feel interesting, valued and safe. When those conditions exist, trust forms quickly." Page 24

Nick Bendel was a socially withdrawn introvert and he takes the time to reiterate that this project didn't automatically make him into a gregarious extrovert. He's noticed some people wait for the confidence to act in a social setting, whereas he's now of the opinion that you need to act before feeling confident and that confidence will follow.

Bendel also advises that the more times you do something, the less difficult it feels and after reaching out to strangers on a regular basis, this act of social courage began to feel routine to him as time passed. As a consequence, his ability to tolerate mild discomfort improved and his threshold for social discomfort shifted which unlocked behaviours for him that would previously have felt out of reach.

The author offers advice on how to start a conversation and equally points out what 'not to do' which often causes more social anxiety. Much of it makes sense to me but could be life changing for readers who live in their head, focus on trying to impress a person they're in conversation with or lose time worrying about how they're coming across instead of relaxing and being present in the moment.

I did find myself wishing he'd included the content of his cold call lunch invitations in full as an appendix to the book. I'm sure every reader would be curious to see his approach and find out if he tweaked his invitations as the years ticked by. I also wanted more details on the 500 lunch participants and a breakdown of stats for those into that sort of thing would certainly have earned the book another star in this review. Definitely two missed opportunities in my opinion.

Reading The 500 Lunches Effect so soon after Once Upon a Stranger - The Science of How 'Small Talk' Can Add Up to a Big Life by Dr Gillian Sandstrom turned out to be a good move as they complement each other with surprisingly little overlap.

I think I'm warming up more and more to the idea of stunt non fiction like this where a person makes a commitment to take on an unusual and extremely challenging experiment for a fixed period of time or until a specific goal is met and then writes a book about their experience. Another stunt fiction book I've enjoyed is 365 Thank Yous - The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life by John Kralik and The 500 Lunches Effect is an excellent addition to this sub genre of non fiction. 

The 500 Lunches Effect - How Social Courage Changes Everything by Nick Bendel will appeal to readers looking to expand their social and/or professional circle who perhaps lack the incentive, motivation, courage or communication skills to do so.

* Hopefully I'm not the only one who read this and rushed to check my LinkedIn messages just in case Nick Bendel had asked me to lunch and I missed it.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton

Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton was too short. Too brief. Period. It's a fictional account of the life of Margaret Lucas who was born in 1623, married and later became Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Covering her childhood, marriage and later exile, the book focusses on her infertility problems and her writing, which soon becomes her life's focus. Some of her prose was included in the novel, however I wasn't able to connect with her writing style yet readily acknowledge her book The Blazing World is considered to be one of the first in the science fiction genre.

In addition, I found it confusing that the narrative voice changes between first person and third person and then I was thrown for a loop when the reader is given a brief third person perspective from none other than the diarist of the day Samuel Pepys.

In 1667, Margaret Cavendish famously attended the theatre with her breasts exposed and her nipples painted red causing a stir. This event is recounted here, but I couldn't help but disapprove of Margaret's selfishness on the opening night of her husband's play. It does serve as a good reminder that public nudity stunts - like those exhibited today by the likes of Bianca Censori - are nothing new.

I was also annoyed to find in the Author's Note that Dutton included lines and images from Virginia Woolf's writing throughout her novel. She explained that she learned about Margaret Cavendish by reading Virginia Woolf's work which is interesting and worthy of a mention. But to learn that some of the writing I automatically attributed to Cavendish throughout the novel could have been written instead by Virginia Woolf really irritated me and I felt duped.

There were moments of terrific writing, the description of London and fertility treatments of the day stand out clearly in my mind, yet they only served to make me yearn for a full length historical fiction treatment of the subject.

Margaret Cavendish is an interesting figure from history and I was hoping for a more thorough look at her life, but Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton only offers a fractured glimpse, where every chapter feels like an executive summary of events. Perfect for those wanting only the highlights of her life.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook by Poppy Cooks

Online sensation Poppy O'Toole changed the way I roast potatoes forever and her cookbook The Potato Book - 101 Recipes from the Potato Queen by Poppy Cooks is never far from reach. So when I saw her latest temptation entitled The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook by Poppy Cooks available at the library, my taste buds were already salivating as I hit the reserve button.

This bright and enticing hardcover book is divided into chapters by protein - poultry, beef, pork, fish etc - with one chapter dedicated to sweet treats and a special chapter devoted entirely to potatoes, because obviously!

The first recipe we tried was the 'Candied Bacon Mac & Cheese' and it was as scrumptious as it sounds and would have been even better if my husband had let me use smoked streaky bacon instead of short cut bacon with the fat removed.

Next up we're looking forward to sampling Poppy's recipe for 'Saus-y- Pas' (tomato sausage pasta); 'Sausage Pasta' (similar but different); and 'Peanut Chilli Noodles'. The photos are terrific and there's a real variety of dishes on offer to cater for all tastes.

Published in 2025, The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook by Poppy Cooks is recommended for home cooks who love to cook in one pot and who aren't afraid of a little cheese and pasta.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Old Vintage Melbourne - A Culinary Chronicle by Chris Macheras

* Copy courtesy of Scribe Publications *

Old Vintage Melbourne - A Culinary Chronicle is the third book in the Old Vintage Melbourne series by Chris Macheras and this time the author is turning his seasoned eye to Melbourne's rich food and drink culture over the years. Pleasingly dished up in alphabetical order, the author presents approximately 120 culinary venues across Melbourne, comprising everything from hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés, markets and even a caravan.

It was pleasing to see so many family owned businesses continuing on from generation to generation, while others evolved and changed hands over the years. It was always sad to learn a venue or building had been demolished in the name of progress, especially the Federal Coffee Palace and Menzies Hotel. Meanwhile, fire destroyed some of the venues included in this book while others closed down in 2020 during the pandemic and failed to open again. The foreward by Stephanie Alexander was enjoyable but an index at the end would have been a very welcome addition.

I enjoyed lingering over the photographs and wondering how many special events had been celebrated there; first dates, marriage proposals, business deals, birthdays and anniversaries, along with the inevitable hangovers, relationship breakdowns and seedy workplace Christmas parties. Not to mention the staff waiting tables, pouring drinks and making delectable meals in hot kitchens.

Enhancing the reading experience were the inclusion of items from some of the venues like menus, matchbooks and coasters, all supplied by Di Sandilands from Pubcrock. The photographs for each location appeared to come from a variety of sources and I especially enjoyed reading the appetising contents of the few menus included.

Many of the venues I have visited came in the latter half of the book, with the Limerick Arms on Park Street in South Melbourne; the Mitre Tavern (where we attended a weekly trivia night for several years); Planet Hollywood; The Cuckoo; Vlados and the Windsor Hotel to name a few.

Many years ago I regularly visited the Manchester Unity building to see a chiropractor but had never heard of the murders that took place there so I had to set this lovely large hardback edition aside to find out more about the three jewellers who were killed during a diamond heist in 1978.

Many of the photograph captions didn't include years which was disappointing, but I'm assuming this information just wasn't available in the archives from which they were sourced. Unfortunately, the book could have done with a tighter edit of the image credits accompanying each of the venue profiles. The profile page for Donovans in St Kilda credits a photo that isn't included. The Gaylord Indian Restaurant in Tattersalls Lane features a scrumptious looking photograph of a feast for the taste buds but mentions it pictured on the right, despite it being on the left. The book states the price of a dish relative to 2025 when the book was published just a few days ago, which was another lost opportunity for accuracy and relevance. I noticed a further typo and another image credit error while reading, giving me the impression the book was either rushed to print or poorly edited which is a real shame.

The research behind Old Vintage Melbourne - A Culinary Chronicle is vast, with contributions from many of the family run businesses no doubt taking a determined effort to track down. The profile on milk bars was the most nostalgic given I grew up in a general store and I enjoyed seeing the signage, decor and fashions captured in the photos that span many decades.

Old Vintage Melbourne - A Culinary Chronicle will be a trip down memory lane for many Melbournians and visitors to this great city and is a terrific snapshot of the past. Reading it made me hunger for some of the menu items, and wish I could browse the buffets and perhaps even kick up my heels to the live music on offer back in the day.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

See my other reviews in the series:
Old Vintage Melbourne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in 2021
Old Vintage Melbourne 1960 - 1990 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in 2022

Review: Slime by Susanne Wedlich

Slime - A Natural History by Susanne Wedlich has been translated from German by Ayça Türkoğlu and is a scientific exploration of all things slimy. Susanne Wedlich is a freelance science journalist and quickly defines slime for the reader as an extremely aqueous and viscously fluid hydrogel, which - under certain conditions - can also bear the properties of a solid.

Later on, she defines slime even further as follows:

"It's the default term for unknown but sluggish fluids or creepily soft solids. It's a thing in between and a feeling and a description of materials, but there is not one prototypical slime. Depending on origin and function, it hides behind a multitude of pseudonyms like gel, biofilm, mucilage, glycocalyx, but also in ecological communities like biological soil crusts, or in phenomena like marine snow." Page 49

Wedlich also explains that slime is a biological substance with physical properties and biological functions while also being a phenomenon - or an idea - which repels and disgusts.

I was hoping the book would consist of an even mix of science and cultural phenomenon, but it's safe to say it was almost all natural science. The author offers a few references to modern culture, with the slime in Alien and The Matrix movies instantly evocative.

"It's no surprise that their uses in nature are extremely varied, including as lubricants and adhesives, tailor-made for the species and organism. Slime is also essential, selectively permeable barrier inside the human body and elsewhere, allowing in nutrients and other desirable visitors, but stopping pathogens and pollutants in their tracks." Page 43

A large part of the book is spent offering examples of species using slimes as lubricants, adhesives, modes of transport and more, and I found myself continually putting the book down to investigate further. I could definitely do without knowing there are spiders in aeroplankton over Greenland - spiders, in the air!! - or that pearl fish live inside the anus of sea cucumbers but loved learning about marine snow. Another interesting rabbit hole involved hagfish, when the author tells us that the US Navy is trialling the use of military lab-grade hagfish slime to stop suspicious ships in their tracks without using force. Now I'd love to see that!

The relatively new discipline of 'mucomics' is research into the ability of slime to be used in the development of new technologies. Historically, slime has been used in all sorts of ways and in Germany and pre-industrial Sweden, the black slug was used as a lubricant on carts.

"When the dry axle began to squeak, a slug would be placed on the wheel hub and crushed as the carriage continued on its way." Page 55

Ewww! Elsewhere, I enjoyed the mention of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey which is a book I still think of every now and again, despite having read it way back in 2011.

I didn't know deserts and dry regions are covered in a mucilaginous surface which counters erosion and evaporation and that disturbing the soil is like ripping the protective skin layer off, with serious consequences. I learned that even the sea has a skin composed of a delicate layer of gel just a fraction of a millimetre thick.

If Wedlich has an agenda here, it's definitely the importance of the environment and the damage human beings are doing to it. She makes her case firstly by laying out the facts, like explaining that diatoms release at least 20 per cent of all the oxygen we breathe, then pointing out how vulnerable they are to changing temperatures.

The author points out that forest clearing, over-fishing, rising temperatures, acidification and pollution are wiping out species and decimating food webs all over the world. In addition to mass extinctions and the global biodiversity crisis, the author gives us a new reason to care about this, mucomics. If species are wiped out before we can study them, then not only do we lose the opportunity to potentially develop new medicines, we could also lose the opportunity to develop new technologies, based on their unique biological properties.

Much of the content focusses on marine science and I occasionally found the content dry, despite the frequent references to dripping and sticky slime. I was hoping for more about the cultural significance of slime but didn't find it here.

Slime - A Natural History by Susanne Wedlich will appeal to readers with an interest in popular science and the environment.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks

* Copy courtesy of HQ Fiction *

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks is about the life of Florence Balcombe, the fiercely intelligent young woman who courted Oscar Wilde but went on to marry Bram Stoker, who famously penned the gothic horror novel Dracula. The novel takes place between 1876 - 1937, and while Dracula was published in 1897 and features heavily in the second half of Florence's life, you don't need to have read it in order to understand or appreciate her story.

Growing up in Dublin, Florence fell in love with the talented and flamboyant Irish writer Oscar Wilde however their relationship didn't last and ended after approximately two years. I thoroughly enjoyed their clever and quick-witted dialogue which continued when Florence met Bram Stoker.

"Well, in that you're wrong. There's nothing more fashionable than outrage - moral outrage especially. And Oscar excels at that - and not just in fiction." Page 319 

Florence is extremely well read and desperate to leave Ireland and Bram wants to be a writer so the two marry and follow their dreams to London. Brooks is able to bring Victorian era London to life so well I could almost hear the hustle and bustle of the city and see the smuts clinging to the curtains.

Going into this, I thought Bram Stoker was a lawyer and writer, but I didn't know he was also a critic and spent the majority of his career working as a theatre manager for famous actor Henry Irving.

Florence dislikes Irving from their first interaction and struggles to accept Bram's loyalty and dedication to the man in the face of his unceasing demands. The relationship between the two seemed to me to be one of devoted and adoring employee ensnared by a selfish and arrogant narcissist who gradually drains the life force from this brilliant man.

This serves as a constant strain on Florence's marriage and the writing was so effective I found my own temperature rising and teeth clenching. In fact, if I wasn't holding the book I think my hands would have been balled up in fists as I willed Bram to quit his post or at least exit Henry Irving's overbearing orbit.

This marital drama is offset by the kind of salons and events you and I can only dream of attending, with plenty of prominent names from the world of literature, music, theatre, art and politics.

"Time is described in a myriad of ways by poets, writers, artists, merchants and even ordinary folk. We're all at its mercy in one way or another. We have too little, or too much. We rush, we loiter; we spend it wisely or foolishly. Too often we neglect to consider its passing until, one day, something happens to draw attention to what we've squandered. Then, all the days, weeks, months and years that have been and gone concertina into a singular terrible moment where time stands completely still. This was that moment." Page 327

Readers hoping for an insight into the creation of classics like The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde or Dracula by Bram Stoker will of course find it here, but you needn't have read either in order to enjoy Florence's role in them both. Oscar Wilde's court case features in Florence's story and I found myself judging her harshly for her lack of support during and following his trial and subsequent sentencing.

Bram only manages to write in scarce snatches of time and I enjoyed the insight into his childhood, learning he spent the first seven years of his life as an invalid. His interest in eerie folk tales - often told to him by his nurse and mammy - were evident and I can't help but wonder what else he would have written if he'd had more time. Florence lived to the age of 78 and we follow her life to the end, so we expect to read about Oscar Wilde's passing but I was disappointed that the death of her dear friend Ellen Terry only warranted the barest mention.

After Bram's death, the film adaptation Nosferatu in 1927 changed Florence's life. I had no idea about the protracted copyright battle over the film and I'll admit this drawn out legal fight became a little tedious to read about for me. Florence Stoker's determined battle for copyright was unwavering and her hard-won accomplishment is still felt today.

"Because of Florence Stoker, from this day forward, an author's copyright will be enshrined in every single deal that's made. Every contract will now include a clause protecting the creator's rights, whether it be for film, theatre, and maybe even for that new-fangled invention." Page 527

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks is expertly researched and Florence was an interesting and accomplished woman in her own right. She supported her husband despite their intimacy problems and sacrificed her health and reputation to ensure his life's work was protected.

Karen Brooks is also the Australian author behind The Good Wife of Bath set in the 1300s, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading last year. It takes great skill to write about the middle ages and the Victorian era with equal measure and I still have two of her other historical fiction novels - The Chocolate Maker's Wife (set in 1600s) and The Whisky Widow (set in 1700s) - on my TBR to enjoy.

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks will appeal to fans of historical fiction with an interest in the literary scene of Victorian era London.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Greatest Traybake Cookbook Ever by John Gregory-Smith

It's time to find a few new favourite recipes to change up the dinner menu here at Carpe Librum and I kicked off my culinary search with The Greatest Traybake Cookbook Ever. John Gregory-Smith is a chef, TV presenter and best-selling author specialising in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine and this is his eighth cookbook.

So far, we've tried 'Elektra's Greek Chicken Traybake' and 'Spicy 'Nduja Cannelloni', and they were both delicious. Made using fresh lasagne sheets, the cannelloni instantly become a new favourite and we've made it twice since then. There were a few key ingredients we didn't have - like the nduja paste - but we made do with sweet chilli sauce instead. Has anyone tried 'nduja paste? What's it like?

I don't know about you, but I prefer to borrow cookbooks from the library as they're often expensive, take up precious bookshelf space and I never know if there will be any recipes worth keeping or making again.

The book promises 100 effortless traybake recipes using supermarket ingredients, yet of the two recipes I’ve made so far, one calls for an ingredient I couldn’t find in Australia’s biggest supermarket chain; so there's that.

We're looking forward to trying the author's recipe for the 'Baharat-Spiced Chicken with Sweet Potato Wedges' and 'Quick-Cook Lamb Ragu' next.

The Greatest Traybake Cookbook Ever by John Gregory-Smith was published this year and is recommended for basic home cooks who like the idea of cooking a main meal in one oven tray.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel is the second book in the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel and commences in September 1535. Thomas Cromwell is about fifty years old now and holds the title of Master Secretary. I'm reading this as part of the Wolf Crawl slow read and was pleased to discover the superb writing in evidence in Wolf Hall is also present here. The connection between the two books is absolutely seamless, despite the three years between publication.

Cromwell is a formidable man and we are quickly reacquainted with him in the opening pages.

"No one knows where he has been and who he has met, and he is in no hurry to tell them. He never spares himself in the king's service, he knows his worth and merits and makes sure of his reward: offices, perquisites and title deeds, manor houses and farms. He has a way of getting his way, he has a method; he will charm a man or bribe him, coax him or threaten him, he will explain to a man where his true interests lie, and he will introduce that same man to aspects of himself he didn't know existed." Page 7

I love the frequent references to history in the book, a time when the forest stretched ahead for days and the forefathers of England - the giants - left their standing stones. This haunting atmosphere permeates the pages and the present here in Bring Up the Bodies. On every page I experienced the weight of foreknowledge, as Cromwell reflects on the ghosts of the past, while he is a ghost of the past to us, the reader.

This gives the writing a melancholic feeling, given we know who will succeed and who won't and the ultimate fate of the primary characters.

"It's not just the past you think of, as you ride these fields. It's what's latent in the soil, what's breeding; it's the days to come, the wars unfought, the injuries and deaths that, like seeds, the soil of England is keeping warm." Page 9

Cromwell has been an excellent father and mentor and it was interesting to see the qualities and attributes he prizes in his son Gregory and which were important 500 years ago:

"Gregory is a fine archer, a fine horseman, a shining star in the tilt yard, and his manners cannot be faulted. He speaks reverently to his superiors, not scuffling his feet or standing on one leg, and he is mild and polite with those below him. He knows how to bow to foreign diplomats in the manner of their own countries, sits at table without fidgeting or feeding spaniels, can neatly carve and joint any fowl if requested to serve his elders. He doesn't slouch around with his jacket off one shoulder, or look in windows to admire himself, or stare around in church, or interrupt old men, or finish their stories for them." Page 27-28

I've been listening to Lux by VOCES8 while compiling this review over several days and it's an album containing ethereal music covering 400 years of choral music. It perfectly embodies the feeling of history I tried to convey earlier and I can almost imagine I'm standing behind Thomas Cromwell in Westminster Abbey when I listen to it.

In Bring Up the Bodies, Cromwell tries to convince Queen Katherine to obey the king's wishes and the dialogue between them is fascinating. Here's a taste of Katherine's anger whilst speaking to Cromwell.

"There is a pause, while she turns the great pages of her volume of rage, and puts her finger on just the right word." Page 106

That word, in case you're wondering is contemptible. However just as he failed to persuade Thomas More to change his mind and take the oath, Katherine also proves to be immovable.

The king is through with Anne Boleyn after she continues to fail to give him an heir and relies on Cromwell to bring her down to make way for Jane Seymour. Cromwell does so by finding evidence of adultery against her, which is treason and punishable by death. Cromwell needs guilty men, so he finds men who are guilty and in carefully preparing his evidence and witnesses, Cromwell makes use of the opportunity to take out some of his enemies or weaken their houses.

King Henry is just as fearsome and narcissistic as ever, and his tempers shift without notice. Cromwell can read the king's mood better than any man and knows just how to manipulate him to achieve the desired outcome, although still at considerable risk.

"You can be merry with the king, you can share a joke with him. But as Thomas More used to say, it's like sporting with a tamed lion. You tousle its mane and pull its ears, but all the time you're thinking, those claws, those claws, those claws." Page 249

Anne Boleyn's downfall dominates the plot in Bring Up the Bodies, but there's also plenty of time to witness Cromwell's steady rise in power, the expansion of his wealth and family dynamics. He (Cromwell) has carefully mentored his young charges and Rafe is now a trusted man in the king's service. His advice to Rafe though is chilling.

"Look, he says: once you have exhausted the process of negotiation and compromise, once you have fixed on the destruction of an enemy, that destruction must be swift and it must be perfect. Before you even glance in his direction, you should have his name on a warrant, the ports blocked, his wife and friends bought, his heir under your protection, his money in your strong room and his dog running to your whistle. Before he wakes in the morning, you should have the axe in your hand." Page 417

The late Hilary Mantel was the first British author and the first woman to win the Booker Prize twice, and I totally get it now. Bring Up the Bodies is an epic character study of Thomas Cromwell and the writing is extraordinary, with a phrase to savour on every page.

I've already started reading the final book in the trilogy The Mirror and the Light and am loving it so far. It's 880+ pages though and the slow read will take us until the end of the year, when I imagine I'll be feeling bereft to have finished.

And now no more for lack of time.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!