Mantel plans to keep us waiting
Anyone who was left begging for more when they reached the end of Bring up the Bodies, is in for a lengthy wait before they’ll be able to feast on the final part of Hilary Mantel’s trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. In an interview for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) she revealed that she won’t finish writing the book until late in 2016 or even middle of 2017.
Apparently her involvement as consultant for the stage production of the Man Booker-prize winning Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies have distracted her a little though she was able to use cast members as sounding boards for some of her plot ideas. When her work on the Broadway version comes to an end this summer she’ll be taking a holiday and then planning to get back to writing in earnest. it will take her between 18 months and a year to finish the book.
Until then we’ll have to be satisfied with the few crumbs of information she’s divulged. We now know the following about Part 3:
- It’s called The Mirror and the Light
- It features the short reign of Jane Seymour and the long awaited birth of a male heir.
- We will experience King Henry’s increasingly erratic behaviour.
- The book marks the demise of Thomas Cromwell and his disgrace
Those titbits are all we’re going to get for some time it seems but they have whetted my appetite even more. I know what’s going on my Christmas wish list for 2016.
Read the full interview here http://blogs.abc.net.au/wa/2015/02/hilary-mantel-reveals-timing-of-her-next-book-and-whats-next-after-thomas-cromwell.html
Wolf Hall and
Thanks for the update. Looking forward to the last installment. I saw Bring Up the Bodies in London, and Mantel’s distraction was well worth it.
I thought she was publishing the third book in 2016, now it’s finishing it? Waaah!
And this is why I’m glad I haven’t started reading them yet! They are burning a hole in my kindle, but I’m glad I have put them off.
That gives me enough time to catch up. I’ve yet to even read the first one. Am so jealous about the TV series, there seem to be some fabulous shows on TV this year, and not even one is available here where I live 🙁
What?? NO!!! 🙁
Oh dear that is a long waut. Hopefully it will be worth it. Loving the series are you watching?
Am I watching the series?? Ali I am glued to the tv when this is on. The acting is superb (I can’t think of a single character who is weak) particularly of course Mark Rylance. He IS Cromwell. I can’t understand all the grumbles about how dark the setting is, the use of candlelight is inspired
I think it’s brilliant too. Mark Rylance is superb 🙂
This will give me time to catch up!
And to watch the tv adaptation I hope. if it comes your way soon, turn off the phone and just pretend you are not at home to callers. you will not want to miss it Naomi
No worries — I’m so behind on all my reading I can use the delay — and what ever she gives us will be worth the wait. Thanks for the news, Booker!
it will give us a chance to re-read the first two at least
Are you going to watch the series?
I’m in the fortunate position of living in the UK so we have already had 4 of the six episodes broadcast. Its riveting – about the best thing I’ve seen on tv for several years.