I am always amazed at the quality of research Weir completes for her books and the deep, accurate characters she strives to develop. I was only familiar with the TV versions of Wolsey before reading this, so it was great to learn his real story from beginning to end.

The Cardinal brings to life the true story of Thomas Wolsey – his meteoric rise and dramatic fall during Tudor England.

England, 1482. Wolsey’s story begins in childhood when, at the age of eleven, he is sent to Oxford.

The first half of the novel explores the deep inner world of its central character. Thomas, still a boy, finds himself subject to Oxford’s harsh rules, and he longs for the warmth of his parents’ inn. Despite the cold institution, his brilliant mind sets him apart as the youngest among a thousand scholars. Thought he misses home and the early thrill of Oxford life has worn off, he remains determine to make the best of his situation and fulfill not only his family’s hopes, but his own ambitions.

At fifteen, he earns his bachelor’s degree – an extraordinary feat at such young age. He continues his education at Oxford, eventually remaining at the university after graduation, waiting for the opportunity he has long dreamed of. Wolsey seeks high public office. He doesn’t want to take the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience; he doesn’t want to surrender his will to a superior. At eleven, he hadn’t fully grasped what priesthood would demand of him.

With no patron to support his ambitions, he is eventually ordained, believing it the only remaining path for advancement. Yet even that does not yield immediate results. He pleads for a modest ministry in hopes of future promotion.

He is finally appointed rector of a parish. After the death of his patron, more assignments follow, until at last, the opportunity he’s long awaited arrives: the chance to serve the monarch himself.

King Henry is impressed by Wolsey’s political savvy and diplomatic skills.

Appointments pour in. Suddenly, Wolsey is overwhelmed with responsibility, but he welcomes the workload. He craves power and is not afraid of hard work.

But then he meets Joan Larke - a beautiful, bold, intelligent twenty-year-old - and he cannot stop thinking about her. After working so hard to reach the pinnacle of his career, he now wonders if he’d choose love over power. Aware that envious rivals would exploit any weakness, he questions: is he letting emotion interfere with reason?

He wrestles with the dilemma. Other churchmen keep mistresses – why shouldn’t he? The king has granted him a house, so discretion would not be a problem.

Meanwhile, the king seeks to regain regions lost to France. Wolsey is against the war. After decades of civil strife. England is finally at peace and enjoying prosperity. Yet those who oppose war are falling rapidly from favor, and he must weigh his options carefully.

As the king’s trust in Wolsey deepens, Wolsey’s power and wealth increase - fueling jealousy and resentment among nobles and commoners alike. But what troubles him most are the growing accusations of lechery and fornication. The rumors spread rapidly, and he feels living on a knife-edge. In some regards, he dares not risk his secrets being discovered, and begins to feel he’s living on a knife’s edge. Now, a Cardinal, he is more unpopular than ever. Crowds boo him. The nobility despises and envy him.

The second half of the book plunges into the complex web of political and court intrigue, including wars and the Great Matter – King Henry’s pursuit of a divorce from Katherine of Aragon and his fixation on Anne Boleyn.

Poignantly written with a richly drawn and morally complex protagonist, The Cardinal offers a fresh and compelling perspective on Henry VIII’s reign. Told from Wolsey’s point of view, it sheds new light on well-known historical figures and events. The suspense builds steadily, and the final chapters - leading to Wolsey’s fall – are especially tense and gripping.

Personally, I like character-driven stories. Thus, the first half was very absorbing to me. With less character development and more of intrigues the story became slow in the second half; and seemed too drawn out in the second half.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

This work of historical fiction by Alison Weir follows the life, and rise and fall of Thomas Woolsey in the Tudor period in England. I found it a slow start but a fascinating tale of a man who gave himself to God and yet slowly but surely over time was corrupted by greed and wealth. I believe he was still a good person deep down but he really enjoyed the finer things in life and maneuvered his path in life to get them. It also tells of his love and care for King Henry the eighth who he regarded almost as a son. They had a great relationship until Anne Boleyn turned Henry's head and turned him against Woolsey. It broke Woolsey's heart and he nicknamed her the Dark Crow. The story also covers his decades long affair with his mistress Joan and how when push came to shove he chose his career over her. He always regretted that choice. The writing is very good and I came away with a much greater understanding of Woolsey as a person as well as a political figure. Highly recommended for lovers of historical fiction. I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator was excellent.
5 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for a chance to listen/read an ARC version of this book.

This book is quite the long and intense read But Alison Weir always knows how to write a book that will draw you in and keep you reading. And this book did just that for me. A story of Thomas Wolsey, Tudor England and the life of a Cardinal. This is such a gripping and intriguing where we see what power and passion can do.

The author as always, has done her research and brought the past to life on the pages of this book. She tells a story so that we see two dies of this man and his life which I really liked. I love the way Alison Weir can tell a story, even a long on, and can keep me invested from start to finish. A wonderful, passionate and intriguing read and one I couldn't put down and am so glad I read. I highly recommend this book and will actually read it again just to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’ve always loved Alison Weir’s books before but I really struggled to settle into this, it felt like it was jumping about quite a bit. Perhaps cardinal wolsey as a character just didn’t appeal to me. I love the period but I can’t explain why this didn’t grasp me.

For all readers who love to read ( and watch) stories about the dramatic, glorious and tumultuous years of that royal family, Alison Weir has a new book out, “ The Cardinal” , and it is a good one.
Thomas Wolsey is the center of the novel, a man of very common beginnings who rises to the highest levels of power, in the church and in the palaces of Henry. VIII. At an early age young Thomas felt he was made for more than being a butcher’s son. He managed to to get a benefactor who paid for an education that led to Holy Orders, and used his ordination to climb to the heights of power. Eventually rising to Archbishop, the Cardinal and papal legate, with a deep friendship to Henry, he met his nemesis in the form of the woman he called the “Black Crow”, Anne Boleyn.
The book has a bit of a slow start, but becomes quite fascinating as the true character of Wolsey evolves. He embodies the corrupt, social climber who manipulates his way ever closer to,, this ever richer , to Henry, gathering religious titles, wealth, houses and a sensuous mistress along the way.
The book is a fascinating read. Obviously the Tudor-it’s ( if there is such a word) know the outcome of anyone who dared to cross the Boleyn family non their way up the royal ladder, but in focusing on Wolsey, his rise and fall, MS. Weir gives the reader a grand, entertaining wade through a sea of envy, greed, love and lust. What more could one want in a morality play whose theme is if one attaches flies too close to the sun, one crashes..
Cautions: Religious venality, sensual passions, the arrogance of the rich and powerful, and a sad fall form the heights.

Yes! Yes! Yes! This book was excellent! It was a fascinating look into the life of Cardinal Wolsey. I had a totally different perspective of his life, this book showed a more human side of him. I have always been obsessed with all things related to the Tudors and this book delivered! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love everything Alison Weir writes. Each book is better and more interesting than the previous ones. Thomas Wolsey is a fascinating character. I’ve always had a soft spot for him. This book shows him, warts and all, and i enjoyed every single moment of it.

I am a big fan of Alison Weir’s historical biographies and always have one on the go, but I’ve steered clear of her novels before because I love her histories so much. She is always factual, detailed and entertaining without putting speculation into the mix. Not all historians do this.

But I was glad I opted to read this novel, because her erudition was obvious and I gave a new tact on Cardinal Wolsey if you’ve only read Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. There were a few language blips for me - I had to go rushing to Google to find out exactly when By George or By St. George was first popular as an exclamation , seems the first record was a few years later than the timeline of this novel, (also, Shakespeare can’t be counted as a source, since he was writing after Henry VIII’s time). Yes, a nerdy thing for me to do - but fun!

Anyway, Weir has a wonderful acknowledgment section that both references another good historian, Sarah Gristwood (I have her new book Tudors in Love on my TBR table) and discusses how she has played a bit with making the language a bit more contemporary. All in all, I felt she did a fine job, and I was grateful to be taken out if my historical comfort zone to try one of her novels.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for offering me this ARC.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 20%. It just wasn't grabbing me as it started off very slow. It was very informative and well-written, but I just couldn't connect with the story. I will give it another try at a later date when I more in the mood for this type of story.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I love everything Alison Weir writes so this was a no-brainer. I know the story, I know the history but I was still fascinated reading the POV of the Cardinal. I always wondered about his side of the "great matter". He was wrongly condemned by the Boleyn's and this drew me right back into my views of Thomas Boleyn. I definite must read

I have read a number of Alison Weir's books so it was a little surprising to have Cardinal Woolsey seen as a sympathetic character, but so interesting to take a close look at his childhood and his love life. We witness the rise and then the fall of Thomas Woolsey, confidant and friend to Henry VIII.

The Cardinal is a beautifully written account of the full life of Woolsey along with him falling in love and as a priest being unable to marry. The love interest was a main part of the story along with his great ambitions; his angling for positions that will bring him power and his rise in the court. He was a multifaceted man and Weir does a fantastic job bringing the man to life.

Weir is an incredible writer and her research is obviously immense, I always enjoy her books.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve always enjoyed Weir’s historical fiction but this was a big miss for me. It read at times like straight history where the historian is making massive guesses as to the subjects emotional state or inner thoughts. At others it was very awkward/cringey romance.

It also failed to either make Wolsey a sympathetic character OR reflect on how much of a shit he was.

I really do wish I could have enjoyed this more.

This is a review for The Cardinal by Alison Weir that will be released on July 27. This book was fascinating! It is a fictional account of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who came from humble beginnings, became good friends with King Henry VIII, who worked very hard for many years to rise to the rank of Cardinal, and which afforded him great power & benefits, all while serving his beloved sovereign within the Tudor court. All seemed to be going well for Cardinal Wolsey, high rank in the church, great estates, beautiful mistress, power beyond his imagination, all this until King Henry falls in love with Anne Boleyn, who causes the king to want to divorce his first wife Katherine of Aragon, and who seeks to destroy the life the cardinal has worked so hard to build, and also wants to destroy his relationship with his beloved friend King Henry. Power has come with a great price to Cardinal Wolsey, and along the way, he has compromised, made enemies, and finds that favor within the Tudor court is fickle, and can fade in an instant!

I really enjoyed this book, but without any spoilers, I kind of could see what was coming to Cardinal Wolsey! This account was fiction, but was based on a true character in history. I thought this book was well written, engaging all the way through, interesting, and a great story! I did enjoy it, give it 4.5 stars, and recommend it!

A great book! England in the 1500s.

The story focuses on the life of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey - starting with his education as a child all the way to his death. Thomas was not born into a wealthy family so the best way for him to get to the court of the King Henry VIII was thru the church. Thomas was very talented. and well educated, all he needed was a mentor to promote him. His dream was to be a prominant member of the court and serve the King.

The Cardinal tells the story about the humble beginnings, rise, and fall of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who was very close to Henry VIII. Prior to reading this book I was unfamiliar with Wolsey so it was interesting to read this tale from his perspective. The writing is rich with details and the author does a great job setting the stage. I found Wolsey obnoxious as he rose in power and wonder how close this fictional perspective is to how he actually was. There were times where the writing felt too drawn out/too detailed and while I enjoyed the story, it caused me to put the book down a for a bit. It did spark my curiosity though and I did some research on Wolsey after I finished it. Thank you NetGalley and Random House – Ballantine for the eARC. (3.5 stars)

Even though I am familiar with the story about Henry the VIIIth and his six wives, I did not know much about the back story of Wolsley and his non celibacy. I really enjoyed hearing about his so not humble beginnings. My only complaint is the end was a little drawn out.

Impeccably researched, this is a fascinating look at the life of Thomas Wolsey, the Cardinal advisor during the reign of Henry VIII. It begins with his childhood and takes us on a journey through his life. It is his search of position and power, love, children he couldn't claim, and friendship. The saga and scandal really begin when Henry VIII enlists Thomas's help to get his marriage to Katherine of Aragon annulled so he can marry Anne Boleyn. He is put in an impossible position, and we see how greed for power and money and the ambition of those closest to him leads to his demise.

I found this story to be engrossing and compelling. I learned so much about Thomas Wolsey and what happened during King Henry VIIII's reign. Fans of historical fiction, Philippa Gregory, The Tudors, and the TV show reign will find this a must-read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books, and Alison Weir for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

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This expertly crafted work grabs you instantly and hurtles forward with unrelenting momentum. The twists are sharp, unexpected, and brilliantly timed, keeping the tension at a constant simmer. Characters are complex and emotionally resonant, elevating the stakes with every decision they make. A gripping, immersive read that’s impossible to put down.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get into this book. I used to enjoy reading about this period of history, but it could be that it no longer appeals to me.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.