I didn't have much knowledge of Cardinal Wolsey except his name. Since he was associated with Henry VIII, I didn't have high hopes of him being a sympathetic character. I'm happy to say that the author made him human. The man chose power at every turn, but he was not happy. I felt sorry for him and his mistress Joan and their children. He probably had enough money by that time, I just wanted to say, choose Joan and the kids!!! A cautionary tale.
Thank you to Random House for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this book. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.


Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was a young boy whose family thought he was destined for the church and grew up to be a powerful cardinal whose demise happened after he underestimated Anne Boleyn who spent years bringing his downfall and ended up disgraced and lost everything because of greed and his need for power and influence. Thomas saw Henry the eighth as a son and did everything to keep him close and enjoyed being the power behind the throne until Anne Boleyn came into the picture and showed that she had more power and influence than Wolsey who saw Henry start to doubt him. Thomas becomes greedy and starts to become to comfortable in his position which gives others the opportunity to start to undermine his influence. With this book we see Thomas in a different light than the one we’ve seen in tv adaptations. I very much enjoyed this book and will be purchasing this book once it’s available.

I really wanted to love The Cardinal—the premise had so much potential. However, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The pacing felt uneven, and the characters didn't resonate with me as I'd hoped. After several attempts to get into the story, I decided to set it aside. While this book wasn't for me, I appreciate the author's creativity and encourage others to give it a try if the synopsis appeals to them.

This is a fascinating and sweeping portrayal of the life of Thomas Wolsey. He advanced in the church hierarchy in the sixteenth century to ultimately become a cardinal, confident, and friend to Kings. The talented and expert author of the lives of kings and queens, Alison Weir, brings to life the dramatic saga of Wolsey's rise and fall while serving King Henry VIII. As a fan of royal historical fiction, I found this to be a compelling and richly woven story. I was quickly immersed within the time and place of the setting and gripped by the unforgettable characters.

Readers who enjoyed the Wolf Hall series by Hilary Mantel or the Plantagenet and Tudor novels by Philippa Gregory or previous novels by Alison Weir are sure to love this book. I would also recommend this to readers who love historical fiction surrounding Henry VIII.

The story transported me back to this time period. I became quite engrossed. This book was well researched. The characters came alive once again in this story. The author has such a gift engulfing the reader from the first pages. The characters were well defined and quite memorable. I look forward to more by this author.

I was blessed with an ARC. My review is unbiased and all thoughts are my own. Highly recommend.

Alison Weir's new novel, "The Cardinal", tells the story of Thomas Wolsey - one of the closest advisors of Henry VIII. An exceptionally clever boy and a butcher's son he takes the one path to prosperity open to him - the Church. His erudition, efforts and talent for negotiation don't go unnoticed by the king and Tom becomes a key figure dictating England's role in European politics at the time. But as the his power and wealth grow over the years, so does the number of sacrifices and enemies he makes...

I particularly liked the idea of the author to present a well-known period in history (coming from a reader who didn't like history in school and still has heard of Henry VIII and the Boleyns) from a different perspective. Even though I sometimes felt a bit lost in the names, titles, hierarchy and traditions of the nobility, I enjoyed and recommend the novel and would like to thank Penguin Random House for sending me this advanced reader copy.

I did not know a lot about Thomas Wolsey except for what I watched on the miniseries The Tudors but I was intrigued. Thank you Ballentine and Net Galley for an advanced reader copy.

Allison Weir writes about the rise and fall of Thomas Wolsey. There was a lot of detail in the book about his relationship with King Henry VIII in addition to his role in the King’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon and ultimately Anne Bolyn.

I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that there was perhaps too much detail in certain parts and it was long but if you love historical fiction especially during this Tudor time period; this is a must read! Enjoy!

During the reign of King Henry VIII, the king would elevate well-qualified men to positions of power and prestige. We all know the story of Thomas Cromwell, but it is his mentor, Sir Thomas Wolsey, whose story shows how one can rise from humble beginnings, but whose fate is ultimately tied to the mood of the monarch. The son of a butcher turned scholar who became a priest, a lover, a father, and the closest advisor to the king. His life, his loves, his successes, and his struggles are told in Alison Weir’s latest novel, “The Cardinal.”

I would like to thank Ballantine Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I am a fan of Weir’s novel, so when I saw her writing a new one about Sir Thomas Wolsey, I knew I wanted to read it. Wolsey is someone who tends to be a side character, so to have a novel dedicated to his life was an exciting idea.

Weir begins her story with Thomas (known in this novel as Tom) at the age of 11, going to school. His father, Robert Wolsey, is a butcher from Ipswich who wants his son to climb the social ladder in the church. Tom will eventually rise to the level of becoming King Henry VII’s chaplain and will begin working with King Henry VIII. Life for Tom is thrilling with the twists and turns of court life, but the one thing that is missing in his life is someone to share it with. Since he is a member of the church, he cannot marry or have his own family, but things change for Tom when he meets Joan Larke. Their love for each other is genuine, even though it is taboo in the eyes of the church and King Henry VIII, which comes across as quite hypocritical.

It was under King Henry VIII that Tom’s star rose to remarkable heights. He became a Cardinal, was the King’s right-hand man and best friend, and was able to create the architectural marvel of Hampton Court Palace. But his rise in prominence came with a cost. Tom must help the king navigate not only international affairs, such as the Field of Cloth of Gold, but also more personal matters, such as the divorce of King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, which would become known as The Great Matter. Tom would have many enemies at court, including Anne Boleyn, the future wife of King Henry VIII, who would ultimately lead to Tom’s fall from grace.

This is such an engrossing novel about one of the most complex figures of the Tudor dynasty. Thomas Wolsey’s story shows the struggle of fighting for those you love over the ambitions and prestige of the glittering court life. If you want an excellent novel about one of Henry VIII’s closest advisors and his life, I would highly recommend you read “The Cardinal” by Alison Weir.

I love Historical Fiction and history of the British Monarchy so this was a "no-brainer" for me. Alison Weir's The Cardinal refers to the rise and fall of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey - one of Henry VIII's most trusted advisor. While I knew most of the history, I was completely shocked by Wolsey's relationship with Joan Larke. While I found the story very information, other than the affair and subsequent children Wolsey fathered, there was nothing new revealed and the story seemed very long for no reason - it was.a lot of repetitive thoughts about how Wolsey was so loyal and just wanted to best for everyone, while doing whatever he wanted regardless of rules.

For whatever reason, I’ve been obsessed with the Tudor era for years and years. I’m so fascinated with everything King Henry VIII and love reading all of the historical fictions that are out there with POVs of everyone around him during that time.

I’ve found Alison Weir’s novels to be particularly well written and as she’s a historian, I feel hers are probably closest to being accurate so whenever a new Tudor book of hers comes out, I have to read it as soon as I can.

In The Cardinal, Weir tells the story from Thomas Wolsey’s POV and I found it absolutely enthralling and couldn’t get enough.

Everything I’ve ever seen of Wolsey is from his time at Henry’s side, but I had no idea how he rose to such power or what his humble beginnings were like.

Also within The Cardinal, Weir tells Wolsey’s love story with his beloved Joan, who he had a couple of children with.

I’ll definitely be waiting for whatever Tudor novel Weir comes out with next.

*Thank you so much to partner Random House Ballantine and to NetGalley for the gifted eARC!*

Thomas Wolsey is hardly a sympathetic character and yet Alison Weir once again got me feeling a bit sorry for him. I'd never really read anything about his rise to power as most history books and other historical fiction are focused on his involvement in getting Henry's marriage annulled (which this obviously went through as well), but it was unique to experience a retelling of what his life may have been like.

I found the first half of the book to be more interesting in that respect because once we get to the Great Matter it's just so much stalling! In Weir's defense, it would be hard to make the Pope's repeated deflections particularly engaging. I was left wondering by the end of the book how things might have been different for Wolsey if he had stepped away from court earlier in his career and sought quietude instead of power.

I was also saddened to read in the afterword that this was written during a difficult time for Alison Weir after losing her partner. I've read her books for nearly the past 20 years and it's hard to fathom how much has probably changed for her in this time. I hope that she is able to find peace and continue to care for herself.

To be truthful, this is not my favorite era to read about (both non-fiction and historical fiction) so when the publisher reached out, I almost turned down the opportunity to read this book. That was until I got to the name Thomas Wolsey. Okay sold, I now need to read this book! Thank you, Ballantine Books, for knowing what I need and should read before I do.

Thomas Wolsey rose from humble beginnings to become a cardinal. He became a confidant of Henry VIII and became the controlling figure in all matters of church and state. And like many power figures, he had a very tragic fall. Perfect for those who love historical gossip!
Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley! #TheCardinal #NetGalley

This time period is one of my favorites! I love the drama of King Henry VIII’s court. So, I jumped at the chance to read this one!

No one can take you down a historical path quite like Alison Weir. This book, as with all her books, has exceptional research. She brings Cardinal Wolsey to life with rich detail.

Cardinal Wolsey did not really take the vow of chastity to heart. He had a mistress and several children. But, he could not have been a better friend to King Henry VIII. He was also all about power and wealth. And then he made a mistake. A mistake that came back to haunt him years later. And it was his downfall.

The narrator, Rosalyn Landor, took a while for me to like. She started out a bit overly dramatic. But, that settled in for me and I enjoyed her more as the story went along.

Need a story about politics, power and the church…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Thank you so much to Random House for providing me with an ARC of this book.
This book was okay. I appreciate that this is a thorough biography. And I did enjoy the story. But I found the ending to be drawn out. Maybe because I love history books, both non-fiction and fiction, I went into this book knowing the broad strokes of Thomas Wolsey’s life and the last 50 pages or so I just wanted it to end.
I do think it is written very,very well and I finished it in a little over a week, so it definitely held my attention

Since Thomas Cromwell gets a lot of attention, it's refreshing to see someone cover Henry VIII's first fixer, Cardinal Wolsey. I always think of Wolsey as the man who spent a ridiculous amount of money building Hampton Court and then having to gift it to Henry when he expressed envy at its opulence. Although it's easy to see him as greedy, decadent, and corrupt, Weir presents him as definitively human, driven by love--love of his king and love of his mistress and children. (I know...a cardinal with a mistress...and apparently they all had them, which kinda puts the charges of corruption in the church in rather bright illumination.) So basically, it's not that he's not corrupt, but more that he's a product of a system it which <i>everyone</> is corrupt. And it's a valid point--although Wolsey was granted an unprecedented (and ridiculous) number of titles, the fact that granting a bishopric with the expectation that the priest would never even visit it was standard practice shouldn't really count against him, it should count against the lamentable state of politization the church at that period. The long-time relationship with his mistress was presented as both lust-inspired and genuinely loving, justified by the age-old query, "if God didn't mean for us to have sex, then why did he make us want to do it so much?"
The main theme, throughout, though, is how much Wolsey wanted to be good and valued servant to his king. He worked <i>extremely</i> hard carrying out every little whim that popped into Henry's entitled, immature little head. And when that whim was "find an excuse to dump my decrepit wife so I can upgrade to a younger model," Wolsey worked his butt off trying to make that happen. For YEARS. That's actually where the book dragged (quite a bit really), but it effectively conveyed what a drag the real process was. So much political machination and foot dragging on the part of the Pope, to keep from outright pissing Henry off by telling him no, but making it take so long that they obviously hoped he'd dump the latest flavor of the month and move on, like a normal king. Of course, we all know that's not what happened, and eventually Wolsey lost his standing with the king and got punished for not being able to think outside the box. (Enter Cromwell.) It felt like very believable (perhaps relatable? ish) human behavior, given the system he was working within. And I think that's the ultimate goal here--to peel back the layers of the Wolsey onion and look below the surface of the political spider to see what ultimately may have driven him, done in a way that possibly only a master historian like Weir could.

Fans of Weir will find this novel about Cardinal Thomas Wolsey both informative and engaging. As expert on the Tudors. she weaves the people and events of the period throughout the narrative as one would expect but she also brings them to life. I found myself stopping periodically to look for more info about the various characters not only to sort out who is real and who is imagined but also to further expand my appreciation of what she has created. As with all of Weir's work it's a long one but I found it a page turner. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Excellent read.

I didn't know a lot about Thomas Wolsey and this was a historical fiction that mixes historical facts and fiction.
I learned and had fun. Well researched, good storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

At 464 pages, this is another lengthy tome from renowned British royal author Alison Weir. The book cover is gorgeous and visually arresting. How interesting to finally put a pinpoint focus on Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who rose so high in the court of King Henry VIII that his pride and trappings of wealth was borderline repulsive.

Weir paints a picture of a child from humble beginnings who perversely finds the pathway to wealth and power is through religious education- and the ultimate preferment at The King's Court. His private scandal is his secret lover and mother of his children. The penultimate struggle in the book is of course King Henry's desire to be granted an annulment from his first marriage to Katharine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn. I enjoyed the book for its information about Wolsey's family and upbringing, secret mistress and children, and the evolution of his lifestyle from prince to pauper as he fell out of favor with Henry VIII. I always wondered how Wolsey died (before ever being tried and executed for supposed crimes) and was touched by his sobering humility as he fell from the King's grace. This was a brilliant idea for a book in the wake of all the Tudor-themed books Weir has written over the decades that focused on King Henry VIII and his Queens, but has now brought a key player during that time to the fore. If I had one complaint it would be a familiar one: the book could have been more concise and edited down some.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

If Henry VIII could be said to have had one courtier who loved him more than all others, it would have to be Cardinal Wolsey. Portrayed by such memorable actors as David Suchet (in the ITV drama Henry VIII), Sam Neill (in The Tudors), and Jonathan Pryce (in Wolf Hall), he was a true statesman and a remarkable example of someone who in no way let his humble origins stand in the way of his desire for power. Now, he at last gets a historical novel that tells of his life from childhood to death, and Alison Weir’s The Cardinal is a fitting testament to one of the most extraordinary figures of the Renaissance.

Weir makes no bones about the fact that Wolsey was a remarkably ambitious man, someone who yearned for the finer things and life and wasn’t shy about reaching out for them when the opportunity presented itself. One can hardly blame the man. Who among us wouldn’t have done as he did, if we were unfortunate enough to be born among the lower classes of Tudor England? Once it becomes clear that he has a sharp mind and is suited for a life in the church, he goes from success to success, rising through the ranks and becoming cozy with first Henry VII and then his son, Henry VIII (who we will refer to as Harry, as this is how the novel talks about him). Time and again we see that Tom Wolsey is the type of man who has his eye on the main chance, and we can’t help but cheer for him.

At the same time, he’s so much more than just a scheming social climber. Weir makes it clear time and again that Wolsey really does care about and loves Harry, for all that the latter is a monarch who is far more interested in himself than in anyone else, including the man who has made so many of his creature comforts possible in the first place. The higher Tom rises, the more aware he becomes that Harry is like the sun; when you fly too close to him, you run the risk of being burned, perhaps beyond repair. This, though, was the nature of life in the Tudor court, in which all blessings essentially flowed from the king.

And, of course, it’s all made that much worse by the fact that Wolsey is surrounded by people who resent him for his low-born origins, particularly Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk and Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. As would be true of Thomas Cromwell somewhat later, the members of the nobility could never bring themselves to forgive someone who had managed to break free of the tight bonds of the Tudor social hierarchy. The fact that he plays a key role in keeping Brandon from being accused of treason after he marries Harry’s sister Mary just gives him that much more reason to hate the Cardinal.

There’s no question that the most important emotional relationship in Wolsey’s life is that which he shares with his mistress, Joan. Even though he knows that pursuing a relationship with her entails breaking his vows, such is the powerful bond between them that he’s willing to put his soul at risk in order to be with her. One of the great heartbreaks of his life comes when Harry, never someone to give his nobility and clergy the benefit of the doubt when it came to issues of sexual morality–despite his many well-known and very public affairs with women not his wife–essentially forces him to give her up. For the rest of his life he will continue to pine after her and attempt to find a way to be with her, even though doing so ends up causing her more pain than pleasure. His relationship with Joan really helps to humanize him, and Weir wisely shows us how Wolsey, like so many of his, contains multitudes.

Ultimately, of course, Wolsey falls victim to Harry’s capriciousness and willingness to turn on those who don’t give him what he wants when he wants it. Once Harry sets his sights on dissolving his marriage to Katherine so that he can marry Anne Boleyn, Wolsey’s fate is also sealed, since he finds that it is not as easy to enact the king’s will as he might like. Adding to his difficulty is the fact that Anne refuses to let go of her enmity of him, which he earned when he undercut her efforts to marry Henry Percy. The fact that Harry gave his approval to Wolsey’s actions in the Percy affair matters little and, along with her father and uncle, the powerful and resentful Duke of Norfolk, she becomes one of Wolsey’s most implacable enemies.

The last part of the novel chronicles Wolsey’s calamitous fall from grace as Harry turns fully against his former favorite. Tom’s fate is a brilliant illustration of the vicissitudes of fate and fortune, for as much as fortune’s wheel could bring a person to such power and prestige, it could also bring them to ruin. Thanks to Weir, however, we are invited to see this is a very human tragedy rather than as an example of just desserts. It’s impossible not to feel sorry for Wolsey as his world falls apart around him and all of the power and privileges he’s accrued are slowly stripped away from him as his enemies gain more influence over Harry and the king, ever willing to punish those who fail him, talks out of both sides of his mouth.

Many of Weir’s biographical novels take us right up to the moment of their protagonist’s death, and The Cardinal is no exception. As the novel closes, Tom shuffles off of this mortal coil, and it’s really rather wrenching, depressing even, to know that all of his accomplishments have essentially been for naught. He’s left behind a reprobate son and a daughter who is sent to the cloister–as well as Joan and perhaps a few other children–but since he wasn’t able to acknowledge them, they aren’t truly part of his legacy. Even his college at Oxford would end up being taken over by Harry. It’s a rather dismal fate for someone who gave so much of himself for an ungrateful and selfish sovereign.

The Cardinal makes for an immersive read and, as she has shown time and again, Weir is truly an expert on the daily life of the Tudor era. She brings her formidable knowledge of the period, its costumes, and its people to bear as she shows us what daily life was like for those of the time. As she does in her biographies, she makes sure that we know more than we ever thought we needed to know about the material culture of the time which, while sometimes dryly delivered, nevertheless gives the reader an appreciation for just how much wealth Wolsey was able to accrue. Her prose is workmanlike rather than inspired. This is obviously not a criticism, but if you’re looking for something with the lyricism and evocativeness of Hilary Mantel or the luscious indulgence of Philippa Gregory, then you’re likely to be disappointed.

All in all, I would say that The Cardinal is a lovely addition to Weir’s voluminous output. She has repeatedly shown that she has the ability to be as compelling a fiction writer as she is as a popular historian. It’s also just fun to spend time with Wolsey, who I’ve always found to be as fascinating as Henry VIII himself. At last, he finally gets his due.

My thanks to NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book.

Thomas Wolsey was an influential character in the English Court during a period of great transformation. Unfortunately, I found the novel to be very choppy with short vignettes about Wolsey as a child and young man, which were hard to build a flowing narrative, and I could not empathize with him or identify any of his motivations for actions. Stating that he wanted power, but not why. For this reason, I DNF'd at 10%.