Historical fiction lovers listen up! There is a book coming out this summer that you won’t want to miss.Pick up The Cardinal by Alison Weir.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. This book is about Cardinal Wolsey during the Tudor and Henry VIII's reign. It follows his start at a young age, to his education, and eventually his role within Henry's Court - and all the choices he made, or didn't made, that impacted his own power.

I really enjoyed this book from a historical perspective, but also from an intrigue perspective. Rarely do we hear about this time outside of Henry or certain wives, so it was enjoyable and appreciated to read a fresh take on the era. I also liked the attention paid to the Cardinal's other life outside of Henry; details and research presented in an accessible way thanks to this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When one spends a lifetime studying sixteenth-century Russia, it can be easy to forget that politics in the rest of Renaissance Europe was every bit as cutthroat and duplicitous as it was in the court of Ivan the Terrible and his predecessors. That truth is clearly illustrated in this latest novel from Alison Weir, who has written so many books, both fictional and historical, about Tudor England.

"The Cardinal” traces the career of Thomas Wolsey, a tradesman’s son who rose through the ranks of the clergy, eventually attracting the attention of King Henry VII. Henry VII’s trust in Wolsey—coupled with Wolsey’s own early recognition that the new king, the eighteen-year-old Henry VIII, valued the prestige of authority over the day-to-day work involved in running a kingdom—led to Tom (as he is called throughout this novel, since there were many men at Henry’s court named Thomas) becoming the most powerful man in England after the king himself. Power, then as now, went hand in hand with money, and in an age of unabashed conspicuous consumption, that has led to serious discussion of whether Wolsey not only could but did outspend the king. The most notorious example is Hampton Court Palace, which Wolsey built for his own use and turned over to Henry VIII only out of fear that its opulence would alienate his benefactor.

Unsurprisingly, many court servitors did not appreciate the lowborn Wolsey’s influence over the king, and this novel traces their schemes and Tom’s attempts to combat them. His occasional pettiness and petulance during the ongoing struggle help to humanize him, but it is his long love affair with Joan Larke—which resulted in two living children, one stillborn, and possibly other offspring attributed to her eventual husband—that goes farthest to make the cardinal sympathetic.

Alas, when forced to choose between love and power, Tom picks what most of us would consider the wrong side. But that’s the trouble with writing about people who actually lived: you can’t respect the historical record AND ignore the real choices your characters made; you can only try to explain them. Alison Weir does as good a job as anyone could of explaining Cardinal Wolsey, what drove him, and the forces that ultimately led to his downfall.

I will be hosting a written Q&A with this author on my blog (link below) in late May 2025.

Alison Weir is the epitome of writers when it comes to Henry the VIII and that time period. When I read her books, I am reading history !
This new book by Ms. Weir, The Cardinal, is the story of Thomas Wolsey, one of the advisors to Henry the VIII.There is so much in this book that I was not aware of. He was clergy and yet kept a lover in his house, had children and gave them away! I was glued to every word. Ms. Weir must do immeasurable research on her subjects. Her books are fascinating, and this new book of hers is top notch. I cannot wait to read what she has next on her list.! I highly recommend this book, The Cardinal!! It is fabulous!

Alison Weir showed me the many faces of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Not only was he a priest, but he was also a scholar, a lover, a father, and a friend.

Weir’s insightful account tells of his humble beginnings before he attended Oxford at 11 years old and then recounts his rise to fame as he entered the priesthood and became a trusted friend and adviser of the Tudor court in 1509.

Wolsey was a driven man and he paid the price for his success. Weir’s narrative spotlights Wolsey’s desperation and his willingness to do whatever it took to stay in King Henry VIII’s favour. Granting everything in his power, Wolsey rose within the Tudor court from a member of the privy council to lord chancellor; however, when he couldn’t annul Henry’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon, he was disgraced, estranged and charged with treason. Weir shows readers how the nullity suit affected Wolsey; the emotional struggle of being aware of its weakness yet the drive to obtain what Henry wanted. The narrative spotlighted Wolsey’s desperate cling to power and his friendship with Henry. It must have been a difficult situation to live through.

I appreciated Weir’s dedication in piecing together the facts and presenting a story rich in detail and one that offered possible and insightful motives as well as a deeper look at the cardinal’s personality.

I was most surprised with his affair and how long he was able to keep it a secret! Weir's insight into what it must have been like for Joan added to the story and made me pivot and understand both points of view.

This was a ‘meaty’ book and will need a second or third read to grasp all that Weir has shared.

I was gifted this copy by Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I loved this book. Couldn’t put it down. I loved all the storylines, especially the Cardinal and Joan. I will be recommending this book to everyone. I’m very interested in this time of the world too. Such a fascinating time. Thanks to Net Galley for the proof.

I’ve always been fascinated about Henry VIII. This book gave a glimpse into his loyal confidant Thomas Wolsey. I learned a lot from this book and I enjoyed reading it!

I've read a lot of Ms. Weir's novels and I have enjoyed them. She writes a lot about the women in the Tudor court. This book focuses on Cardinal Thomas Wolsey from his early years to his rise in power. While I felt this novel flowed like most of Weir's novels, I struggled to care about Wolsey. His story wasn't interesting to me. I hope Ms. Weir continues to write, but switches back to famous women.

To be quite frank, when I received the notification that I had been approved for an advanced reader copy of Alison's Weir's The Cardinal, I stopped reading everything I was in the middle of, to absolutely devour the author's latest novel. I have looked forward to her release of a Tudor novel each year in May for the last ten years, and this year's book did not disappoint.

The Cardinal follows the life, the rise and eventual fall of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the infamous advisor to an even more infamous King, Henry VIII. Rising through the ranks of the church until he catches the eye of King Henry VII, eventually becoming an advisor and confident to the first Tudor ruler, he reaches the pinnacle of his power when Henry VIII comes to the throne. But is a life of riches serving such a volatile King worth giving even the most basic of desires up? Weir provides a perspective we don't always see of the Cardinal. In most cases, he is portrayed as unfeeling, driven, and ruthless in pursuit of following the king's orders.

If you are a fan of Tudor history, of Alison Weir's novels, or just historical fiction in general, this book is totally worth picking up for your library. I couldn't put it down.

4.5 out of five stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I think I'm going to be Billy No Mates here but this book wasn't for me. Naively, I thought this would be in the Hilary Mantel vein but it most decidedly isn't. A rather overblown writing style and too descriptive for me. Could have been a lot shorter. I was extremely irritated by the use of USA spellings in a UK book by a UK author set in UK! It's a pet hate. It didn't feel believable and for a book with real historical characters about real events it should feel authentic and believable. I did get bored and I suppose once I realised it wasn't a Mantel type book I struggled to finish it. I think it would have worked better as a completely fictional novel
Sorry not for me.

I’ve read a number of Ms. Weir’s books before - both fiction and non-fiction. I must admit a preference to her non-fiction. Much of her fictional books are based upon her non-fiction research, so it came as no surprise to me that she’d do this book - “The Cardinal” about Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Wolsey is an interesting character - he held a lot of power in the early days of Henry VIII’s reign - power that King Henry freely gave him. But Wolsey was also a very flawed character - as he loved power and the finer things of life. I think if one wants a fictional story about Wolsey, this is a fantastic book to pick up. Ms. Weir’s Author’s Note gives a bit of information about decisions she made in telling this story. I found this book a bit long in places, though I understood why Ms. Weir gave such detail. While I liked the inclusion of Joan Larke in Wolsey’s story, I also found so much of it speculative (because so little of his relationship with her is known beyond basics) that I found myself skimming those sections. I found this book interesting (as I noted before) and if you like Ms. Weir’s fictional stories during the time of Henry VIII, this is a book to pick-up to add to your collection. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A character from history I wasn’t super knowledgeable about so I really enjoyed reading this one. I found all the new info fascinating and definitely will be recommending to my history friends.

I truly love history books…especially anything Tudors. This particular book is about King Henry VIII’s right hand man, Cardinal Wolsey. Going from the beginning of his life to the end when Henry meets Anne Boleyn. Pick up this book, it’s one of Alison Weir’s best novels.

The Cardinal, by Alison Weir, focuses on a man who was the puppet master behind Henry VIII's reign, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey... until the king decides he's just another one of his puppets after all. A fascinating account of one man's meteoric rise (from the son of a tradesman to an international power broker), and eventual stunning fall, in Tudor England. Weir truly brings these real characters from the past to impassioned, colorful life. A fascinating read! Highly recommend!!!

I really enjoy books about the Henry VIII time in history. I really enjoyed reading this book, and this part of the history.
This book was clearly well researched and very well written. I highly recommend it.

The Cardinal by Alison Weir was such a good book. This story was a masterpiece! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

A wonderful story of Cardinal Wolsey.
It's about time he got his own story. Thank you Mrs.Weir for a fabulous one!
I loved how she brought this man to life for us readers to see what he's really like.
For me, I couldn't stand him. He didn't resonate with me at all.
He was greedy for himself. Ugh
A bad influence on Henry the 8th. I think eventually Henry would have come to those conclusions once and for all himself.
This novel made me feel lucky that I wasn't born then. All the evil hersey. Oh my!
I loved the secondary characters too.
To me, they are what made this story.
I was drawn in from beginning until end.
I wanted to see what made Wolsey tick so to speak. Mostly jealousy from what I gathered. He wanted more and more power.
I love anything Tudor so I was happy to see this book. Was I disappointed? No, I was NOT! I'm never disappointed in Weir's books. They are always interesting.
It's why I choose to read them but this time I was invited to read it.
5 stars for a fantastic story. I highly recommend
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

The Cardinal by new to me author Alison Weir, published by Penguin Randomhouse Ballantine, is a historical fiction story set in the 1486ties. A story that spans decades telling the story of Tom Wolsey.
Tom is a" bright and brilliant "man, the son of a tradesman, who's going to make his way in the Tudor Age in England.
Well written, interesting, suspenseful, literally unputdownable, 4 beautiful stars.

I loved this book so much. If you have ever watched The Tudors, then you will like this book it hits on the Cardinals story and with the show I can picture it all. I loved seeing how the Cardinal started out and how everything happened. He played such a big role in England at the time and to have a story based on him and not Henry and his wives' is amazing. If you like history and are interested in the Tudor rule this is a good book to read.