Bring Up the Bodies vs Wolf Hall: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fictional Works, Great Britain, New York Times reviewed, Historical Fiction, History, Fiction
Bring Up the Bodies
“His children are falling from the sky.”
Bring Up the Bodies is a historical novel by Hilary Mantel; sequel to the award-winning Wolf Hall; and part of a trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the powerful minister in the court of King Henry…
1 film adaptation
vs
Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall (2009) is a historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Readers rate Bring Up the Bodies highest: Bring Up the Bodies 4.3 · Wolf Hall 3.9.
- Bring Up the Bodies is the quickest read — about 8 hours vs 12 for Wolf Hall.
- Bring Up the Bodies has the widest readership — 107638 ratings behind its score.
- Bring Up the Bodies runs the darker storyline; Wolf Hall stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
Bring Up the Bodies
≈ 8h vs 12h for Wolf Hall
Want the crowd-tested pick?
Bring Up the Bodies
107638 ratings vs 1102 for Wolf Hall
Just want the better-reviewed one?
Bring Up the Bodies
4.3 vs 3.9 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
Bring Up the Bodies
a darker storyline than Wolf Hall
Want something lighter?
Wolf Hall
an easier tone than Bring Up the Bodies
Scores by source
| Bring Up the Bodies | Wolf Hall | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (107638) | 3.5 (412) |
| Hardcover | 4.3 (183) | 3.9 (362) |
| Google Books | 3.0 (118) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (807) | 4.0 (1102) |
Reception
| Bring Up the Bodies | Wolf Hall | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 107638 | 1102 |
| Editions | 55 | 43 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 113981 | — |
| Reading it now | 5742 | — |
| Written reviews | 10039 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 3806 | 15542 |
| Pages | 432 | 653 |