The Cardinal by Alison Weir is excellent. It covers the rise and fall of Cardinal Wosley during the reign of Henry VIII. Well done

The Cardinal: A Novel of Love and Power by Alison Weir is an excellent historical fiction that gives a a glance into the life of the infamous Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.

I devour anything Ms Weir writes, and I have read a lot of nonfiction and historical fiction involving English history and the Tudors, but I have not read anything that Wolsey was the heart of the story.

I really, really loved this book. I already knew the “history” and the “story from the other guys”, but this is the first time I have been able to experience Cardinal Wolsey’s point of view. His hopes, fears, his admissions of his faults and his weaknesses. The reasoning for his passions and actions. Ms. Weir delivers this and so much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy Tudor history.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/27/25.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. This book is so well written that it breezes through the life of Thomas Mosley while keeping my attention. There really were no boring parts of the story as the author does such an amazing job of making everything sound interesting. It was amazing to read how Mosley ascended and all of the various offices he attained (and ignored) in pursuit of his lofty goals. During the book, it was hard not to feel sorry for him a little bit, but in retrospect, he definitely made his choices and thus had to live with the results.

Much has been written about Henry VIII ; Anne Boylen, and the court surrounding them; including Cromwell and Wolsey. This book includes the story but as told by Cardinal Wolsey. It shows his life and rise and eventual fall. It humanizes him with his ambition, accomplishments, and personal life. Excellent telling.

This is another excellent book by Alison Weir. As always she has mastered the storytelling while still providing meticulously detailed research to bring this historical fiction to life. This book was truly about Cardinal Wolsey and his rise to fame and power and I was happy to see that she did not delve into the Anne Boleyn story too deeply but provided enough to show how she led to Wolsey’s downfall. This was such a violent and dirty time and this book offers the reader with the sights and sounds to fully understand how difficult life was, even for those who were wealthy. I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to read this exceptional book.

4.3. A very interesting historical novel about Cardinal Wolsey, of fame during the Henry VIII area and probably best known for his attempts to annul the marriage of Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, although he also was a confidant and highly placed at the pinnacle of power during the early parts of Henry’s reign. A very different and fresh perspective on the Cardinal, from his humble upbringing as a tradesman’s son, to highly intelligent scholar and priest, to rising to the highest strata of the Tudor dynasty as a trusted advisor to Henry VII, and then his randy but seemingly intelligent son, Henry VIII. An extremely well researched tome on the rise and fall of Cardinal Wolsey, not only from his professional pursuits but also his personal life, including his ambition and ruthless pursuit of power to his “family” life. Although focused on Cardinal Wolsey, this novel also is an excellent book on the political events of the time A long book but I could not put it down Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased and candid review.

“Absurd! he thought. What could that chit of a girl do to him?”

Ooo boy if only you knew Cardinal! Alison Weir is a fantastic writer, her work is always so excellent and this is no different. I’ve read so many of her books, so while I knew I’d enjoy this one simply because of her writing and attention to detail, she has really blown me away with ‘The Cardinal’! I never imagined I’d be so compelled by Cardinal Wolsey, every paragraph is filled with detail. I found myself unable to stop reading, I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While most Tudor fiction focus on the six wives, here we see events from the point of view of Cardinal Wolsey - someone who always shows up but we rarely get his take on things. I loved getting in his head here as Weir speculates about how he would have felt about events. Here she shows a man who loved deeply, if not wisely, as the saying goes, seeing Henry VIII like a son, and never fully realizing how far their relationship is from that. My favorite touch was when he has a real moment of irritation, thinking 'doesn't Henry remember <i>my</i> pain?' as Henry bemoans his own lot in life. I also loved how much Anne Boleyn was very much not on his radar until it was too late, which strikes as both very accurate and a deserved blow to Anne's usual attitude of I'm-the-center-of-the-world. An excellent portrayal of this fascinating historical figure.

Greatly enjoyed reading about Thomas and his life as a Cardinal and in Tudor court. If you are a fan of SIX, this is a book that you want to read! This book will give you all the feelings! Hope, love, despair, elation, all the feels!!! Such a wonderful book! Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

Amazing as always. I love Ms. Weir's historical storytelling and having a story from Cardinal Wolsey's point of view has been a breath of fresh air from the Tudors.

You can never go wrong with a book by this great author. Cardinal Wolsey is just a man you love to hate, however, Alison Weir finds a way to make him more understandable. I'm still not a fan of his though lol! She writes with such passion and brings both the characters and story to life. What I enjoy alot about her books is that she concentrates on the people and events and less on what is on people's plates or the extreme details of clothing. A great story and perfect book - not just for Tudor fans - because this Ricardian loved it! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙏𝙪𝙙𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 & 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨/𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙒𝙤𝙡𝙨𝙚𝙮. 𝙃𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 & 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚.
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 + 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨!

The Cardinal follows the rise and fall of Thomas Wolsey, who was the Cardinal during the reign of Henry VIII. While it is a fictional account, it feels like it could be part of history itself, owing to Alison Weir's extensive research on the 6 Queens. A perfect blend of historical facts and embellishment makes The Cardinal burst into life.

I am almost convinced that she wrote a non-fiction.

Starting with his school life, Thomas Wolsey rises power, then watches it as it falls away. Here, Alison paints him as a man with flaws and needs, rather than an imposing figure worthy of fear and awe.
If you like historical fiction, that focuses on someone who's always been a supporting character, this change in point of view is pretty fun to read.

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!